12/29/2009

not just about popular culture

The easier it is for people to understand, the better it is, I think. As long as you're not sacrificing intelligence or insight or feeling in order to make it easier. If you can capture something that you feel is real and express it in a way that a lot of people can understand, that's rare and there's something about that that makes a piece have a certain kind of life. And if it enters into popular culture and it's not just about popular culture, then from a writer's point of view, that's a satisfying achievement.

- Paul Simon, in interview with Paul Zollo, as quoted in Paul Simon: Lyrics 1964-2008.

1 comment:

daniela elza said...

here is a toast
to expressing something real in a way that is accessible without sacrificing intelligence.
i will drink to that:)

happy new year

daniela