Celebrities Peter Gabriel, Birthday: 13 February 1950, Woking, Surrey, England, UK

[on apartheid in 1988] Reading the press, people ask why we sing about South Africa. South Africa is...Show more »

[on apartheid in 1988] Reading the press, people ask why we sing about South Africa. South Africa is the only country in the world which has racism enshrined in its constitution. Show less «

"Sledgehammer" was my chance to sing like Otis Redding! I saw him aged about 16, at the Ram Jam Club...Show more »

"Sledgehammer" was my chance to sing like Otis Redding! I saw him aged about 16, at the Ram Jam Club in Brixton. It's still the best gig of my life. Show less «

African artists are strong, charismatic and compelling, and I think they hold people's attention.

[on his best-selling solo album, "So"] It turned me into a pop star for at least a week.

[on "No Self Control"] We went on Top of the Pops (1964) and the great belief in those days was that...Show more »

[on "No Self Control"] We went on Top of the Pops (1964) and the great belief in those days was that you get on Top of the Pops (1964) and you quadruple your sales. We went on Top of the Pops (1964) and our sales halved. I don't know what that has to say about the way we looked or the way the music was but it confounded every industry pundit. Show less «

Music, you see, was suddenly something I could identify with. It was the only thing that could oblit...Show more »

Music, you see, was suddenly something I could identify with. It was the only thing that could obliterate the feeling of sheer misery and uselessness. Show less «

He appears in a lot of writing that I've done over the years because of the groove with which he was...Show more »

He appears in a lot of writing that I've done over the years because of the groove with which he was associated, which is the Bo Diddley rhythm. He was really one of the first people to make an African element a central part of pop music and it was done with a lot of feel and a lot of style. I was sad to see him on the departed list. Show less «

[speaking at the BT Digital Music Awards in 2006] I would say to artists at the beginning of their c...Show more »

[speaking at the BT Digital Music Awards in 2006] I would say to artists at the beginning of their career in this business: own your name, own your website, own your rights. There's a future with a record business, which I think does a great job sometimes, but as a service industry and not as owners of creative talent. But it's only if artists are smart enough, which traditionally we've never been, to act together and to work together that we're going to see that sort of future. Show less «

[on taking ten years to make an album] If you're looking at the movement of the Earth it's a very sh...Show more »

[on taking ten years to make an album] If you're looking at the movement of the Earth it's a very short space of time. But you know, the older you get, it's more about quality and less about frequency. Show less «

I started out as a drummer and I still think like one. Everything I write starts with rhythms. I'm n...Show more »

I started out as a drummer and I still think like one. Everything I write starts with rhythms. I'm not a good keyboard player, and I'm even worse on the guitar. In fact, I'm a terrible musician! But I do think that I can find disparate elements and put them together in a way that's different to other people. I hope that's inspiring to all other miserable, useless musicians out there! Show less «

I've always loved artwork and album art. I think it's been a huge part of what people identify and f...Show more »

I've always loved artwork and album art. I think it's been a huge part of what people identify and feel about the music and the records. I used to love gatefold sleeves... when you would sit with a new record and open it up it was just a precious moment. Now we've gone into this digital world a lot of that has been lost. Show less «

The music business, the way I view it, it's dead in its old model and there are lots of interesting ...Show more »

The music business, the way I view it, it's dead in its old model and there are lots of interesting things crawling out of the corpse. Show less «

It's a lot easier making emotional miserable music than it is making emotional happy music - joy is ...Show more »

It's a lot easier making emotional miserable music than it is making emotional happy music - joy is a much harder fish to catch. Show less «

[on "Red Rain"] When emotion is blocked, which is an English tradition, it sometimes has a habit of ...Show more »

[on "Red Rain"] When emotion is blocked, which is an English tradition, it sometimes has a habit of seeping out of unsuspected edges, so here there was a story I was working on at one point called Mozo, which I ditched, but the idea was of a town unable to express its emotion and so it becomes externalized in the form of blood red rain and this red sea, so that's its main preoccupation and then put in the context of a relationship I'm sure there's some of my experience thrown in there. Show less «

When I left [Genesis] there was some angst and I think everyone thought I was destroying their caree...Show more »

When I left [Genesis] there was some angst and I think everyone thought I was destroying their careers, but as soon as I left, the band sold a whole lot more records. Show less «

"Heroes" is one of those classic songs . . . it's one of my favorite Bowie [David Bowie] songs and I...Show more »

"Heroes" is one of those classic songs . . . it's one of my favorite Bowie [David Bowie] songs and I was a Bowie fan right from the beginning. Show less «

I have always loved R.E.M.'s music and respected their commitment to social change.

