Cass McCombs (born 1977 in Concord, California) is an American musician, best known for releasing a number of albums since 2002.
I took piano lessons when I was a little kid, but even before that, you're singing in the classroom and wherever. Gosh, children are always singing. But I took music lessons, some choir and things like that at school. I learned how to play the guitar when I was about 13. . . ancient history.
Elvis Presley wore a Star of David and a cross around his neck and, when someone asked him about it, he said, "It makes me think. " I love that quote. It's simple. It's beautiful. It's true.
You can't just explain a joke. Either it isn't funny, or the person just totally missed the punchline.
I write for myself, and I write for my friends and people who I have a connection with. I try to give some dignity to peoples' lifestyles that tend to be ignored.
I wouldn't go into the studio if I didn't have a band who's ready, willing, and able.
People expect not just songwriters but all personalities to pontificate about their egos.
As long as there are a few people there, I can lose myself, which is the ultimate goal. And that's happening more and more; the non-musical world is becoming less and less interesting to me.
A lot of religious texts make for good reading. That's why they hold up.
It's not like that when you're a songwriter - songwriters aren't like pulp writers or journalists, even. You just follow the muse. It's called muse-ic. Whenever the muse decides to bestow her inspiration on the songwriter, then the song is born.
With death comes a choice. And death is a choice.
I wouldn't claim to know what another person is thinking. I can imagine it, but it's my interpretation, and I try to make that clear. It's my vision of what I think their life is. I don't think there are empirical truths in that regard.
Lyrics are my racket; music is play - the fluff stuff.
I've always thought about myself as somewhat of a folk musician. I just write words.
People take things a little too personal. I write these songs, and they're experiments with thoughts. That's it. I'm not a teacher.
Making music and art is about expressing something that's universally human, maybe even beyond human, at best. To make it about the artist and to dwell upon biographical information can only make it singular, and I am really, really disgusted by that.