Popular music of the last 50 years has failed to keep in step with advances in musical theater, namely Stephen Sondheim. But the two have grown apart so that popular music is based more than ever on a rhythmic grid… — Stephin Merritt Copy Share Image
That seems like one of the differences in expectations of "serious" and "popular" music that you can actually depend on the liner notes to explain yourself? Yeah. Whereas in popular music you depend on photo shoots. A hardcore band who… — Stephin Merritt Copy Share Image
The adventure is when people don't know what they're doing at all. Like, I think that the first pop band to use synthesizers as… — Stephin Merritt Copy Share Image
I gave up music criticism because of the increasingly obvious conflict of interest. I couldn't say anything bad about the records when I might… — Stephin Merritt Copy Share Image
Well, things hold up even if they sound dated. It can be very difficult to listen to 80s pop songs with really, really gigantic… — Stephin Merritt Copy Share Image
There are only so many instruments you can layer on top of each other that aren't perfectly electronically programmed. "Long Vermont Roads" just cannot… — Stephin Merritt Copy Share Image
Popular music of the last 50 years has failed to keep in step with advances in musical theater, namely Stephen Sondheim. But the two… — Stephin Merritt Copy Share Image
Well, hardcore is so much about the body, in that you have to play as fast as possible. I'm not sure it can be… — Stephin Merritt Copy Share Image
I write songs by sitting around in bars, so drinking songs are a little obvious. It's surprising that I don't write entirely drinking songs,… — Stephin Merritt Copy Share Image
There's a whole kind of melancholy that you can only attain with reverb. That's an example of a technology introducing a whole new meaning. — Stephin Merritt Copy Share Image
You know, most love songs are not cheesy and corny. Most love songs are complaints, I think. Or about unrequited love, coming at it… — Stephin Merritt Copy Share Image
I don't think there are any clichés I try to avoid. As soon as I spot a cliché, I go for it. I feel… — Stephin Merritt Copy Share Image
Okay, a truly great song is a song that makes its own aesthetic intentions clear and then lives up to them and exceeds them… — Stephin Merritt Copy Share Image
If you want to write a love song, you need to not try to write it for a particular person in a particular situation.… — Stephin Merritt Copy Share Image
I can imagine lyrics becoming better written by smart machines rather than stupid musicians. Songwriters generally have nothing to say. They may as well… — Stephin Merritt Copy Share Image
Serious music isn't listened to in a casual setting. You don't want to listen to that in headphones on the subway. — Stephin Merritt Copy Share Image