A lot of songs come with a time stamp. I remember where I was when I first heard "Hey Joe" or "Love ...Show more »

A lot of songs come with a time stamp. I remember where I was when I first heard "Hey Joe" or "Love Me Do". They become like sound traps, because pop introduced to songwriting the idea that sound was as important as the notes, the harmony and the rhythm. Show less «

In England, because rock 'n' roll is pretty tied up, like football, with working-class mythology, th...Show more »

In England, because rock 'n' roll is pretty tied up, like football, with working-class mythology, there's quite a lot of press resentment to any ambitions in rock by middle-class people. That was definitely something to battle with in the first few years. Show less «

[on "Peter Gabriel 3"] Ahmet [Ahmet Ertegun], who I still think is one of the legends of the music b...Show more »

[on "Peter Gabriel 3"] Ahmet [Ahmet Ertegun], who I still think is one of the legends of the music business and I loved him, but he thought I'd been in a mental hospital when he heard "Lead a Normal Life" and "Biko". Who was going to be interested in this stuff? I was with Atlantic in America, through Charisma which was the small label to which I was signed, so I was promptly dropped. Show less «

The first record I bought when I saved up my pocket money was 'With The Beatles'. 'Please, Please Me...Show more »

The first record I bought when I saved up my pocket money was 'With The Beatles'. 'Please, Please Me' was coming over the radio. I would sit in the back of my parents' car when we were on these long drives down to the coast. And what people forget, I think, is that at the time, it was really rebellious, rough, mischievous and full of life, and irresistible to any young person. The Beatles were a huge influence as I was growing up, and continued to be as there was all that revolution around their success. Show less «

[on Phil Collins, who replaced him as singer in Genesis] In some ways he was a more natural singer t...Show more »

[on Phil Collins, who replaced him as singer in Genesis] In some ways he was a more natural singer than I was. Show less «

I learned quite early on that if you're making music you should be recording, regardless of having t...Show more »

I learned quite early on that if you're making music you should be recording, regardless of having to sit through hours and hours of rubbish. It's just that the magic moments come and you always think, 'Oh, I can remember that', and you never do it the same again twice but if you've got a recording. So I had all these recordings and a lot of it wasn't so good but it did mean that some of the times when I found a melody that ended up in the song, we had it there. Show less «

It was the first time I ever felt like I was singing for my life, like it had a larger purpose than ...Show more »

It was the first time I ever felt like I was singing for my life, like it had a larger purpose than putting money in my pocket or selling records. Outside of Lamb, it was my favorite moment with Genesis. Show less «

[on his surprising fondness for the music of Justin Bieber] It is very musical, there are some great...Show more »

[on his surprising fondness for the music of Justin Bieber] It is very musical, there are some great rhythms, it is beautifully produced, it is good pop music and he sings very well. To the people that dismiss him as teen fodder, I would say listen more carefully. Show less «

I can remember where I was when I first heard Hendrix's (Jimi Hendrix) 'Hey Joe', which was at schoo...Show more »

I can remember where I was when I first heard Hendrix's (Jimi Hendrix) 'Hey Joe', which was at school in a particular room upstairs and it was, in fact, in the next-door room. And my ear perked up and I went in and listened to it and just had to find out about who this artist was. I think particularly when you're growing up, songs are like memory stamps. And I think people go through life and they have these intense experiences that are really beautiful or really horrible that just get locked into a certain song. Show less «

The worst brief for an artist is to be told they can do anything. I have always believed that artist...Show more »

The worst brief for an artist is to be told they can do anything. I have always believed that artists are a lot more creative if you tell them what they can't do. Show less «

[why he demanded to write all the lyrics for the last album he made with Genesis] There are very few...Show more »

[why he demanded to write all the lyrics for the last album he made with Genesis] There are very few books written by a committee, and for a very good reason. Show less «

I co-founded OD2 with Charles Grimsdale as I thought there were many exciting opportunities for digi...Show more »

