Greil Marcus Quotes

The only pictures worth making are the ones that are playing with fire.

I've never been averse to a little risk - after all, writing without risk is not really writing at all. Sometimes one has to just let fly with a high concept piece and see where the pieces fall. As it generally turns out, the central story is familiar, but just with different rules of engagement.

I think it's worthwhile to expand your comfort level and just do something awful. I wasn't trying to make music for money.

I think always my interest in making movies is to have something really technical mixed with something that was not so formal...something free.

We live in a world where art is always looked upon as the perfect medium. We live in a society where we can alter our body parts, we can act in the most perfect or right way. A lot of that is dangerous because, especially in the world of art, the chief enemy of creativity is being safe. If you're safe, you can't fall and hurt yourself. The older you are, the further down the crash is going to be. But if it works out, the higher the high.

I think one of the things about creativity is not to be afraid of saying the wrong thing.

I'm proud that with 'Bright Eyes' we've always experimented and tried to make a different record every time out.

I take chances. I don't limit myself. I don't think anybody who listens to Boston would have predicted hearing a female rapper on the beginning of the song 'Sail Away.' But that's what fit.

There has to be an element of risk-taking for me in my work.

A lot of producers and creative types want to see you be you. Throw something else out there and show them where you would take this part. A lot of them are launching shows for the first time, so they've got a lot riding on this, too, and they want you to be their flight.

Often, the fact that I haven't done something as a writer is all the reason I need to try it.

When you think 'Peaky Blinders,' when it first began it got mixed reviews and people didn't know what to do with it, and it was like: 'Why is there modern music on this?' So I think whenever you do something different you're going to get that response.

I think comics do need permission to fail. I think comics do need permission to go up and try stuff.

I can try new genres because I know there are fans who will always be there to support what I would like to pursue.

Defying genre conventions is instantly a risky move.

One of the things with the second record, a word I held close to my chest was 'brave.' To take chances to go outside the box and explore. To continue to toss off any expectation that our fans or anyone else might have of us, to just tap into who I am as a writer and artist and really just operate within that freedom of creation.

We don't do lots of jamming on stage, but I think we have the attitude of exploring things and trying something new.

In art, you CAN crash your plane and walk away from it

I enjoy creating. And if you can do it in a cool way, do it. You can't worry about disappointing people or what their expectations might be.

We're all trying to be artists making our own unique statements. I think the only real way to do that is through failure.

Once you have your basics down, you can start breaking the rules.

What keeps me awake at the wheel is the thrill of trying something completely new with each book. I’m not a risk-taker in life, generally speaking, but as a writer I definitely choose the fast car, the impossible rock face, the free fall.

You get the idea. Every business, like a painting, operates according to its own rules. There are many ways to run a successful company. What works once may never work again. What everyone tells you never to do may just work, once. There are no rules. You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over, and it's because you fall over that you learn to save yourself from falling over. It's the greatest thrill in the world and it runs away screaming at the first sight of bullet points.

Play around. Dive into absurdity and write. Take chances. You will succeed if you are fearless of failure.