The blues is alive and well thanks to standouts in the genre like the 39-year-old Austin, Texas-born guitar player and songwriter Gary Clark Jr. With a powerful voice and fingers that know just the right note to play to express a balance of hope and sorrow, Clark Jr. is helping the keep the music’s torch burning.
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But what does Clark Jr., who has released five studio albums to date, have to say about the genre outside of his songs? What are his thoughts on life and love, his craft and the world at large? Well, that is the subject of this deep dive. Indeed, here are the 20 best Gary Clark Jr. quotes.
1. “My mom always told me I should have a Plan B. I said that if I’m not going to play guitar I’m going to play drums. And if I’m not going to play drums, I’m going to play bass. I always just wanted to play music. I was completely obsessed.”
2. “When I got my first guitar, I played along with everything I heard that had guitar in it, like the Ramones, Nirvana and Sublime, as well as whatever hip-hop and R&B stuff was on the radio.”
3. “The guys in my band buy instruments and sell and trade them. But if I have something I hang onto it. Everything is sentimental to me.”
4. “Most of my songs start out as being very aggressive and guitar-driven.”
5. “I’ve been called ‘musically schizophrenic,’ and some people think that’s a cool thing.”
6. “For a black male, the sound of the blues is pre-Civil Rights. It’s oppression.”
7. “There’s so much music in Austin, and it’s all so different.”
8. “When I was growing up, I would go hang out with older guys at night in blues clubs.”
9. “I know that I’m capable of moving around on the guitar. I can express myself the way I want to and feel good about it. But as far as technical chops, I’m not a learned musician.”
10. “I never expected to be approached for an ad campaign.”
11. “There’s nothing like a music festival. People are ready to have a good time. I don’t think anyone comes to a festival going, ‘I’m gonna be a complete bummer today.’”
12. “I’m somewhat of a hoarder. I keep everything.”
13. “You know, I’ve never done karaoke, ever. It makes me nervous—I think it’s the lack of the guitar and just a microphone.”
14. “I’m obsessed with fuzz pedals.”
15. “You could say I’m a laid-back kind of guy.”
16. “I failed public speaking in grade school, ’cause I was so nervous and scared.”
17. “The blues is the foundation for a lot of things. Things have branched off. It’s cool how music grows, but the foundation is always there. It’s not going anywhere.”
18. “I don’t think anything can touch the expressive range of the guitar.”
19. “The blues is always going to be relevant.”
20. “I am the type of artist where you can’t tell me anything. I have always been that way. I am right. I don’t need any input.”
Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images
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