I co-founded OD2 with Charles Grimsdale as I thought there were many exciting opportunities for digitally distributed music. As a musician, I believe strongly that all artists should have access to this powerful new means of getting music to people. I was convinced digital music was going to be the main means of distributing music when we set that firm up. I've been surprised how long it has taken. Show less «

[on making music videos] I had a place at film school at one point before I thought I could make my ...Show more »

[on making music videos] I had a place at film school at one point before I thought I could make my living making noises and that's still something which I'm very interested in, and so videos gives us a chance to get involved in that. I'd like to learn a lot more. Show less «

I am certain that Israelis and Palestinians will both benefit from a two-state solution based on the...Show more »

I am certain that Israelis and Palestinians will both benefit from a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders. We have watched Palestinians suffer for too long, especially in Gaza. I am not, and never was, anti-Israeli or anti-Semitic, but I oppose the policy of the Israeli government, oppose injustice and oppose the occupation... I am proud to be one of the voices asking the Israeli government: 'Where is the two-state solution that you wanted so much?' and clearly say that enough is enough. Show less «

Working with the tours and meeting all the people that felt their lives had literally been saved by ...Show more »

Working with the tours and meeting all the people that felt their lives had literally been saved by Amnesty made it seem like such a simple, elegant and powerful idea. I think that it is a wonderful organization that really deserves a lot of support. Show less «

[on David Bowie] He meant so much to me and to so many. He was a one-off, a brilliant outlier, alway...Show more »

[on David Bowie] He meant so much to me and to so many. He was a one-off, a brilliant outlier, always exploring, challenging and inspiring anyone who wanted to push the boundaries of music, art, fashion and society. There are so few artists who can touch a generation as he did, we will miss him badly. Show less «

Something happens with age. You're becoming more yourself, whether you like it or not. You lose some...Show more »

Something happens with age. You're becoming more yourself, whether you like it or not. You lose some high notes. You're not aspiring to be someone else. You listen to Dylan [Bob Dylan], Randy Newman or Tom Waits, and to how their voices have evolved over the years, and, uh, you get a sense that there's more grain and texture, and less trying for this or that. Show less «

I was from a typical upper middle class background, I suppose. My father's father was a very wealthy...Show more »

I was from a typical upper middle class background, I suppose. My father's father was a very wealthy timber merchant and manufacturer and though he broke away from all that in a sense, there were still traditions to be handed down. Show less «

I love Radiohead, from the onset, pretty much. The Bends was done up the road from us in the West Co...Show more »

I love Radiohead, from the onset, pretty much. The Bends was done up the road from us in the West Country. And so I had a conversation with Thom Yorke who said he was interested in doing the Wallflower song, so I was really excited to hear that. Besides writing great songs with wonderful sounds, they are always unafraid to push themselves as arrangers and musicians and writers and I love that about them. Show less «

The only drug I was interested in was acid, but I was too frightened by my dreams in regular hours t...Show more »

The only drug I was interested in was acid, but I was too frightened by my dreams in regular hours to contemplate that. Show less «

[about the "Sledgehammer" video] I've always loved animation since I was a kid and you can do with i...Show more »

[about the "Sledgehammer" video] I've always loved animation since I was a kid and you can do with it anything you can imagine. The idea was to design something that really could hold up to repeated viewing. Show less «

There has always been a strong relationship between music and religion. It is because they both plug...Show more »

There has always been a strong relationship between music and religion. It is because they both plug directly into the heart and can have real power for good or evil. Show less «

From the pain comes the suffering, from the suffering comes the dream, from the dream comes the visi...Show more »

From the pain comes the suffering, from the suffering comes the dream, from the dream comes the vision, from the vision comes the people, from the people comes the power, from the power comes the change, but if the world could have one father, the man we would want to be our father is Madiba, Mr Nelson Mandela. Show less «

[on Lana Del Rey's "Video Games"] It was actually Charlie Winston, who's a wonderful singer that we ...Show more »

[on Lana Del Rey's "Video Games"] It was actually Charlie Winston, who's a wonderful singer that we have, who turned me on to this track and I'm in love with it at the moment. I think it's a perfect pop song. Show less «

When I started, you couldn't get signed unless the label thought you could sell 100,000 records. It ...Show more »

When I started, you couldn't get signed unless the label thought you could sell 100,000 records. It took us two years playing gigs to get signed. Show less «

There is something childlike about the basic concept that poverty might be history, that by doing so...Show more »

