Andrew Bird

Most of the songs that I appreciate are lyrically vague.

— Andrew Bird

The way I work, I'm not a confessional singer-songwriter.

— Andrew Bird

Just don't let the human factor fail to be a factor at all

— Andrew Bird

Sometimes the word dictated the melody.

— Andrew Bird

Music as a social conduit has always been important to me.

— Andrew Bird

I'm a terrible Scrabble player.

— Andrew Bird

I am, in some sense, a writer. Even though I kinda downplay the word thing, I do enjoy writing sometimes.

— Andrew Bird

It's not set in stone. I like to keep it rolling and changing, and so I am like, "Great, I get to…

— Andrew Bird

The anti-aging advert that I would like to see is a baby covered in cream saying, 'Aah, I've used too much'

— Andrew Bird

I think life is a wondrous thing. I'm happy to try pretty hard.

— Andrew Bird

The idea of writing songs because you're depressed and you need to communicate it somehow, that isn't really true for me.

— Andrew Bird

The first notes I still play when I start a sound check are classical. Those are my roots.

— Andrew Bird

Every time I get up in the morning, melodies occur to me and I start trying to shape lyrics to melodies.

— Andrew Bird

Songwriting requires some sort of ceremony to even get the process started, and it can be somewhat arbitrary.

— Andrew Bird

I've literally opened it up to suggestions and it's totally chaotic and kind of a bad idea. You don't need the actual…

— Andrew Bird

I mean, you still can't jump offstage and go read a book. But I'm getting better at it. It is something you…

— Andrew Bird

In school I was painfully shy. But as soon as I had to get up in front of the class and give…

— Andrew Bird

I finished touring the last record and I started recording new .I never really left the bubble, which is I think a…

— Andrew Bird

The melodies come out so strong that I'm like, "Oh, crap." It's really better if they could both be kind of able…

— Andrew Bird

Honestly, I didn't have the patience for biology or history in an academic sense, but I always liked the kind of big…

— Andrew Bird

All the folks I play with come from jazz backgrounds or at least appreciate spontaneity within the parameters of a pop song.

— Andrew Bird

I'm into lately being a little less precious about writing and being like, "Okay, what if I just locked myself in my…

— Andrew Bird

The weirdest time is when I'm having to explain myself all day to journalists, and then I don't perform, so there's no…

— Andrew Bird

I think jazz was just seeking respect and validity because a lot of people didn't believe it was a viable art form,…

— Andrew Bird

Some of your best songs come from a desperate attempt to escape, so sitting in an airport for hours I can just…

— Andrew Bird

This might be a controversial thing to suggest, but in a quest to understand and relate to terrorism or school shootings, sometimes…

— Andrew Bird

Most records, you build from the drums and bass up. This one, we started with the vocals in Nashville and recorded them…

— Andrew Bird

I'm coming from a place that's more experimental and indulgent already, so for the last 10 years, it's been more like, "How…

— Andrew Bird

There's kind of this unequaled thrill of playing a half-finished song, it's kind of sense of slight embarrassment; like you're blushing. I…

— Andrew Bird

The instrumental record is a bit subtler. It's the kind of stuff on sound check, when I first pick up my violin…

— Andrew Bird

I don't get particularly precious about things like this, though. Like the record company said, "We need a radio edit that delivers…

— Andrew Bird

I still kind of believe this absurd line that if you have to write it down, it's not worth remembering.

— Andrew Bird

I put a lot into my records, and I won't release anything I'm not totally thrilled with.

— Andrew Bird

I really believe there's more honesty in one live show than there may be in my whole output.

— Andrew Bird

With digital sound just becomes simply information, not the sum of its parts.

— Andrew Bird

What you see with your eyes when you're making music is going to have a profound effect on what you hear.

— Andrew Bird

I don't like to disappear between records. I like to play shows while I'm making the record.

— Andrew Bird

I also don't believe that "everything happens for a reason," which is in a similar category of world-views.

— Andrew Bird

You can build up expectations for a song before you record it, and then it's like nothing's good enough in the studio.

— Andrew Bird

Playing the violin and singing and whistling are just three different ways of making sound.

— Andrew Bird