Most people think that I heard Bob Dylan first and got a cap and harmonica. Really, it was Woody Guthrie. He was so influential. Donovan More Quotes by Donovan More Quotes From Donovan A writer without a pen would be like a duck without water! Donovan duck pen like water Publishers and record companies love a broken heart. Donovan broken-heart broken heart love Songwriting is a burst of inspiration and then a long bit of work and a tremendous bit of desperation. Donovan desperation inspiration work long I get plastic nails done in the salon. When I was younger, they were stronger, but now I get my nails built up. Then I can dance over the strings. I say, 'Okay, I need four nails; I'm a guitarist.' Sometimes if I'm in a strange place, the girl says, 'Yeah, all the guys say that.' Donovan place girl dance sometimes On the outskirts of the desert in Yemen, there was a cafe with a jukebox that had 'Sunshine Superman' on it. I loved that. Donovan cafe loved desert sunshine In my time, we didn't know songs could last. All we ever thought of was next Tuesday. You never imagined a future. Donovan thought you future time Celebrities can suffer a horrible loneliness even though they have millions of fans. I started doing meditations because I realized that a spiritual path was necessary. Donovan doing loneliness path spiritual What I needed and actually need is a discipline of tradition, which is lacking in our civilization. Discipline of tradition and the ceremony of humbleness. Donovan our need tradition discipline I can't save the world, but if I can share some ideas, people might be able to save themselves. Donovan i-can people world ideas I have amassed an enormous amount of songs about every particular condition of humankind - children's songs, marriage songs, death songs, love songs, epic songs, mystical songs, songs of leaving, songs of meeting, songs of wonder. I pretty much have got a song for every occasion. Donovan marriage love death children Having had polio never held me back as I got older. Although having one leg smaller than the other isn't much fun, I could always get about without any trouble. Luckily, in the music industry, everyone was only interested in my singing and playing and not the size of my legs. Donovan me singing music fun I was a virtuoso of all the folk-blues guitar styles by the time I reached 17. Donovan reached by-the-time guitar time Bohemia isn't somewhere an artist runs to escape society. It's a place where like-minded artists gather to plot the downfall of dogma and ignorance. Donovan place society ignorance artist I can't help it: when something strikes me, I write it down. Donovan help down something me My dad would always ask, 'How's the money?' but I was never interested. Millions came and went, stolen by the robbers in the music industry. But as someone said, 'You'll never be poor as long as you can pick up a guitar.' Donovan you guitar music money When the mid-'70s came around, it looked like, 'Oh-oh, here come the punks.' But if you look closely at The Who and The Kinks, the anger and the frustration is there... There is, within me, just the same social discontent as I go through my career. But to be typecast as a singer of peace and love is fine. Donovan me anger love peace I wasn't perfect, although during the '60s, I may have appeared to be. After all, I was partying away there for awhile. From age 17 to 25, I worked only on the outer man, and I did pretty well, but I needed to go back and work on the inside. Donovan man age perfect work The Faces are my old chums. We used to hang out. Donovan hang old out used Honors and awards are very interesting, and I truly accept them. I have very high regard for what they mean. What they mean is that they're pointing to the work. Donovan high accept awards work I have always just experimented, and I come from a very ancient, acoustic root. It was very hard to put a finger on me. Donovan just me always hard