There is something childlike about the basic concept that poverty might be history, that by doing something, some lives might be saved. I would argue that it doesn't matter how many records get sold or how many balding semi-retired musicians like myself get an audience, even if one life gets saved, it's better than sitting on our fat arses complaining about things. Show less «

[on being a pop star] I always like to say, amazing place to visit, not a very nice place to live. I...Show more »

[on being a pop star] I always like to say, amazing place to visit, not a very nice place to live. In the end, it sort of sucks you dry and you find people who can only write about the road 'cos that's all they know and live, eat and breathe. I think real life is not bad and sometimes should be undertaken seriously. Show less «

Radiohead, for me, are one of the great bands and one of the reasons is that they're always trying t...Show more »

Radiohead, for me, are one of the great bands and one of the reasons is that they're always trying to innovate and push back boundaries, both in their musical work and in their video work. Show less «

I must be getting to that awards time of life; it's God's way of telling you you're getting on.

In rock as a whole there have been many great songs which have had really appalling lyrics but there...Show more »

In rock as a whole there have been many great songs which have had really appalling lyrics but there have been no great songs which have had appalling music. Show less «

Just to stay in an all-white, all-male, all-middle-class preserve would be very boring for me and ve...Show more »

Just to stay in an all-white, all-male, all-middle-class preserve would be very boring for me and very boring for the people who listen to what I do. Show less «

[in 2005] There is so much pressure on musicians to look youthful. I've turned my back on my wilder ...Show more »

[in 2005] There is so much pressure on musicians to look youthful. I've turned my back on my wilder days. I'm much more relaxed now. Show less «

[on "Don't Give Up"] Dolly (Dolly Parton) turned it down... and I'm glad she did because what Kate (...Show more »

[on "Don't Give Up"] Dolly (Dolly Parton) turned it down... and I'm glad she did because what Kate (Kate Bush) did on it is brilliant. It's an odd song, a number of people have written to me and said they didn't commit suicide because they had that song on repeat or whatever, and obviously you don't think about things like that when you're writing them. But obviously a lot of the power of the song came from the way that Kate sings it. Show less «

[on the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq] This is a fundamental issue of life and death and I very much ...Show more »

[on the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq] This is a fundamental issue of life and death and I very much think the Prime Minister is in the wrong. I'm also sure George Bush [George W. Bush] is an affable bloke but he's highly dangerous and I wish America was in the hands of someone else. To put oil interests ahead of human life is appalling. War is always terrible but unjustified war is obscene and on present evidence that is what we are facing. People want peace and I think it's great that the Mirror is leading this campaign. I think the consequences of this war would be the biggest threat to world peace in my lifetime. Blair [British PM Tony Blair] has got to get it right. To take action without UN backing would be inviting disaster by setting the Muslim world against the West. If we are taking a moral position why did we arm Iraq when they were killing the Kurds? If it's because of weapons of mass destruction why isn't North Korea higher on the list? Not that I'd support action there. And if it's a principle of what Iraq has done to its own people why do we bend over for China? I'm sure Bush believes he is removing a scourge but he has never done one thing in office against the interests of the oil lobby who paid for a large part of the election. I don't actually believe Tony Blair is focused on oil but if he knows more than we do I wish he would tell us because there's no justification so far for taking life. War with Iraq would be an aggressive, uncalled-for action. It's good the Prime Minister is prepared to stick to his principles, going against public opinion, because you elect leaders in part for their conscience. I just think it's terrible that on this of all issues he is making a stand which separates him from the nation. I think Tony Blair is following his conscience but I believe he is misguided. It could cost him the next election and I think he's aware of that. I'd personally be sad if they lost because Labour has done a lot for health and education, but an unjust war would be enough to lose my vote. I'd like to see a reinforced UN weapons inspection team in Iraq and disarmament much more in line with the French and German proposals. There is a slogan which says: "Peace is what happens when you respect the rights of others". Iraqis have rights too. Show less «

[on "From Genesis to Revelation", the first Genesis album] What that album did convince me is that I...Show more »

[on "From Genesis to Revelation", the first Genesis album] What that album did convince me is that I could write a pop song. We recorded it in this tiny studio on Denmark street in central London. We were kids at the time, and we were just so excited to be in a recording studio. Absolutely everything excited us. When the record was advertised in Record Mirror, it was the first time I'd seen our band name in print. It was the most thrilling thing I'd read in my life. Show less «

Free expression and human rights have been the life-blood of so much of the work I've done in the la...Show more »

Free expression and human rights have been the life-blood of so much of the work I've done in the last few decades and Amnesty's campaigning has been a life-changing part of that. Those of us who have the eyes and ears of the media have a responsibility to amplify the voices of the voiceless. I'd be delighted if everyone who comes to one of my concerts picks up some Amnesty literature and checks out their work. Show less «

[on dressing as a flower in Genesis] Horticulture has a lot going for it.

