I'm used to music as a tool, taking the various elements and then making something completely new out of them. And writing film music is the perfect opportunity to do that, because you can look at the film and then… — Ry Cooder Copy Share Image
I've tended to look at my albums as research and development. I was just trying to get someplace new on each one. — 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 Image
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 Image
I had a lot of luck in meeting great musicians who were kind enough to show me things. — Ry Cooder Copy Share Image
You can play as good as you want, but you have to sing from a place of living. — Ry Cooder Copy Share Image
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 Image
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 Image
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 Image
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 Image
Music is a treasure hunt. You dig and dig, and sometimes you find something. — Ry Cooder Copy Share Image
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 Image
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 Image