--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first thing that got to me was seeing…" description: "\"The first thing that got to me was seeing David Bowie on a children's TV show, but Bowie was way beyond my aspirations. The Buzzcocks' Spiral Scratch c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea5/edwyn-collins-45978_aspiration_the-first-thing-that-got-to-me-was-seein_1630476.jpg" --- # The first thing that got to me was seeing David Bowie on a… ![“The first thing that got to me was seeing David Bowie on a children's TV show, but Bowie was way beyond my aspirations. The Buzzcocks' Spiral Scratch came out in 1977 and it had a breakdown of the recording costs, then you saw Pete Shelley playing a broken guitar from Woolworths. We already had an…” quote by Edwyn Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea5/edwyn-collins-45978_aspiration_the-first-thing-that-got-to-me-was-seein_1630476.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea5/edwyn-collins-45978_aspiration_the-first-thing-that-got-to-me-was-seein_1630476.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea5/edwyn-collins-45978_aspiration_the-first-thing-that-got-to-me-was-seein_1630476.jpg) > “The first thing that got to me was seeing David Bowie on a children's TV show, but Bowie was way beyond my aspirations. The Buzzcocks' Spiral Scratch came out in 1977 and it had a breakdown of the recording costs, then you saw Pete Shelley playing a broken guitar from Woolworths. We already had an idea of the kind of music we wanted to do, but punk showed us a way to do it.” [Edwyn Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwyn-collins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early exposure to pioneering artists and punk’s DIY ethos inspired a new musical direction. **In simple terms:** Seeing bold artists sparked a fresh creative path. Key Takeaway Embrace influences that challenge norms. Themes music history creativity subculture Mood inspirational nostalgic Type musical reflective When to use this quote - songwriting - band formation - performance - marketing Key Concepts punk ethos artistic inspiration Questions to Reflect On - Which modern artists push boundaries today? - How can you blend influences into something new? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on past influences may hinder original innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspiration/) [Aspirations Buzzcocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspirations-buzzcocks-477412/) [Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bowie/) [Breakdown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breakdown/) [Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken/) [Buzzcocks Spiral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buzzcocks-spiral-477410/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cost/) [David bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/david-bowie/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Punk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punk/) [Punk Showed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punk-showed-477413/) [Saws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saws/) [Scratches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scratches/) [Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing/) [Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shelley/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Spiral Scratch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiral-scratch-477411/) [Spirals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirals/) [Tv shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tv-shows/) [Tvs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tvs/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [When I started this song I was still thirty-three The age that Mozart died and sweet Jesus was set free Keats and Shelley too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-chapin/when-i-started-this-song-i-was-still-thirty-three-the-age-that-mozart/) [Harry Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-chapin/) > [The neo-conservative critics of leftist critics of mass culture ridicule the protest against Bach as background music in the kitchen, against Plato and Hegel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-neo-conservative-critics-of-leftist-critics-of-mass-culture/) [Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/) > [I carry Yeats with me wherever I go. He's my constant companion. I always can find some comfort in Yeats no matter what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-hamilton/i-carry-yeats-with-me-wherever-i-go-he-s-my-constant-companion-i/) [Linda Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-hamilton/) > [It seems all "protection" has to be monitored, considered, weighed and justified - I am suggesting we do that (but it's something Mary Shelley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mullen/it-seems-all-protection-has-to-be-monitored-considered-weighed-and/) [Laura Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mullen/) > [Water inflated the belly Of Hart Crane, and of Shelley. Coleridge was a dope. Southwell died on a rope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-fuller/water-inflated-the-belly-of-hart-crane-and-of-shelley-coleridge-was-a/) [Roy Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-fuller/) > [“The boundaries between us had been breached for good, we gave a new meaning t the notion that man and wife were one flesh.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorna-sage/the-boundaries-between-us-had-been-breached-for-good-we-gave-a-new/) [Lorna Sage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorna-sage/) > [Nico was gothic, but she was Mary Shelley gothic to everyone else's Hammer horror film gothic. They both did Frankenstein, but Nico's was real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-murphy/nico-was-gothic-but-she-was-mary-shelley-gothic-to-everyone-else-s/) [Peter Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-murphy/) > [“We—are we not formed, as notes of music are, For one another, though dissimilar; Such difference without discord, as can make Those sweetest sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/we-are-we-not-formed-as-notes-of-music-are-for-one-another-though/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [“He pushed a finger through the surface of the water to trace the outline of her mouth. Ethereal bits of flesh floated loosely about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-parker/he-pushed-a-finger-through-the-surface-of-the-water-to-trace-the/) [P.J. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-parker/) > [“Every one of the great revolutionists, from Isaiah to Shelley, have been optimists. They have been indignant, not about the badness of existence, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gk-chesterton/every-one-of-the-great-revolutionists-from-isaiah-to-shelley-have/) [GK Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gk-chesterton/) > [ One of the things in the Mary Shelley \[Frankenstein\] is that the creature tells his story, so this begins with the creature's point of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-boyle/one-of-the-things-in-the-mary-shelley-frankenstein-is-that-the/) [Danny Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-boyle/) > [Shelley was an idol of mine -- and many -- an extraordinary woman with powerful charisma, enormous talent and a keen, perceptive mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-stevens/shelley-was-an-idol-of-mine-and-many-an-extraordinary-woman-with/) [Connie Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-stevens/) > [“We look before and after, And pine for what is not: Our sincerest laughter With some pain is fraught; Our sweetest songs are those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/we-look-before-and-after-and-pine-for-what-is-not-our-sincerest/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [Shelley and Keats were the last English poets who were at all up to date in their chemical knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-s-haldane/shelley-and-keats-were-the-last-english-poets-who-were-at-all-up-to/) [John B. S. Haldane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-s-haldane/) > [Shakespeare was of us, Milton was of us, Burns, Shelley, were with us. They watch from their graves!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/shakespeare-was-of-us-milton-was-of-us-burns-shelley-were-with-us/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) ## More by Edwyn Collins > [I'm an old man now. I can't believe it. I'm listening to all sorts because I'm producing people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwyn-collins/i-m-an-old-man-now-i-can-t-believe-it-i-m-listening-to-all-sorts/) [Edwyn Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwyn-collins/) > [I was crazy back then, I must admit. I had an extreme attitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwyn-collins/i-was-crazy-back-then-i-must-admit-i-had-an-extreme-attitude/) [Edwyn Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwyn-collins/) > [I love my music and recording people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwyn-collins/i-love-my-music-and-recording-people/) [Edwyn Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwyn-collins/) > [Music is my life and my passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwyn-collins/music-is-my-life-and-my-passion/) [Edwyn Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwyn-collins/) > [I wanted to sound new and exciting - the punk movement was over with for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwyn-collins/i-wanted-to-sound-new-and-exciting-the-punk-movement-was-over-with/) [Edwyn Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwyn-collins/) > [I'm working and it's great. Life's great. Believe me on that. So what if I had a stroke? I'm getting on with things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwyn-collins/i-m-working-and-it-s-great-life-s-great-believe-me-on-that-so-what-if/) [Edwyn Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwyn-collins/) > [At first it was difficult for me to draw. My right hand doesn't work anymore so I had to train myself to use my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwyn-collins/at-first-it-was-difficult-for-me-to-draw-my-right-hand-doesn-t-work/) [Edwyn Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwyn-collins/) [Explore all 8 Edwyn Collins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwyn-collins/) ## More Aspiration quotes > [To refer even in passing to unpublished or struggling authors and their problems is to put oneself at some risk, so I will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/to-refer-even-in-passing-to-unpublished-or-struggling-authors-and/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samir-selmanovic/the-emerging-church-movement-has-come-to-believe-that-the-ultimate/) [Samir Selmanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samir-selmanovic/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. 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Punk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurston-moore/noise-has-taken-the-place-of-punk-rock-people-who-play-noise-have-no/) [Thurston Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurston-moore/) > [“A responsible woman doesn’t see opportunities and needs and look the other way pretending not to see them rather she gets to work to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agu-jaachynma-n-e/a-responsible-woman-doesn-t-see-opportunities-and-needs-and-look-the/) [Agu Jaachynma N.E](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agu-jaachynma-n-e/) > [Our task today is to bring India to the threshold of the twenty-first century, free of burden of poverty, legacy of our colonial past,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajiv-gandhi/our-task-today-is-to-bring-india-to-the-threshold-of-the-twenty-first/) [Rajiv Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajiv-gandhi/) > [I know well, Monsieur, how much you have to endure in your present duty, and I ask Our Lord to strengthen you in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/i-know-well-monsieur-how-much-you-have-to-endure-in-your-present-duty/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) > [“Don't die without fulfilling your purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaachynma-n-e-agu/don-t-die-without-fulfilling-your-purpose/) [Jaachynma N.E. Agu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaachynma-n-e-agu/) > [“Eschew evil and it's machinations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaachynma-n-e-agu/eschew-evil-and-it-s-machinations/) [Jaachynma N.E. Agu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaachynma-n-e-agu/) > [ One of the great crimes of the Bloomberg/Klein administration \[in New York City\] is that they've removed themselves from communities, as if communities have… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/one-of-the-great-crimes-of-the-bloomberg-klein-administration-in-new/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [You boys know what tropism is, it's what makes a plant grow toward the light. Everything aspires to the light. You don't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-wolff/you-boys-know-what-tropism-is-it-s-what-makes-a-plant-grow-toward-the/) [Tobias Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-wolff/) > [The world of rumor and gossip is like a privileged world with which a social scientist or an anthropologist can take the temperature of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-scott/the-world-of-rumor-and-gossip-is-like-a-privileged-world-with-which-a/) [James C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-scott/) > [“Don't let any situation intimidate you anymore, don't accept defeat anymore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaachynma-n-e-agu/don-t-let-any-situation-intimidate-you-anymore-don-t-accept-defeat/) [Jaachynma N.E. Agu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaachynma-n-e-agu/) > [The most important part of our lives-our sensations, emotions, desires, and aspirations-takes place in a universe of illusions which science can attenuate or destroy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/the-most-important-part-of-our-lives-our-sensations-emotions-desires/) [Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/) [Browse all 1,137 Aspiration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspiration/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first thing that got to me was seeing David Bowie on a children's TV show, but Bowie was way beyond my aspirations. The Buzzcocks' Spiral Scratch came out in 1977 and it had a breakdown of the recording costs, then you saw Pete Shelley playing a broken guitar from Woolworths. 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