I don't want all musicians preaching at me all the time but I think it's really the first universal ...Show more »

I don't want all musicians preaching at me all the time but I think it's really the first universal language, all around the world, young people listen to rock music, and to have that attention and that possibility for giving out information and not to use it for anything other than saying who you laid last night is, I think, a waste of time. Show less «

Sting is right in what he says about The X Factor (2004). If I was a TV commissioner, I wouldn't tak...Show more »

Sting is right in what he says about The X Factor (2004). If I was a TV commissioner, I wouldn't take the show off the air, but I'd put on one that showcases new songwriting talent, featuring unique voices. Doing covers, impersonating other artists should not be the only option or goal to aspire to. Show less «

John Lennon was definitely one of my heroes. I think he always wrote from his heart. He was a very c...Show more »

John Lennon was definitely one of my heroes. I think he always wrote from his heart. He was a very complicated individual, but there's an honesty about his songwriting that I think makes it very powerful. Sometimes it's very simplistic, childlike and naive; and that is what gives it some of its strength. Show less «

[on "Scratch My Back"] I've always been a songwriter first and foremost, and with X Factor's [The X ...Show more »

[on "Scratch My Back"] I've always been a songwriter first and foremost, and with X Factor's [The X Factor (2004)] stress on performance, I felt the craft of songwriting has got rather overlooked. So I thought, if we could put a twist on the covers thing, make it a genuine exchange and a dialogue with other musicians, rather than a homage to just one song, then we could create something different. Show less «

I've not been bored but then I've also made decisions to have an interesting life rather than trying...Show more »

I've not been bored but then I've also made decisions to have an interesting life rather than trying to maintain a successful career. And they are slightly different paths. I have interest in technology and benefit projects that go along with the music. Now I know mathematicians and filmmakers, pioneering medical researchers and all sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds. One of the big buzzes has always been brainstorming with a bunch of people smarter than myself and I get to do that quite a lot on quite a lot of different subjects. Show less «

You have a choice. You can live in a world where the people make some effort to improve things or yo...Show more »

You have a choice. You can live in a world where the people make some effort to improve things or you can live in a world where people don't give a damn, and I'd rather be in the first. Show less «

[on "Graceland" by Paul Simon] At the time we had this Amnesty tour too which went out in '88 and we...Show more »

[on "Graceland" by Paul Simon] At the time we had this Amnesty tour too which went out in '88 and we were discussing amongst the artists whether we should go and perform there, and strangely enough Youssou N'Dour and Tracy Chapman, the black artists, were arguing that we should go and the white artists were saying "We've been asked to do this cultural boycott, we shouldn't". I'm still not completely sure. I think I wouldn't have done it at the time and in the way that he did it because of the cultural boycott but, in the end, did it help South Africa and South African music? Definitely. So it's difficult. Show less «

Primarily I make noises and ideas.

[on the death of Nelson Mandela] To come out of 27 years in jail and to immediately set about buildi...Show more »

[on the death of Nelson Mandela] To come out of 27 years in jail and to immediately set about building a Rainbow Nation with your sworn enemy is a unique and extraordinary example of courage and forgiveness. In this case, Mandela had seen many of his people beaten, imprisoned and murdered, yet he was still willing to trust the humanity and idealism of those who had been the oppressors, without whom he knew he could not achieve an almost peaceful transition of power. There is no other example of such inspirational leadership in my lifetime. Show less «

[on why he left Genesis] It was really a decision to get out of the music business so it wasn't a de...Show more »

[on why he left Genesis] It was really a decision to get out of the music business so it wasn't a decision to go solo. Our first child had just been born and she was in an incubator for three weeks, at the same time the band were trying to finish an album off, for me there was no question of priorities. I hated the feeling that in two years time I would know exactly where I'm going to be and what I'm going to be doing, I wanted a sense of freedom, so I just stopped everything for about a year and worked on my vegetable garden very unsuccessfully but enthusiastically. Show less «

