Lou Barlow Quotations

When we approached our next sessions in my house, we decided to completely go for things we couldn't even perform live. We went for a studio approach, really layering and cutting things down.

We've never had any problem not sounding like a band,

I basically worshiped J. Personally and creatively he was such a mentor, and to be rejected by him was crushing. At the same time being kicked out of that band was a great thing for me. Had I stayed, I doubt I would've been able to find my own voice.

We had a lot of offers that if we'd taken them we wouldn't be happy. We didn't sign immediately with the label (Polygram) that put out the soundtrack. It wasn't the logical step for us. We entered a period where we worked really hard. We went on tour and recorded, instead of doing what was expected. No, it was about John and me doing what we wanted.

Then also J has a particularly aggressive management (company) that started looking into the numbers and kind of made money an issue. My wife, we had a kid, and ? we need the money. But I mean, it's kind of cool. There are a lot of practical reasons to do it. Then there's also like just, I don't mean to be pretentious by saying it, but kind of spiritual reasons for doing it as well, and musical.

It just made me really fight for what I had after that, which was really good. It really sent me off in the right direction. Looking back on it now I'm really lucky. Getting kicked out of the band was definitely the best thing to happen to me at that time.

That kind of validation was nice. It was especially sweet because we didn't do anything within the normal promotion process. It was the song itself.

Music doesn't always bring me to tears; if I hear "Love" by John Lennon at a vulnerable moment it will bring me to tears.

When I start to write a song, I have the words and I have the melody, and then it's just a matter of making it to the end. I think if I have something that I could identify as a talent, it would be that I can finish a song. I kind of know intuitively where the melody should go.

Look for magic in the daily routine