There’s such a cynicism
There’s such a cynicism about the phrase ‘I laughed all the way to the bank.’ It’s as though money is what you’re doing, rather than playing music. If you’re playing a money game, why not get into banking? Artie Shaw
Artie Shaw
I think that band
I think that band [Glenn Miller] was the beginning of the end. It was a mechanized version of what they called jazz music. I still can’t stand to listen to it. Artie Shaw
The bandleader is a
The bandleader is a musician trying to sell a mass commodity; and in order to do so successfully he must accommodate himself to mass standards. Unless he can do this comfortably, sooner or later he is sunk. Artie Shaw
I’m not conditioned to
I’m not conditioned to be an entertainer. An entertainer pleases others while an artist only has to please himself. The problem with that is artists are misunderstood by all. I’m not interested in the clarinet but in music. we speak our emotions into music. An artist should write for himself and not for an audience. … Read more
You run into a
You run into a party and [a] woman comes up to you. She’s the most beautiful creature you ever saw – Ava Gardner – and says, “I like you and why don’t we get together?” What are you going to say, “No”? You’d have to be an idiot. She was an incredible creature. Artie Shaw
I wanted to resign
I wanted to resign from the planet, not just music. It stopped being fun with success. Money got in the way. Everybody got greedy, including me. Fear set in. I got miserable when I became a commodity. Artie Shaw
Benny Goodman plays the
Benny Goodman plays the clarinet. I play music. Artie Shaw
I can’t understand guys
I can’t understand guys who just have to have your autograph. What do you do when you get home, take it out & look at it? Artie Shaw
People ask what those
People ask what those women saw in me. Let’s face it, I wasn’t a bad-looking stud. But that’s not it. It’s the music; it’s standing up there under the lights. A lot of women just flip; looks have nothing to do with it. You call Mick Jagger good-looking? Artie Shaw
The distance between me
The distance between me and Benny [Goodman], was that I was trying to play a musical thing, and Benny was trying to swing. Benny had great fingers; I’d never deny that. But listen to our two versions of ‘Star Dust.’ I was playing; he was swinging. Artie Shaw