Ted Leo Quotes & Sayings

You play the one song that people want to hear the most every night, and for every audience that's a special thing. And usually that translates back to you. — Ted Leo

Someone once said that "The Waste Land" was a scum of poetry floating on a sea of footnotes. That resonated with me, because that's kind of what I was doing lyrically for a while. I was being very referential in a way. I would drop in these little phrases or ideas that were sort of portholes into a whole bigger realm of thought or whatever, that would work within the song, but that you could also poke through into a bigger discussion. — Ted Leo

When you're traveling on a body of songs that you have played for many, many years, for most nights of your life - I'm sure you've experienced this yourself - it's not that every night is not it's own thing. It is. — Ted Leo

I know that the dream mind is irrational, but I like to think that if I hear something in a dream that's really good, then it's irrational ... but it's not crazy. — Ted Leo

I love touring. But it's super nice to have a new reason to play shows that isn't based around that perennial cycle of album/tour/promotion. — Ted Leo

If you live up against train tracks, it can make your life a living hell. — Ted Leo

When I get into the moment of actually feeling like I want to write, to finish something, I do what I've always read authors do, and park myself at a desk and bang things out for three hours. And if I have to throw it all away, I throw it all away. — Ted Leo

As I've grown older I've been more influenced by more meandering styles of guitar playing, whether it's Celtic or Ethiopian folk music or some kind of noisier jazz like Sonny Sharrock. In terms of songwriting, I don't know that I could even pin it down. — Ted Leo

I gotta make a living somehow, and make ends meet. I accept the idea of having a retirement. — Ted Leo

I am always thinking music. — Ted Leo

I actually dream a lot of songs, and I try to be good about voice-memoing ideas. — Ted Leo

Bands
enough with the crayon face-paint
you're better than that. — Ted Leo

I think it's become such a part of younger people's daily life to have the instant access to each other that it sometimes gets a little presumptuous. People feel like it's OK, for example, to email you with some weird personal criticism they have. — Ted Leo

When you make a record and have to go out on tour for it, you have to go out on tour for it. Whether it's going to be joyful or not, you have to do it. — Ted Leo

Most of the time I wind up with a sleepily mumbled melodic line, sometimes with words, sometimes not. But then with my waking brain I have to decide whether it's worth ... I mean, sometimes it's not worth it. — Ted Leo

I used to think success would be sustainability. Not being behind the eight ball ... — Ted Leo

I've dreamed about performing songs, songs that don't even exist, as a complete song. — Ted Leo