Top 81 Quotes & Sayings by Gilbert O'Sullivan - Page 2

It's all very well making records, but the joy of performing is that you get to meet people who give you instant feedback.

What I can't understand is why people still won't give me the credibility that I look for. If Mojo or any other of those magazines would give me the credit for only ever performing my own songs rather than someone like Rod Stewart singing other people's songs looking for success.

I have quite a strong self-belief.

I didn't come into the music business to make money. I came into it to be a success. Of course, if you're successful, you'll earn money and I was happy to receive it.

When it comes to my songs I'm confident. Back in 1967, I would go to a publisher's office, and tell them they just had to listen to my music.

I must be the only artist whose image was hated by everybody.

Lennon and McCartney became great songwriters because they were prepared to listen to and learn from all types of music.

I was one of six children, brought up by my mother in Swindon after my father died. We had all we needed - food on the table, clothes to wear. When I wanted a drum kit, my mother got me one. When I got into playing guitar, I came down one Christmas or birthday and there was a guitar for me. It amazes me how Mum managed to do it.

Some artists say 'Don't categorize me.' I'm saying 'You can't categorize me.'

Doing the Best I Can' is a sure fire hit. Incredibly commercial. But what could you say about it? Catchy and good to dance to. But 'Nothing Rhymes' is different. A much bigger risk but it was lyrics people could talk about. So that was the one to launch me on.

My motto is, 'You may not be as good as you think you are, but thinking you are is good.'

I've only recorded my own songs. I don't consider myself a great singer, so I wouldn't be comfortable interpreting other people's songs.

I'm basically as shy a person as I was when I once worked in an office in London in the late Sixties. I like my own company. I didn't need a lot of friends.

The measure of success was writing a song, recording it and for it being in the hit parade in England. Success was about the postman walking up the garden whistling my song. I wasn't trying to conquer the world.

The way I do that is to keep coming up with good songs and when I do a concert, I make sure I give a good performance. It's not rocket science.

I couldn't live without tea. I have two cups in the morning, one at lunch, two in the afternoon and one in the evening - Assam with milk and sugar. It has to be leaf tea - no bags - and drunk from a china cup.

I love writing and I just sit at my keyboard and write.

I always tell people that I went through long hair. I was a typical art school scruff. It was good then.

I was a big fan of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.

As you get older you lose interest in what you hear on the radio. But you can't be like that, you have to enjoy what's going on.

When the magazines talk about artists they talk about the Paul McCartneys, the Paul Simons, they never talk about me. So their readers and contemporary artists are never going to check me out because they're not reading about me.