Duncan Sheik Quotes

I think my Buddhist practice has a profound influence on my life and encompasses my creative projects.

I did a song, "Court and Spark," for a Joni Mitchell tribute album that's yet to see the light of day. So she's someone I'd like to do something with, sure. I worked with the great guitar player Bill Frisell on Phantom Moon - that was fun. I'm such a fan; he's amazing.

I actually am always a music first person.

I certainly wouldn't say that my life is a disaster, but there have been moments where I've felt like that.

I try to make sure that the Buddhism is more or less implicit in the music rather than explicit.

I feel fortunate about being able to make the music I want to make and getting away with it.

I actually think sadness and darkness can be very beautiful and healing.

When I was a teenager, I got into four track recorders, drum machines, and synthesizers, and I started producing instrumental music.

A real foolproof way to do it is play your stuff by hook or by crook and build up a grass roots following.

I'm fortunate I have this coterie of musicians around me to help take music to next level. Being surrounded by so much creative energy, so many creative people really feeds that creativity in me.

I'd have these weird experiences where I'd just be walking down the street with this chord progression in my head, this happened more than a few times, and I'd walk home and find a fax in my machine and it would match the music in my head.

I make the kind of music I like.

Lately I've been a workaholic. I'm in the studio all the time and I've helped to produce a couple of artists.

I started playing music at a pretty young age.

If I were to do this over I'd play a lot more shows before I made a record.

For my second record I had gotten ProTools (program) and started to familiar myself with hard disc recording.

Simon Hale, the British arranger, does all string and wood arrangements on my records.

Things come to me pretty regularly. There is never a shortage or a backlog.

And frankly, when I made that record, hit songs were not what I was trying to achieve.

The experiences of promoting my first album were really something; there is so much illusion in my environment (touring and pop music) that I wanted to clear away.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer or King Crimson or Gentle Giant - the worst prog rock references I can come up with. Though I totally loved those groups as a kid.

I mean, at the end of the day when I'm making a record, what I want to do is what I do.

But I can't really say there is too much modern music that I'm blown away by at this moment.

I got a publishing deal with BMG, they were supportive, and some money to record demos.

I privilege the music over the lyrics.

It's inevitable your environment will influence what you do.

I also wanted to make a record that was about other things than romance, yeah, after two years on the road singing all the songs from the first album, I got kind of tired of that.

Ultimately, if I'm really moved by something, it's going to go on the record and that's that.