--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have a thing for Baltimore: the word…" description: "\"I have a thing for Baltimore: the word itself, the place - I don't know where it comes from; it's just a weird city. I have a song called 'Baltimore,' ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/stephen-malkmus-2984_baltimore_i-have-a-thing-for-baltimore-the-word-it_1279042.png" --- # I have a thing for Baltimore: the word itself, the place… ![“I have a thing for Baltimore: the word itself, the place - I don't know where it comes from; it's just a weird city. I have a song called 'Baltimore,' but I'm not from there. I've driven through there a lot. We've played a couple of shows there, but it's not a big market. Some good bands come from…” quote by Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/stephen-malkmus-2984_baltimore_i-have-a-thing-for-baltimore-the-word-it_1279042.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/stephen-malkmus-2984_baltimore_i-have-a-thing-for-baltimore-the-word-it_1279042.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/390/stephen-malkmus-2984_baltimore_i-have-a-thing-for-baltimore-the-word-it_1279042.png) > “I have a thing for Baltimore: the word itself, the place - I don't know where it comes from; it's just a weird city. I have a song called 'Baltimore,' but I'm not from there. I've driven through there a lot. We've played a couple of shows there, but it's not a big market. Some good bands come from there, though. Animal Collective and Beach House.” [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels an inexplicable attraction to Baltimore, noting its quirky vibe and musical heritage despite not being from there. **In simple terms:** Baltimore feels oddly appealing and musically rich. Key Takeaway Acknowledge places that inspire you, even if you have no direct ties. Themes music place attachment culture inspiration city identity Mood curious reflective Type personal observational When to use this quote - Tour planning - songwriting - marketing - city branding - fan engagement Key Concepts Urban mystique regional music scenes artist identity Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of a city make it feel special to you? - How does a place influence your creative work? A Different Perspective The speaker’s personal bias may overstate Baltimore’s uniqueness compared to other cities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baltimore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baltimore/) [Beach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beach/) [Beach house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beach-house/) [City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city/) ## Related quotes > [If I could get bands to come and play in my house, I'd like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/if-i-could-get-bands-to-come-and-play-in-my-house-i-d-like-that/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [It was the glitter days, and the New York Dolls and Kiss would come play at the Coventry, all those bands would come in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-ramone/it-was-the-glitter-days-and-the-new-york-dolls-and-kiss-would-come/) [Joey Ramone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-ramone/) > [It's all a progression towards hopefully one day making a record that can be the definitive you can offer. Some bands come in with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-nutini/it-s-all-a-progression-towards-hopefully-one-day-making-a-record-that/) [Paolo Nutini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-nutini/) > [That this city has second lines - it's something I'm proud of. When the bands come back from the cemetery, they'll play something up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-john/that-this-city-has-second-lines-it-s-something-i-m-proud-of-when-the/) [Dr. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-john/) > [There's this wave of new pop-punk bands that has come out that's bigger than ever. I'm really glad that we got to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/there-s-this-wave-of-new-pop-punk-bands-that-has-come-out-that-s/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [Bands that have positive lyrics that give people hope, I applaud them, you know I think we need to see more bands come out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sweet/bands-that-have-positive-lyrics-that-give-people-hope-i-applaud-them/) [Michael Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sweet/) > [With the Internet, bands can come and go every five minutes and the music looks disposable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-dickinson/with-the-internet-bands-can-come-and-go-every-five-minutes-and-the/) [Bruce Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-dickinson/) > [I'm still waiting for rock bands to come back, something raw and relevant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-kurstin/i-m-still-waiting-for-rock-bands-to-come-back-something-raw-and/) [Greg Kurstin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-kurstin/) > [Most of the bands that come out of L.A. now have singers that all sound like Daffy Duck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-moore/most-of-the-bands-that-come-out-of-l-a-now-have-singers-that-all/) [Gary Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-moore/) > [“…anyway it wasn’t your reading that started this. 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I spent time at their summer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-thibodeaux/in-fact-i-was-one-of-the-few-trusted-people-that-lucy-allowed-to-play/) [Keith Thibodeaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-thibodeaux/) > [“... beach houses along short sandy streets. He can feel her bare forarm brushing his, and it's strange she's being so quiet. He glances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-dubus-iii/beach-houses-along-short-sandy-streets-he-can-feel-her-bare-forarm/) [Andre Dubus III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-dubus-iii/) > [“A shift was taking place in my life - the beach house, Kyle, Tristan; the tides were changing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriane-leigh/a-shift-was-taking-place-in-my-life-the-beach-house-kyle-tristan-the/) [Adriane Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriane-leigh/) ## More by Stephen Malkmus > ['Silence Kid' starts with a broken classic-rock intro. It's funny to hear us do that. Obviously, we weren't skillful rock stars. Then it's spinning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/silence-kid-starts-with-a-broken-classic-rock-intro-it-s-funny-to/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [What producers did was mostly recording in the studio, so it never changed our sound just that much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/what-producers-did-was-mostly-recording-in-the-studio-so-it-never/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I'm better when I'm an autodidact and things just come. Or you're just blessed. I'm not bragging or anything, it just comes to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-m-better-when-i-m-an-autodidact-and-things-just-come-or-you-re-just/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [Men are men and women are women, but the men are dumber than the women, usually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/men-are-men-and-women-are-women-but-the-men-are-dumber-than-the-women/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I am good at just looking in the kitchen and getting stuff on the table and keeping the mess minimal. There's an art to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-am-good-at-just-looking-in-the-kitchen-and-getting-stuff-on-the/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [ Traditionally, when we lived here \[in Portland\], we have a record player in the living room, and there's lots of stuff playing, all different… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/traditionally-when-we-lived-here-in-portland-we-have-a-record-player/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [The word "down," is very musical. It just always comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/the-word-down-is-very-musical-it-just-always-comes/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I'm more into describing a scenario and I move around in that scenario.