Ray LaMontagne Quotes

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Ray LaMontagne

Profession : Musician

Birth : June 18, 1973

I probably wouldn't be a songwriter if I didn't grow up the way I did. It was difficult and it was at times very scary to grow up in a household so unsettled and at times very violent. But, it also, I guess it earned me a sort of wisdom at a young age that's served me well.

Ray LaMontagne

You can make bad choices and find yourself in a downward spiral or you can find something that gets you out of it.

Ray LaMontagne

Well... you know, I love motorcycles. They're just beautiful, and there's a certain craftsmanship in older bikes, older Triumphs or BSAs or Norton. I'm just very attracted to it.

Ray LaMontagne

We all have that inner voice that is wise, even if we don't always follow it. It's that voice I'm trying to listen to.

Ray LaMontagne

The thing I love about music is that you can take things that are painful, deep things that hurt you, and you can turn them into something beautiful.

Ray LaMontagne

My voice sucks. I don't like the tone.

Ray LaMontagne

There's a real sense of desperation when you grow up in poverty.

Ray LaMontagne

It's so easy to get caught up in your own experiences. They can seem so important. But there are billions and billions of other experiences going on.

Ray LaMontagne

I always felt, as a listener at a show, that when there was too much banter between the artist and the audience that it detracted from the show. I more enjoyed shows where the guys came out and they just played.

Ray LaMontagne

Every song asks to be sung in a different way.

Ray LaMontagne

When I think of folk music, I think of topical songs. And I don't write topical songs.

Ray LaMontagne

My backstory is so tedious.

Ray LaMontagne

I'd much rather be playing songs than talking to people.

Ray LaMontagne

I can't get excited by my own music. It's impossible.

Ray LaMontagne

The label doesn't do anything but put your record in the store, that's all they do. And tell you, you don't have a single... and tell you, it's not gonna sell... that's what the label does.

Ray LaMontagne

I was really lost for a while in my teens. I was angry. But when I found music - Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell - it was a new discovery. It was a door to this other world where I wanted to be.

Ray LaMontagne

It bugs me that people think my songs are personal because it means I have to explain myself all the time.

Ray LaMontagne

I need space between me and the audience - and the more space the better.

Ray LaMontagne

I want to write music that will outlive me.

Ray LaMontagne

I don't really think of myself as a folk singer.

Ray LaMontagne