That’s the most important thing, to get along with people. When you feel like you click with them.
BLACK FRANCISThat’s the most important thing, to get along with people. When you feel like you click with them.
BLACK FRANCISI think everybody has a painter inside of them somewhere.
BLACK FRANCISThis is a particular thing, you know, catholic stories of martyrs who had their head removed and then continued to be miraculous in the last moments of their life.
BLACK FRANCISSome people think, “Oh, just go do that thing you used to do before.” But it just doesn’t work like that. It’s a lot more mysterious or slippery.
BLACK FRANCISWhen you look at something that’s really good, it might be Iggy Pop or it might be Leonard Cohen. Whatever it is, you want it to be really good.
BLACK FRANCISI like visual images and there are certainly other bands that have strong visual images going all the way back to Elvis Presley, but it’s kind of like that’s never really been my bag. Probably because I’m too shy.
BLACK FRANCISFor some artists the live performance is the chicken before the egg of writing or recording of repertoire. For other artists the writing or recording of repertoire is the chicken before the egg of live performance.
BLACK FRANCISI don’t like to have everything all worked out in my head because there’s always a chance of it coming out different than you think it should anyway.
BLACK FRANCISIt’s sour grapes, I admit, I want to be more famous so people are examining my work couplet by couplet, you know what I mean? That’s the level where I want to go.
BLACK FRANCISThat’s more important even then what their background is or what they’ve done before, how good they are, how new they are or whatever. All that stuff is really secondary to just getting along with the person.
BLACK FRANCISAs soon as I got into music, I tried to be a working, real artist who gets paid for what he does, who doesn’t have a day job.
BLACK FRANCISThe first thing that inspires any song is a chord progression. When I have one I really like, I get into the lyrics even more.
BLACK FRANCISI’m always looking to rock out. But it isn’t really about rocking out versus being mellow, in terms of your personal satisfaction. In the end, you just want to be good.
BLACK FRANCISMy most cryptic, strange songs might be my most personal, but that isn’t how people are going to receive them, because they don’t know the code.
BLACK FRANCISI think that painting is a very ancient form of expression.
BLACK FRANCISI don’t want to do children’s music. I write kids songs, but the kids songs I write are for my kids – like when I’m putting them to bed.
BLACK FRANCIS