My parents put me in for an aptitude test when I was a teenager and the report came back saying that...Show more »

My parents put me in for an aptitude test when I was a teenager and the report came back saying that the only thing that I was good for was photography or landscape gardening. Show less «

Tony (Banks) and I were the best of mates, but we fought like siblings. We had this constant battle ...Show more »

Tony (Banks) and I were the best of mates, but we fought like siblings. We had this constant battle of keeping the power of the other in check. I know it drove the other three crazy, but that was our working dynamic. We were the founders and co-leaders of the band, we had big ambitions, and we were scared to death of failure. Show less «

I love to laugh. Spike Milligan was a hero to me and I was a big Fast Show [The Fast Show (1994)] fa...Show more »

I love to laugh. Spike Milligan was a hero to me and I was a big Fast Show [The Fast Show (1994)] fan, but I'm not sure that part of me comes across when I bore people about politics and social stuff. People can't always see who you really are. Show less «

[on Youssou N'Dour] His voice is like liquid gold.

[in 1978] If I consider my current financial situation realistically, I would say that I'd be able t...Show more »

[in 1978] If I consider my current financial situation realistically, I would say that I'd be able to survive in this cottage with my wife and two children living fairly decently for five years. No more than that - and that's being generous - and therefore I am concerned about selling records and being a success. Right now I'm just not compromising - that's all. Show less «

Despite prog probably being the most derided musical genre of all time there were - as today - a lot...Show more »

Despite prog probably being the most derided musical genre of all time there were - as today - a lot of extraordinary musicians trying to break down the barriers to reject the rules of music. Show less «

[on his best-selling solo album, "So"] "So"'s massive success was a great facilitator. Many of the t...Show more »

[on his best-selling solo album, "So"] "So"'s massive success was a great facilitator. Many of the things I love to do today - Witness.org, thetoolbox.net, theElders.org, Gabble and Womad - would have been a lot more difficult to realise without the opportunities and connections success can bring. Show less «

[on Phil Collins] Three things interested me about him. One, he was a good drummer. He knew how to d...Show more »

[on Phil Collins] Three things interested me about him. One, he was a good drummer. He knew how to do complex things only skilled drummers can do. I saw him as a significant upgrade to what we currently had in that role and that would open up new possibilities for us as a band. Two, he had a great sense of humor. Tony, Mike and I were pretty uptight, public school kids. We took ourselves too seriously at times. Phil, with his drama school background, came from a place where anything goes. He could diffuse situations with a joke or turn the attention away from band conflicts to him, making us all laugh and forget about what we were even arguing about in the first place. Third, he added another band member who could sing. I was able to do harmonies and other vocal arrangements that weren't possible before his arrival. Show less «

I admire artists that can create joy. I think I've done it a couple of times, but it's not regularly...Show more »

I admire artists that can create joy. I think I've done it a couple of times, but it's not regularly on the menu. Melancholy comes a lot easier. But I have a lot of respect for good pop music that's done well. Smart writing and good grooves, good sounds. Show less «

My kids came with me to see one of these bands that recreate early Genesis stuff. They said to me af...Show more »

My kids came with me to see one of these bands that recreate early Genesis stuff. They said to me afterwards, "Dad, if you can make a living like that, there's hope for us!" Show less «

I was extremely lucky in 1967, when I was 17 years old, to go and see Otis Redding perform at the Ra...Show more »

I was extremely lucky in 1967, when I was 17 years old, to go and see Otis Redding perform at the Ram Jam Club in Brixton in London. When he came on, it was like the sun coming out. It was just this amazing voice, totally in command, great band, great grooves and passion that permeated everything. I think he's a supreme interpreter, and what a heart. Show less «

Never say never, I suppose, but like the saying goes, stick to what satisfies your hunger now, not w...Show more »

Never say never, I suppose, but like the saying goes, stick to what satisfies your hunger now, not what might fill you up later. Show less «

[on Charterhouse] My first night in the school is still vivid in my mind. There were no curtains on ...Show more »

[on Charterhouse] My first night in the school is still vivid in my mind. There were no curtains on the windows and the lights from the cars passing on the road would reflect across the ceiling. It just reminded me of a sky full of bombs, and there were lots of boys crying uncontrollably - it was their first time away from home. It was just all such an incredibly ugly thing to recall. They always say you can tell an ex-public school boy in prison because he takes to it like a duck to water. Show less «

