Robert Hilburn

The Internet has changed how young people listen to music. Television programs like 'American Idol' changed how people listen to music. It…

— Robert Hilburn

Artists frequently argue that videos trivialize a song and that touring for months at a time works against the creative process, not…

— Robert Hilburn

If you care about who I want to write about, I'll write about the people you want to read about.

— Robert Hilburn

“As he sat by the radio, J.R. was fascinated to see how Roy listened to the country singers with the same devotion…

— Robert Hilburn

The way he tells it, George Michael was born to be a pop star. It's as if nothing else really mattered during…

— Robert Hilburn

Through the '80s, nobody cared about Johnny Cash.

— Robert Hilburn

David Bowie, who spent most of the '70s establishing himself as a master of psychological disguises, is spending the '80s trying to…

— Robert Hilburn

One of my great frustrations for 35 years at the paper was the fact I couldn't play a record for the reader…

— Robert Hilburn

You had to read what I wrote if you lived in L.A. in 1975 and cared about pop music.

— Robert Hilburn

In 1980, after 10 years at 'The Times,' I was at a crossroads in my personal life. I loved my family, but…

— Robert Hilburn

Country music tends to be so sentimental and homespun, it's easy to stumble into self-parody, but Haggard has brought a freshness to…

— Robert Hilburn

As soon as I started working at the 'Los Angeles Times,' people warned me not to get too close to artists because…

— Robert Hilburn

Like David Bowie, Madonna visualizes music so that her best work seems equally designed with the stage or screen in mind -…

— Robert Hilburn

It's a hard thing to be an artist and not give up.

— Robert Hilburn

I didn't know if I should tell people that Johnny Cash had an affair with his sister-in-law while his wife was pregnant.…

— Robert Hilburn

John Cougar Mellencamp - I didn't like him in the beginning. I liked some of the stuff around the 'Scarecrow' period. I…

— Robert Hilburn

'Walk on the Wild Side' was a very catchy song.

— Robert Hilburn

“Even Cash himself often admitted that he never let facts interfere with a good story.”

— Robert Hilburn

I thought the message of the artist was more important than the writing style. I tried to be clear; I wanted everyone…

— Robert Hilburn

It's important to realize that everybody who went into country music, and most everybody who went into rock and roll in the…

— Robert Hilburn

With the Internet today, it is possible to do some mixed media things where you can write about an artist and link…

— Robert Hilburn

What's amazing is how rock n' roll lasted. It started losing its commercial power in the late 1990s. But think of swing,…

— Robert Hilburn

I loved Roger Miller.

— Robert Hilburn

I learned how difficult it is to be an artist. There are always compromises. The record company wants you to do this,…

— Robert Hilburn

He [Johnny Cash] always wanted to use his music to lift other people up, to say no matter how much trouble, there's…

— Robert Hilburn