Jon Brion

“Brian Eno developed systems to keep himself on edge and to keep himself in a position where he's generating ideas.”

“I'd like to think that most of what I do is self-evident if you're listening to it or seeing it. But I don't mind the fact that it's hard to describe.”

“There are a lot of producers who basically have their sound, and if the artist works with them, you almost know what the record's going to sound like before it comes out.”

“Music looks very formidable to people outside of it and it looks like it's this realm of spooky genius.”

“Some people are more fluid than others at just being themselves and recognizing what's good about themselves.”

“People's association with improvisation means one person playing an endless stream of notes over something, and it doesn't have to be.”

“When I was younger, I looked at getting older as this process of getting less interested in things and becoming colder, and of finding less joy in the mystery of things. And I've found the exact opposite to be true. I find that I'm getting warmer, and that I'm more mystified by human interactions.”

“We're so used to everything being properly manicured, like you can hear every footstep in a movie, you can hear every bit of dialogue, and everything is in its place.”

“As far as I'm concerned, any work you get is because people have heard other work you've done.”

“If we're given a number of circumstances to deal with, the brain goes into this mode of trying to find a solution, and it's amazing how good we are at it.”

“I've made a point of not being, say what I refer to as a 'careerist' about anything.”

“The people I choose to work with, I work with because I'm already impressed with them, you know?”