I think MP3 is a giant step backwards in that we all spend a lot of time trying to make things sound...Show more »

I think MP3 is a giant step backwards in that we all spend a lot of time trying to make things sound really good and then it gets compressed. But I like that sense of it being a much freer medium ... technology has very often shaped the music [such as] the first singles having the physical limitations of the format determining the length of music. Those physical limitations in a way shaped the way music was composed. I think suddenly that has been unleashed and I think freedom is generally a very scary concept for artists. Show less «

Never before has an artist been able to reach out and build an audience so easily - without needing ...Show more »

Never before has an artist been able to reach out and build an audience so easily - without needing record companies and their marketing departments. Equally, you've never been able to explore all kinds of new music in the instant way the Internet allows. Show less «

[on "Biko"] It was quite an important thing because it was the first directly political thing that I...Show more »

[on "Biko"] It was quite an important thing because it was the first directly political thing that I'd ever done, and I thought because of my background it wouldn't be taken seriously, and Tom Robinson was very good at encouraging me at the time and saying "If you get attention and money moving in the right direction, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks". That song, I think, changed a lot of things for me and connected me in a deeper way to Amnesty and other human rights work. Show less «

I think that anyone who doesn't have some sense of idealism when they're young is really missing out...Show more »

I think that anyone who doesn't have some sense of idealism when they're young is really missing out a bit of their humanity, because you have the chance to go into the world and feel, quite rightly, that it is soon going to be yours and you can change it. I think that's what my generation did with The Beatles at the front of it. Show less «

The flap over The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) is absurd. If people's faith is so weak that it c...Show more »

The flap over The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) is absurd. If people's faith is so weak that it can be destroyed by a film, then it really isn't much to begin with. I think people may find themselves reviewing their own lives and their own points of view on religion as a result of the film. I'm very proud to have been a part of it. Show less «

I'm an artist who works incredibly slowly.

Charlie Gillett was such a benign godfather to so many artists who have fallen under the name of wor...Show more »

Charlie Gillett was such a benign godfather to so many artists who have fallen under the name of world music. Bumping into Charlie was always one of my regular delights at Womad. There are many artists around the world who owe a good slice of their income to Charlie's enthusiasms. His generous and good nature, fired by his passion, was a beacon of light in the music world and a rare and wonderful example to all of us involved. Show less «

[on The Life of Rock with Brian Pern (2014)] Many of the laughs are at my expense, but it also had m...Show more »

[on The Life of Rock with Brian Pern (2014)] Many of the laughs are at my expense, but it also had me laughing a lot. I think you will enjoy it. There are also many great cameos, my favourites being from Reeves and Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse. Show less «

[on "Scratch My Back"] I wanted to let these songs speak, so I become personally minimal in their pr...Show more »

[on "Scratch My Back"] I wanted to let these songs speak, so I become personally minimal in their presentation. Left to my own devices, I tend to put layers on top, I fuss too much. So, early on with this, I decided to make rules. No drums or guitars. Just chamber instruments, keyboards and brass. Show less «

Music is a universal language, it draws people together and proves, as well as anything, the stupidi...Show more »

Music is a universal language, it draws people together and proves, as well as anything, the stupidity of racism. Show less «

In opera you have this very abstracted form of singing, through a brilliant technique often, but for...Show more »

In opera you have this very abstracted form of singing, through a brilliant technique often, but for me as a listener it doesn't have the emotional impact that I get when I listen to great soul or blues music. Show less «

New technology has always excited me.

Rock is one of the few areas left in the creative field where artists can be in control of what they...Show more »

Rock is one of the few areas left in the creative field where artists can be in control of what they do and if you're not putting your self and your soul into it, and there's not some measure of integrity, then I think it reads. Show less «

[on Phil Collins] I respect Phil. I think he's a natural musician who can sit down and play most thi...Show more »

[on Phil Collins] I respect Phil. I think he's a natural musician who can sit down and play most things very well. There's respect between us, and we'll be happy to do odd pieces together. Show less «

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway was the highlight of my time in Genesis. I convinced the band to go w...Show more »

The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway was the highlight of my time in Genesis. I convinced the band to go with my story idea and I also convinced them to let me write all the lyrics. I know there is some controversy about that, but the truth is novels are rarely written by committee. Show less «

Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel's FILMOGRAPHY

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