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I Get Very Frustrated By This Term 'genre Exercise.' I Mean, What Exactly Is That? Genre Is Not Really Relevant When You Are Writing A Song; Hopefully You Are Doing It To Explore Something, To Create Something, And I Don't Agree That Any Of My Albums Are Genre Exercises.

-Elvis Costello

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I Get Very Frustrated

Elvis Costello

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I Get Very Frustrated By This Term 'genre Exercise.' I Mean, What Exactly Is That? Genre Is Not Really Relevant When You Are Writing A Song; Hopefully You Are Doing It To Explore Something, To Create Something, And I Don't Agree That Any Of My Albums Are Genre Exercises.

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The Internet Is Overrated. It's Much Smaller An Innovation Than People Think It Is. I Don't Think It's Changed The Way Anybody Makes Music.

For All The Courage That We Never Had, I'm Just About Glad.

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Sometimes I Write Notes That I Have Difficulty Singing.

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I Love You More Than Anything In This World. I Don't Expect That Will Last.

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There Was Not A Lot Of Rock N Roll In The House. Our Parents Didnt Think It Was Very Groovy, And I Tend To Agree With Them. If You Grew Up With Charlie Parker, Bill Haley Wasnt Very Hip.

My Dad's Father Was A White Star Line Trumpet Player In The '20s. It Shaped The Way That I Think About Music. My Grandfather Was Classically Trained, Military Trained. He Was An Orphan Who Ended Up In The Military School Of Music In Kneller Hall.

Was It A Millionaire Who Said, "imagine No Possessions"?

My Ultimate Vocation In Life Is To Be An Irritant.

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Songs Are More Powerful Than Books.

I Can Write Orchestrations, But I Can't Sight-read Music And Play At The Same Time. I Don't Have Enough Facility.

The Cost Of Living In Sin Would Make A Poor Man Out Of Paul Getty.

I Mistrust These People In Music Industry Who Can Be Everybody. This Is Where Technology Dictates To Them. I Mistrust That, That In Somehow The Chips Capture The Soul Of A Player, That's Patent Nonsense.

I'm Drawing From Two Generations Back How To Think About Music, How To Think About Why You Travel To Make Music, What The Possible Pitfalls Of That Are For The Way Your Life Is Structured. The Good And Bad Of All Of It Get Into The Mix Of What's Created, What You're Creating.

I'm A Man With A Mission In Two Or Three Editions And I'm Giving You A Longing Look Everyday, Everyday, Everyday I Write The Book.

Oh I Used To Be Disgusted And Now I Try To Be Amused. But Since Their Wings Have Got Rusted, You Know, The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes.

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I Used To Be Disgusted; Now I Try To Be Amused.

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You Can Be Addicted To Misery The Same Way As You Can Be Addicted To Drugs.

I've Had An Unusual Life. A Life Far Removed From Most People's Experience.

There's No Money Back Guarantee On Future Happiness.

I Knew I Was In Trouble, But I Thought I Was In Hell.

Even In A Perfect World Where Everyone Was Equal. I'd Still Own The Film Rights And Be Working On The Sequel.

You Need A Platform Upon Which To Release An Orchestral Record, Otherwise It's Just Going To Be An Obscurity.

She Pulls The Eyes Out With A Face Like A Magnet.

No Use Wishing Now For Any Other Sin.

It's A Dangerous Game That Comedy Plays. Sometimes It Tells You The Truth; Sometimes It Delays It.

I've Always Felt Writing A Song Was A Bit Like Going On Location. That's True In An Almost Literal Sense. Where You Are Seeps In Somehow.

Sometimes I Almost Feel Just Like A Human Being.

Low Self Esteem

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You Do Have To Be A Bit Careful With Your Voice. It Is An Instrument.

The Truth Can't Hurt You, It's Just Like The Dark. It Scares You Witless, But In Time You See Things Clear And Stark.

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There Are A Lot Of Things That You Can Like At A Distance Without Spending A Huge Amount Of Time Pondering. It's Not So Complicated.

Your Mind Is Made Up But Your Mouth Is Undone.

Days Of Dutch Courage, Just Three French Letters, And A German Sense Of Humour.

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