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

I think I'm still a little too intense for my own good sometimes.

— Andrew Bird

The earth almost looks like it's packed down and dense from so many feet treading over it.

— Andrew Bird

People who are thinking about your music almost as much as you are, that almost never happens.

— Andrew Bird

I've always had levity in my songs, so I like to turn things over, twist them around, and make fun of myself.

— Andrew Bird

Well, my main instrument is violin, but I think of myself as a songwriter who happens to play violin.

— Andrew Bird

I still play solo shows. And some of those shows are still some of the best, most gratifying shows.

— Andrew Bird

I write a lot more when I'm happy, because you're hopeful, you're motivated.

— Andrew Bird

A day off after a show with no agenda in a foreign city is about the most fertile creative situation I can…

— Andrew Bird

I definitely have to give myself permission, like on "Master Swarm," to rip a lead on that. Just play a violin solo…

— Andrew Bird

I really like the sound of analog things where clearly there's something being touched. You can sense that something is handmade. So…

— Andrew Bird

I create little challenges for myself, like, 'Okay, whatever you do in this song, you've got to somehow work in Greek Cypriots,'…

— Andrew Bird

There was a fascinating handmade poster scene in Chicago in the '90s, and I became friends with many of the artists; the…

— Andrew Bird

What's cool about indie rock is that one band can do effectively the same thing as another band, and one band nails…

— 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

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

I have the barn, it's just kind of like a studio. Almost all artists have la studio to work in, and that's…

— Andrew Bird

I've always been fascinated and stared at maps for hours as a kid. I've especially been most intrigued by the uninhabited or…

— Andrew Bird

There's been this perception that Europeans still hold on to, that they discover the real talented ones in American culture and give…

— Andrew Bird

I think any songwriter or record, no matter how good it is, can become tedious if it's the same person's point of…

— Andrew Bird

Maybe it's just, I've always been to the less traveled places, in any topic, whether it's history, I always like to just…

— Andrew Bird

Anyway, I'm digressing, but this is just kind of this 10-and-a-half-minute, ambient - you hear cicadas and birds and the wind outside…

— Andrew Bird

Playing the violin and singing and whistling are just three different ways of making sound. It's not trying to replace a band,…

— Andrew Bird

The first splurge of creativity is kind of free, and the last 30 percent is painstakingly hard work, but it's good to…

— Andrew Bird

It's like you don't know you're making a record unless you're half-killing yourself.

— Andrew Bird

Some of my earlier songs are kind of more about mental illness.

— Andrew Bird

There's a lot of interesting words, nomenclatures, in science.

— Andrew Bird

Guitars are kind of just, you know, sexy, especially old vintage ones.

— Andrew Bird

I just pay attention to what's in my head. That's my number-one rule.

— Andrew Bird

No, it's not dissatisfaction that inspires me to tinker with my songs, it's just restlessness.

— Andrew Bird

When I'm onstage, I'm completely comfortable, and I feel very vital and alive.

— Andrew Bird

My favorite literature to read is fairly dry history. I like the framework, and my imagination can do the rest.

— 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

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

— Andrew Bird

I've never approached classical music in a formal way, ever. I couldn't read very well. I'd have to play every piece and…

— 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

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

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

The orchestra's an amazing instrument, but I don't want to just arrange my songs for it. I think that might be kind…

— Andrew Bird