You can play as good as you want, but you have to sing from a place of living. — Ry Cooder Copy Share Image
I wanted to be a car pinstriper, but there was nobody to teach me how to do it. So I said, 'Music's… — Ry Cooder Copy Share Image
You have to be able to improvise and respond to what's going on around you. Then you might get a good piece… — Ry Cooder Copy Share Image
I've done a fair amount of commercials. I did a bunch of Champion spark plug ads and Levi's and Molson Beer. You… — Ry Cooder Copy Share Image
Some people have career plans, long-range career plans. I don't know anything about that. I'm no good at it. — Ry Cooder Copy Share Image
Promoters don't book you 'cause they like you; they do it 'cause there's good business to be done. — Ry Cooder Copy Share Image
All I know is, I play the guitar, beat it out, and sing a song that has some damn resonance that we… — Ry Cooder Copy Share Image
I didn't want tunes that preach heaven: you know, life on Earth is bad and heaven is the only hope we have.… — Ry Cooder Copy Share Image
Beautiful tunes are all very good and fine, and great musicians are always great, but that alone isn't enough. Most folks, when… — Ry Cooder Copy Share Image
A microphone has a certain range. It's not as good as your ears, but it will capture an enclosed space, the harmonic… — Ry Cooder Copy Share Image
Back in the early '70s, when Susie and I were first married, we had a little house that we rented, and we… — Ry Cooder Copy Share Image
I got a reputation for being 'eclectic' or some damn thing like that, but to me, the different kinds of music I… — Ry Cooder Copy Share Image
People who aren't as interested in recorded music as they used to be will say, 'Oh, 'Buena Vista?' Loved it.' And I'll… — Ry Cooder Copy Share Image
I got a reputation for being 'eclectic' or some damn thing like that, but to me, the different kinds of music I play are… — Ry Cooder Copy Share
The '50s was the golden age of music all over the world for some crazy, 'X-File'-like reason I can't quite understand. — Ry Cooder Copy Share
I had a lot of luck in meeting great musicians who were kind enough to show me things. — Ry Cooder Copy Share
You can play as good as you want, but you have to sing from a place of living. — Ry Cooder Copy Share
I give up on pop music. As far as a commercial entity, as far as pop music goes, I quit; I absolutely throw in… — Ry Cooder Copy Share
The story of American pop music is the story of failure. The blues, country music, it's not the story of success. People don't win;… — Ry Cooder Copy Share
If you're white working with non-white people, you will be branded as a colonialist by some people, regardless of your efforts or intentions. — Ry Cooder Copy Share
On any given day, if I play the guitar, I can put myself somewhere. I always thought, 'This is the way you go.' It's… — Ry Cooder Copy Share
I always have felt that most people don't have the first idea about what musicians, in the traditional sense - I don't mean in… — Ry Cooder Copy Share
Music is all starting to sound alike in the modern era. Afro-pop sounds exactly like L.A. pop - there's no difference, no ambience, no… — Ry Cooder Copy Share
The Delmore Brothers is hit music - very, very popular - and it still retains that rural flavor and simplicity. I always think of… — Ry Cooder Copy Share
