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"54 James McBride Quotes & Sayings

      American     /     View profile
Born: 11 September 1957 | Musician | Writer |
As a journalist, the details always tell the story.
Always Details Journalist Story
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First person narrative is a very effective tool but you have to know as a writer how to make it work.

Effective First First Person How
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If you have the material it will form itself as a kind of connective tissue.

Form Itself Kind Material
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Writing for me is cutting out the fat and getting to the meaning.
Cutting Fat Getting Me
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People don't realize you're blowing over changes, time changes, harmony, different keys. I mark a point in my solo where it's got to peak at point D I go to A, B, C D then I'm home.

Blowing Changes Different Go
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I put headlights in Ford vans. I still drive a Ford.

Drive Ford Headlights Put
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I'm not interested in food. It's just fuel.

Food Fuel Interested Just
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My family is my career.
Career Is My Family
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Be kind to the living.

Be Kind Kind Living To The Living
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I wish all critics, no matter their color, were more sophisticated when it comes to the moral questions a film like 'St. Anna' is trying to raise.

Anna Color Critics Film
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I'd like to do something involving jazz. But books are how I earn my living, and I'd like to stay with the horse I rode in on.

Books Earn Horse How
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It's the same old story. Nothing in this world happens unless white folks says it happens. And therein lies the problem of being a professional black storyteller - writer, musician, filmmaker.

Being Black Filmmaker Folks
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Newt Gingrich wrote a novel, and he's a short story. Bill Clinton wrote a biography, and he's a novel.

Bill Bill Clinton Biography Clinton
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Until you expose the cancer, you can't fix it.
Cancer Expose Fix Until
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The question of religion in black America is something filmmakers don't want to touch.

America Black Black America Filmmakers
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The black church will accept anybody.

Accept Anybody Black Church
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As a writer, you have to be near people and hear stuff. I'm a hamburger and cheese kind of fellow; I'm not Henry David Thoreau.

Cheese David Fellow Hamburger
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Don't get me started on Americans and war. One of the things I learnt over in Italy is how they mythologised the war so that it's all good old gung-ho guys from Omaha and ignored everyone else's role.

American Else Everyone Get
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I just don't see the point in sitting around hollering the blues over things you have no control over. It's all in God's hands.

Around Blues Control God
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If you don't have humor, you're not going to make it. You're going to be one of those people who walks around with your head about to explode.

About Around Explode Going
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People process pain differently. My family, we were pretty humorous about things that went on.
About Differently Family Humorous
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I read more history books than anything else.
Anything Anything Else Books Else
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I'm not one of those who can listen to music and write. I need the door closed. Windows shut. Facing the wall. No birds tweeting, views of nature, and so forth.

Birds Closed Door Facing
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You can't write just anything. Your story needs structure.

Anything Just Needs Story
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I don't like a bunch of writers sitting around, puffing smoke, they like this book, he wrote this - tell me a dirty joke, you know. It's just not my style, I've never been that kind of person.

Around Been Book Bunch
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I can't be a creative person if I'm a celebrity.

Celebrity Creative Creative Person Person
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The hard part about writing about a guy like John Brown is that he was so serious, and his cause was so serious, that most of what's been written about him is really serious and, in my opinion, a little bit boring.

About Been Bit Boring
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I love the language of, you know, the old black country man with a blues guitar and... boots and the quick banter.

Black Blues Boots Country
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James Brown was the Monday-to-Friday guy. He was the hardest man in show business. He was like your dad and your uncle: He showed up, and he hit hard.

Brown Business Dad Guy
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James Brown's music still sounds as fresh and as good and as new as it did when he first created it.

Brown Created Did First
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A band is not a democracy: It's show business.
Band Business Democracy Show
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I type most of my books for the first chapter or two - I use a manual typewriter for the first 50 pages or so - and then I move to the computer. It helps me keep the work lean so I don't end up spending 10 pages describing a leaf.

Books Chapter Computer Describing
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If you can whistle the melody, then the song will stick. But if you need a bunch of machines to make it sound good, you're probably not writing anything that's going to last a long time.

Anything Bunch Going Good
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I split my time between a small town in New Jersey and New York City.

Between City Jersey My Time
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Most of my work is done when everyone else is asleep.
Asleep Done Else Everyone
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I go through periods listening to specific types of music. Because I'm a musician, listening to music is... it's a bit like work for me. A little bit.

Because Bit Go Like
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I grew up in a house with a lot of kids, brothers and sisters. So I don't mind a lot of talking, yelling, playing. I can tune most of that out.

Brothers Brothers And Sisters Grew House
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I don't want to read a book that's depressing.
Book Depressing Read Want
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Historical novels are hard to do for the general public for commercial writers like myself.

Commercial General General Public Hard
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You can't live for literature. You can't live for the job.

Job Literature Live You
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I don't live for my work. My life is my life. That's more important, and I think that helps my work.

Helps I Think Important Life
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All of us want to be Superman when we grow up, fighting for truth and justice. That's part of what drives me as a writer.

Drives Fighting Grow Grow Up
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I'm trying to get Americans to see that we're all pretty much the same. I believe it; I was taught God doesn't have a color. I want to better the planet a little bit.

American Believe Better Bit
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You have to be able to toss the thing out. You can't fall in love with your characters, and you have to know when to fight - and when to quit.

Able Characters Fall Fight
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Spike Lee listens a lot. He's one of the quietest creative people I've ever met.

Creative Creative People Ever He
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Everybody knew James Brown. Every musician dreamed of being in his band.
Band Being Brown Dreamed
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I cannot recall any moment of clarity about becoming a writer. I always liked to read. That's what did it.

About Always Any Becoming
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As far as making a living, if plumbing earned more, I'd probably do it. At least you can leave the job at home once the tools are put away. A writer works in his mind 24/7.

As Far As Away Earned Far
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We're learning a tremendous amount of propaganda from television and the Internet.

Amount Internet Learning Propaganda
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My wife and kids like the quiet and the countryside - I still find that kind of quiet hard to listen to.

Countryside Find Hard Kids
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James McBride Quotes & Sayings