Rick Wakeman Quotes

I was born in 1949 - which seems like a long time ago... Actually, it is a long time ago, when I think about it.

The studio is not the place to write. You need to be 75% ready when you go into the studio, and then the music can develop to the next stage.

All my early attempts at writing helped me to slowly develop a style and a way of writing that worked within the way I was developing as a player.

People like Frank Zappa were amazing for us Brits.

Actually, I only left twice. I left then, and then rejoined literally two years later for Going For The One.

I`ve been married three times and divorced three times.

My earliest professional musical experiences were really as a session player, and every day was an adventure. Three sessions a day, every day, and you never knew who you would be working with until you arrived at the studio.

Country and western is the music of the devil. That`s the real truth of the matter. My late Mother, bless her, loved country and western. God, I couldn`t handle it.

I`m not saying I went on stage drunk, but once you`ve gone completely clear headed, basically the music is your stimulant rather than anything else.

I`m always writing or playing because that is my life.

My faith is very private to me. It plays an important part in my life, but I do not try and throw my beliefs at others. I have tremendous respect for all faiths and beliefs, but have a deep concern that religion and faith are currently a long way apart from each other.

Coming back to Yes is like never having left. Even when I have not been in the band, I have always felt part of it.

Sunday`s were musical evenings, as we didn`t have a television in the early fifties. My uncle Stan would come over and play the ukulele as well.

I read numerous books - loads in fact - and, as I always do when recording a historical project, immersed myself into the subject matter. I spent many hours at Henry`s old homes, such as Hampton Court, and visiting the Tower of London. I read no other books during that period.

But I listen to live recordings of things that I did back in the `70s and then how I`ve done things since. And there`s no doubt about it: if I compare the two, it`s like chalk and cheese.

I always say that it`s about breaking the rules. But the secret of breaking rules in a way that works is understanding what the rules are in the first place.

When I die, I`ll probably climb out of the coffin and play the organ at my own funeral!

As a songwriter, I was influenced by David Bowie - a great writer. A class above everybody in so many ways. Lennon and McCartney, of course. Class stuff. David Cousins was my favorite lyricist.

I have done quite a diverse amount of music, and some were not always of my choosing - although I always give it my best professional attention.

But I`d play on everything from pop records to a lot of the glam stuff to rock stuff to classical stuff. I used to get called to do all those things, it was great.

Even the two times that I left, I never really felt like I left the band. It`s very bizarre. It`s like there`s sort of an umbilical cord that stretches between us spiritually.

My life revolves around music and always will. I need to be a part of music and not an observer.

I like Toronto a lot, it`s a good city. The only thing that really annoys me about Toronto is that you`re turning Maple Leaf Gardens into a grocery store, which is absolutely nothing short of disgusting.