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-m-more-into-describing-a-scenario-and-i-move-around-in-that-scenario/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I like visual imagery in my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-like-visual-imagery-in-my-head/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I'll cover just about anything - except for a Kid Rock song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-ll-cover-just-about-anything-except-for-a-kid-rock-song/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [“I cannot do even one sit-up / Sit-ups are so bourgeoisie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-cannot-do-even-one-sit-up-sit-ups-are-so-bourgeoisie/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I like a narrative, even if it's fractured, or kind of psychedelic. But my favorite thing is if I hear words and I close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-like-a-narrative-even-if-it-s-fractured-or-kind-of-psychedelic-but/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [Freddie Gray was a story I followed closer than others, for whatever reason, in this larger narrative of police brutality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/freddie-gray-was-a-story-i-followed-closer-than-others-for-whatever/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [We're not on a desperate mission to write chart compatible stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/we-re-not-on-a-desperate-mission-to-write-chart-compatible-stuff/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) > [I'm not dying for things to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-malkmus/i-m-not-dying-for-things-to-say/) [Stephen Malkmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) [Explore all 143 Stephen Malkmus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-malkmus/) ## More Baltimore quotes > [Baltimore is a great wrestling town.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t/baltimore-is-a-great-wrestling-town/) [Booker T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t/) > [I love Baltimore. This city has made me the man that I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deray-mckesson/i-love-baltimore-this-city-has-made-me-the-man-that-i-am/) [DeRay Mckesson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deray-mckesson/) > [He's the leader on this team, I know when Baltimore let us have him, they thought they were giving us a problem. I'll take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steinbrenner/he-s-the-leader-on-this-team-i-know-when-baltimore-let-us-have-him/) [George Steinbrenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steinbrenner/) > [I would have handled it differently than the mayor of Baltimore, that's for sure. I think it's a mistake to say, hey, guys, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-would-have-handled-it-differently-than-the-mayor-of-baltimore-that/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [I was devastated. I'm still devastated to this day. When talent like that disappears in a flash, you can't believe it. You deny it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-merrill/i-was-devastated-i-m-still-devastated-to-this-day-when-talent-like/) Helen Merrill > [People are proud to be from Baltimore. In any industry you work in, you need support to survive. And this city has that support…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-waters/people-are-proud-to-be-from-baltimore-in-any-industry-you-work-in-you/) [Derek Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-waters/) > [It's easy to whip up resentment against anything that smacks with authority. Nobody ever organizes over pan handlers. So even if a cop is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/it-s-easy-to-whip-up-resentment-against-anything-that-smacks-with/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [By the 1970s, pornography had caught up with The Block, where performers were totally in the nude. I wasn't going to do that, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaze-starr/by-the-1970s-pornography-had-caught-up-with-the-block-where/) Blaze Starr > [What I saw in Baltimore was distressing and it tells me we need stronger policies in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/what-i-saw-in-baltimore-was-distressing-and-it-tells-me-we-need/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [ After we did \[All In The Family\], that ended up being a real love fest all around. Me and Norman, Norman \[Lear\] and me,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-masur/after-we-did-all-in-the-family-that-ended-up-being-a-real-love-fest/) [Richard Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-masur/) > [John is a cottage industry in Baltimore and the city opens its doors for him whenever he is making a new film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mink-stole/john-is-a-cottage-industry-in-baltimore-and-the-city-opens-its-doors/) [Mink Stole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mink-stole/) > [Well I am from Annapolis Maryland. I went to High school in Baltimore, but I grew up in Annapolis. It was a cute town.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-siriano/well-i-am-from-annapolis-maryland-i-went-to-high-school-in-baltimore/) [Christian Siriano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-siriano/) > [Having secured my Indian actors, I started for Baltimore, where I organized my combination, and which was the largest troupe I had yet had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buffalo-bill/having-secured-my-indian-actors-i-started-for-baltimore-where-i/) [Buffalo Bill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buffalo-bill/) > [Red-hot songs were born on the black streets of Baltimore, where I delivered five-gallon cans of kerosene and ten-pound bags of coal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-leiber/red-hot-songs-were-born-on-the-black-streets-of-baltimore-where-i/) [Jerry Leiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-leiber/) > [I would never want to live anywhere but Baltimore. You can look far and wide, but you'll never discover a stranger city with such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/i-would-never-want-to-live-anywhere-but-baltimore-you-can-look-far/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) [Browse all 264 Baltimore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baltimore/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have a thing for Baltimore: the word itself, the place - I don't know where it comes from; it's just a weird city. I have a song called 'Baltimore,' but I'm not from there. I've driven through there a lot. We've played a couple of shows there, but it's not a big market. Some good bands come from there, though. 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