--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have always thought of myself as a…" description: "\"I have always thought of myself as a performer first and way down the line as a recording artist.\" — Leo Kottke" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/leo-kottke-17569_art_i-have-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-per_93275.png" --- # I have always thought of myself as a performer first and… ![“I have always thought of myself as a performer first and way down the line as a recording artist.” quote by Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/leo-kottke-17569_art_i-have-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-per_93275.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/leo-kottke-17569_art_i-have-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-per_93275.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/leo-kottke-17569_art_i-have-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-per_93275.png) > “I have always thought of myself as a performer first and way down the line as a recording artist.” [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He prioritizes live performance over studio work, seeing the immediacy of audience interaction as his core identity. **In simple terms:** Performance first, recording second Key Takeaway Live connection defines artistic purpose Themes identity artistic hierarchy authenticity audience engagement Mood passionate reflective Type personal insight artist statement When to use this quote - concert planning - stagecraft - musician branding Key Concepts performance vs. recording artist self-concept Practical Applications - crafting stage personas - marketing live shows Questions to Reflect On - How does live feedback shape creative choices? - What trade‑offs arise when recording is secondary? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Performer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performer/) [Performers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performers/) [Recording](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recording/) ## Related quotes > [I first came across Langhorne Slim when I saw him play live, and he's an incredibly infectious performer. The way he works the crowd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-flynn/i-first-came-across-langhorne-slim-when-i-saw-him-play-live-and-he-s/) [Johnny Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-flynn/) > [I always thought that it was every performer's dream. That's the epitome of being an artist, being able to express song, dance and acting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-cox/i-always-thought-that-it-was-every-performer-s-dream-that-s-the/) [Deborah Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-cox/) > [I never thought of being a performer, never thought of being a singer, never thought of being a photographer. It's just the trajectory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-never-thought-of-being-a-performer-never-thought-of-being-a-singer/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Being a performer and recording artist and playing 'World of Warcraft' - that's a pretty time-intensive combination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/being-a-performer-and-recording-artist-and-playing-world-of-warcraft/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I am not a natural singer, but I can sing, and probably the way I sing is more imitative than from myself, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-blake-nelson/i-am-not-a-natural-singer-but-i-can-sing-and-probably-the-way-i-sing/) [Tim Blake Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-blake-nelson/) > [The main reason he wanted to be a recording artist was because it gives you much more freedom in your writing. You only have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-weil/the-main-reason-he-wanted-to-be-a-recording-artist-was-because-it/) [Cynthia Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-weil/) > [Being a recording artist, selling music, selling concerts out, having a reality show, starting film; it's great, it's beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenni-rivera/being-a-recording-artist-selling-music-selling-concerts-out-having-a/) [Jenni Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenni-rivera/) > [I'm a multi-platinum recording artist; my passion is food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelis/i-m-a-multi-platinum-recording-artist-my-passion-is-food/) [Kelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelis/) > [Music was my life...It was everything to me, even though I was in school majoring in English. I was still very focused on music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/music-was-my-life-it-was-everything-to-me-even-though-i-was-in-school/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [I've been recording audiobooks for more than 30 years. I've recorded over 500 titles on all sort of things. I'm a sort of genre-free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-rosenblat/i-ve-been-recording-audiobooks-for-more-than-30-years-i-ve-recorded/) [Barbara Rosenblat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-rosenblat/) > [I worked with my parents on the stage in production numbers since I was 4, but I never really gave much thought to being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-worked-with-my-parents-on-the-stage-in-production-numbers-since-i/) [Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/) > [I never thought of myself as a performer or songwriter or singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hunt/i-never-thought-of-myself-as-a-performer-or-songwriter-or-singer/) [Sam Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hunt/) > [I miss my hair, but I feel like going out there with some fake braids wouldn't be right. I want to be the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-jones/i-miss-my-hair-but-i-feel-like-going-out-there-with-some-fake-braids/) [Sharon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-jones/) > [The mind of the performer is a very strange thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-galway/the-mind-of-the-performer-is-a-very-strange-thing/) [James Galway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-galway/) > [I never planned on being a live performer. My whole forte was about being in the studio, producing, playing the piano on recording sessions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-toussaint/i-never-planned-on-being-a-live-performer-my-whole-forte-was-about/) [Allen Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-toussaint/) ## More by Leo Kottke > [I seem to find different material every four to six months and I frequently forget it which is a shame because it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/i-seem-to-find-different-material-every-four-to-six-months-and-i/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [You can't really tell what the audience wants but you can tell what will keep everybodies attention in the same place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/you-can-t-really-tell-what-the-audience-wants-but-you-can-tell-what/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [The first music I was exposed to was Stravinsky and I loved it but I don't remember it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/the-first-music-i-was-exposed-to-was-stravinsky-and-i-loved-it-but-i/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [You can't really tell what the audience wants but you can tell what will keep everybody's attention in the same place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/you-can-t-really-tell-what-the-audience-wants-but-you-can-tell-what-2/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [I will literally open my mouth not knowing what is coming out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/i-will-literally-open-my-mouth-not-knowing-what-is-coming-out/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [I think if you are writing an instrumental you are dealing with more of an aesthetic in a sense but a lyric is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/i-think-if-you-are-writing-an-instrumental-you-are-dealing-with-more/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [Musically, I am still hooked and just hypnotized by the sound of the guitar itself. I mean, a guitar sounds good if you drop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/musically-i-am-still-hooked-and-just-hypnotized-by-the-sound-of-the/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [With all these great (guitar teachers) around here, don't cop their licks, COP THEIR ATTITUDE.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/with-all-these-great-guitar-teachers-around-here-don-t-cop-their/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [I don't spend a lot of time thinking of what they'll do musically, I try to imagine being locked into a windowless room with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/i-don-t-spend-a-lot-of-time-thinking-of-what-they-ll-do-musically-i/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [I do have a library of events I can talk about and I always expect to find a different point of view on it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/i-do-have-a-library-of-events-i-can-talk-about-and-i-always-expect-to/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [The bulk of my set is instrumental and you have to give yourself and the audience some relief because a performance is not about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/the-bulk-of-my-set-is-instrumental-and-you-have-to-give-yourself-and/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [We spent a lot of time on that record with the sound and recorded it on the Paramount sound stage which is this huge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/we-spent-a-lot-of-time-on-that-record-with-the-sound-and-recorded-it/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [That was when I found out that you could talk to them and it was a whole other way to blow your stack, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/that-was-when-i-found-out-that-you-could-talk-to-them-and-it-was-a/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [There are nights when you can feel stale because you've fallen into a pattern by touring too much, but it's easy to get out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/there-are-nights-when-you-can-feel-stale-because-you-ve-fallen-into-a/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) > [I had been playing single note instruments and I wanted to hear a guitar played as a piano.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/i-had-been-playing-single-note-instruments-and-i-wanted-to-hear-a/) [Leo Kottke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) [Explore all 37 Leo Kottke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have always thought of myself as a performer first and way down the line as a recording artist.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leo Kottke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/i-have-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-performer-first-and-way-down-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/i-have-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-performer-first-and-way-down-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/leo-kottke-17569_art_i-have-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-per_93275.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/leo-kottke-17569_art_i-have-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-per_93275.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e64/leo-kottke-17569_art_i-have-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-per_93275.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have always thought of myself as a performer first and way down the line as a recording artist.” — Leo Kottke", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Leo Kottke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-kottke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have always thought of myself...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/i-have-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-performer-first-and-way-down-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-kottke/i-have-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-performer-first-and-way-down-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```