Gord Downie Quotes

To write a song and have it embraced by someone, even one person, I don't think that's something that everyone gets to experience.

I am amused with the love people are showing for my songs. I am really happy to see my fans enjoying my music and loving the music I make.

When you spend two to three years working on an album that I feel very happy with the end result, there is nothing I would change. Musically, I have achieved what I set out to do.

If you improvise a riff and the crowd immediately reacts to it, you know you're on to something.

You're successful if you can get one person to pick it up and put it on the turntable and go, Wow, thanks for writing that!

I'm approaching a period in my life though where I'd like to be totally absorbed into music, doing concerts, writing something. Basically, that IS what I am doing.

When I'm not working, I'm on the road with my band. Or I'm performing in poetry houses doing spoken work. So I've got another passion and another outlet that allows me to be creatively fulfilled and not sitting at home pulling my hair out waiting for the right role to come along.

When I play the first few notes of a song and people start screaming, I think: 'That's why I did this. That's why I wrote this song. That's a good job.' And it is a job.

I believe in 'Hard Livin'.' The song has a lot of potential. I sang it on the road for about a year before I put it on an album. The crowds really seemed to like it.

When I sing a set, people will say, 'I love 'Mayday.' People just love 'Mayday' so much. I love it too.

It's just a lot of fun to be able to see your ideas come into fruition. And to see people translate the things that come out of my mind vocally. And to be able to produce vocals and give people my point of view musically. And to be able to sit in the crowd and see people sing the song that I wrote, it's an amazing feeling.

As a guitar player, it's harder for me to impress somebody than it is to write a song that they like.

I love having other people sing my songs.

I just to put out the best records I can and perform the best I can.

I like creating something from nothing and hearing it on the radio or on stage or from somebody driving down the street singing it. It's like building a house, taking a vacant piece of land, and next thing you know, there's a house with somebody living in it.

All I've ever wanted to do was play music and go on the road and make records.

This business is about working. It's really not about glamour. For me, the most glamorous thing about it is to b able to get on stage and perform my music for people. That's the privilege. And that's what all the work leads up to, and that's why it's worth it to me.

A couple years ago I was going to back off and actually thought about retiring, but it keeps calling me back, and I'm going to keep going back as long as it calls me. I really think it has something to do with the good vibes that I feel I've spread through my performance and through the time that I've spent with fans.

Just like any songwriter, I love it when people sing my songs.

I'm a creative person, and I've got a lot of ideas. People probably thought that my mentality was quick fame because I made 'Rack City' and it blew up fast, but I have over 1,000 songs recorded.

I'm hoping to do more with my music. I did the stage musical 'Spring Awakening' recently and it reignited the love I have for singing.

I mean, I can sit down with a guitar, and in fact, we do two, three songs with just guitar and percussion.

People shout out for songs and I don't even remember writing them.

All I ever wanted to do was write songs and get on a bus and go play them for people.

I really look forward to putting on a record. I love writing music and think that may be my strong suit even more than singing. I can't wait to take that music on tour and share it with as many people as I can.