May 1977, I was back in Liverpool forming a band called Big in Japan. At that time, punk rock was at its most potent. But as we struggled to write songs for our new band, I became aware that punk rock was already a formula. If I used certain chords, in a certain order, with a certain attitude, one could mimic the sound of punk rock. But as soon as I did, it sounded rubbish. The instant a music can be defined as a genre and thus copied, it’s dead. Only make music when you don’t know what it is that you’re doing or even trying to do. Apply this commandment to all artforms and remember: don’t join the dots.

From here.

(Bill Drummond is one of the few “heroes” I’ve been afraid to meet, and one of the few who turned out to be exactly as charming and gracious as I could’ve hoped.)

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