The 51-year-old Atlanta, Georgia-born songwriter and performer Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power) is a genre unto herself. There is no one like her, yet there are countless imitators. Power, with her raspy, modern art voice is singular and she’s a legend for it.
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But what does the artist have to say about the world outside of her songs? What are her thoughts on life and love, her craft, her history, how people perceive her, and more?
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Without further ado, these are the 20 best Cat Power quotes.
1. “If your parents gave you fire to play with when you were two, you’d be standing in fire by the time you were an adult.”
2. “Usually, I’ll just sit down at a piano or with a guitar, and I’ll just be relaxed and play music. Because that’s what relaxes your subconscious. That’s why everyone from animals to humans loves music.”
3. “Playing the guitar, you kind of lock into a rhythm and a groove, and then it relaxes me to make up lyrics and sing.”
4. “For me, the moment the mic is on and it’s rolling, it’s impossible to vocally relax for some reason. But one day, I’m going to be able to sing the way I sang when I was a little kid, completely open and free. That’s, I think, the one thing that’s changed: Growing older, I’m not ashamed to hear my voice.”
5. “I don’t come from money or an educated family background or any sort of supportive family life, so all of my choices are made on my own.”
6. “There’s just a lot of stuff that really moves me, and I don’t know how to express it, and I just want to try to do the best I can and surround myself with good people who don’t invalidate me.”
7. “I’m not a professional entertainer. I’m not Neil Diamond.”
8. “I got told so many times I needed a manager. For a long time I resisted, and I finally got one so I can pay my mortgage, and it helped me from becoming a homeless person.”
9. “Everybody tends to think I’m crazy, which is the biggest problem in my life.”
10. “I need to be able to face things.”
11. “After my second-to-last record, ‘The Greatest’, I had gone on tour for a while, and I didn’t play an instrument for about five years. And I got kind of—it’s not self-esteem or whatever, or anger toward myself—but disappointed in myself that I hadn’t been challenging myself to learn musically.”
12. “Hip-hop and R&B is mostly what I listen to. I don’t have a connection with punk rock—I just never had that experience.”
13. “We’re always going to remind ourselves of our mistakes and how we do things differently, trying to be a better person or whatever.”
14. “Life is hard and it gets worse and worse and worse.”
15. “I’ve never had a clique. It’s impossible when you’re always traveling.”
16. “I’ve always dressed like a dude.”
17. “I used to want to be a war photographer, and I used to want to be a ballerina and a comedian. I used to want to be a writer. I invalidated myself; it’s a mistake for me.”
18. “I’ve always done things myself. I’ve never bragged or screamed that I produced a record before. I never told anybody.”
19. “I got more guts than brains, and that’s my problem.”
20. “I am human and I make mistakes.”
Photo: Mario Sorrenti) / Shore Fire Media PR
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