Musicians are often asked to answer for an entire culture, or for an entire movement. It’s a process of commodification. It becomes packaged and summarized in a word like ’emo’ or ‘grunge’… or ‘folk music.’ I think that’s just language itself, trying to understand the mysteries of the world. Sufjan Stevens Read Quote
The best fiction is geared towards conflict. We learn most about our characters through tension, when they are put up against insurmountable obstacles. This is true in real life. Sufjan Stevens Read Quote
The World’s Fair was the precursor to theme parks like Disneyworld, and the really sort of cheap, superficial promotional architecture that you see everywhere in the U.S. I think there’s a danger when you start creating a civilisation that isn’t meant to last. Sufjan Stevens Read Quote
Public school felt like prison – cinderblock walls, fluorescent lights, metal lockers. It was so sterile and unstimulating. Sufjan Stevens Read Quote
I find in music there’s a space and a language I can use to express things in ways I can’t describe conversationally. Sufjan Stevens Read Quote
Pop music is so structured, and I’m excited to try and challenge that in my own work. Sufjan Stevens Read Quote
Every time Jimmy Scott sings, it’s the same but slightly different. I don’t know how he does that or where he gets that from. I think it’s instinct. Nothing he does is by chance; he’s in complete control of what he’s doing. He’s just beautiful and unique. Sufjan Stevens Read Quote
I’ve been trying to challenge myself to be more explicit. I’ve always liked punk rock and Sonic Youth. I make that music privately, but I’ve never released it. Sufjan Stevens Read Quote
I have a love/hate relationship with Amy Grant, but I do go back to her Christmas albums once in a while. They’re dated and sentimental and the production is nearly unlistenable, but there’s something about her vocal performance that just feels really true. I would take her Christmas albums over Mariah Carey’s or Destiny’s Child’s any day. Sufjan Stevens Read Quote
