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I put together the influences of my life in as clear a way as I possibly can, in the same way that Beethoven or Schoenberg or Bach put their influences together.

John Zorn

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John Zorn
Age: 71
Born: 1953
Born: September 2
Clarinetist
Composer
Jazz Musician
Musician
Pianist
Record Producer
Saxophonist
New York City
New York
Possibly
Influence
Clear
Together
Way
Schoenberg
Life
Bach
Beethoven
Influences

More quotes by John Zorn

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I run around, I listen to a lot of music, go to a lot of concerts. And when I see someone that gases me, I try to go out of my way to involve them somehow in what I'm doing or get involved in what they're doing.
John Zorn
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One of the reasons I started Tzadik, which is my own label, is to keep things in print. I got tired of labels dropping things out of print when they don't sell.
John Zorn
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I have wit in my work and a sense of humor, but I do not use irony in any way
John Zorn
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I used to look at composing music as problem solving. But as I get older, it's not about problem solving anymore. There are no solutions, because there are no problems. You just turn the tap and it flows out.
John Zorn
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If you can make art with sound, can't you make music with objects?
John Zorn
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You know, when we were kids, we had to go to a theater to see a movie. And then television came in and you had to wait until midnight to see the one you wanted to see. Now, all you've got to do is go to a store and buy it and you can watch it whenever you want!
John Zorn
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We're not on the outside looking in, we're on the outside looking out.
John Zorn
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I was always an outsider, proud of being an outsider. I always reveled in the outsiders.
John Zorn
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Classical stuff takes a lot of rehearsal time and preparation, but with stuff that involves improvisation, you can over-rehearse it and it gets stale. You don't want it to be too comfortable. In fact, a good sound check, a good rehearsal usually means a bad performance.
John Zorn
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I'm constantly tortured, and that's why I say happiness is irrelevant. Happiness is for children and yuppies.
John Zorn
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I have no doubts. I know what gets in the way and I know what encourages me to do more work.
John Zorn
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The idealists will always be in society, and we will survive
John Zorn
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That is a lot of the reason I do what I do, to really spread the word and spread information and turn people onto different things they may not be, y'know, aware of. That is what Naked City is certainly about
John Zorn
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It's a blast to watch. It's a lot more interesting live than it is on record. I mean, it really is a theatrical event. It's a sporting event! Cause you never know what's gonna happen.
John Zorn
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You can't be idealistic in this world and not be crazy
John Zorn
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No one sits in front of a drum set and thinks they invented it all out of whole cloth. The fact that the set is there means that you've got some dues to pay to Baby Dodds.
John Zorn
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Well, in Japan, I have got a group of musicians that I have worked with a lot, that concentrate just on the hardcore stuff, say, that Naked City has been working on. We have like a repertoire of sixty songs now.
John Zorn
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For about seven years. I really like it there. There are a lot of great musicians. The scene is very open. A lot of stuff going on. People's ears are really open, they are not closed. A lot of scenes here, people just get tunnel vision and are into one thing.
John Zorn
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Music is about people for me. It's not about sounds. It's about people it's about putting people into challenging situations. And for me, challenges are opportunities.
John Zorn
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I have art. I have music. I have the history, this legacy behind me that I can look up to. This is what I believe in. If you want to call it God or spirituality, that's all up to you. Basically I believe in something that's bigger than myself, and that gives my life meaning.
John Zorn