Ry Cooder

People who love the applause should have it, but I don't care for it.

The world will always love Cuban music, however it changes.

Country hillbilly music I love. Always have.

I love listening to gospel records.

It all started back in '69 when I worked with Jack Nitzche on 'Performance.' That was my first experience of doing soundtracks, and I've enjoyed doing them ever since.

You go through these phases. That's how life is. Over the long term, you just can't do one thing. I saw that back in the Sixties when I was getting started.

I didn't want tunes that preach heaven: you know, life on Earth is bad and heaven is the only hope we have. I don't quite care for that. I mean, when people sing that stuff, it's good when they do it, but I didn't want to do it.

If it hadn't been for record people like Ralph Peer, the Chess brothers, and Alan Lomax, then life would've been unbelievably dull, and I would've been sacking groceries somewhere and probably, at this point, running a little 7-Eleven down by the airport.

I just feel that music is a great life because it's very rewarding. It's a gratification. You do this for yourself, and you also do this for other people.

I've listened to blues my whole life. I know it, I play it, I understand it.

You can play as good as you want, but you have to sing from a place of living.

Promoters don't book you 'cause they like you; they do it 'cause there's good business to be done.