Historic Quotes from Peter Gabriel

- from assorted sources.

'My life has changed since I started using Genesis' [in hard-sell commercial-type voice] - New York Dec. '72.

'But I do like to have the detail there so that if anyone did want to spend their life rooting around the lyrics, and it would be like a little paper chase for them, you know, very unnecessary but great fun' - UK interview 3/73.

'We went to this agent's office when we were trying to get off the ground, and he sat us down very seriously and said: "I suggest you give up" - I've been very angry about that ever since' - UK tour prog 10/73.

'The only trouble with our music is that just as we seem to be solvent we come up with more ideas for the stage show, and all the money disappears again' - UK tour prog 10/73.

On the 'Selling England' artwork: 'It was drawn by Betty Swanwick, a very fine lady whose paintings we saw at an exhibition and thought "that's nice". She lived down in the country at Wadhurst at the time, although she's moved now to Greenwich. She's a lady of about 50-ish and going down to meet her at first was like entering the world of Lewis Carrol. For instance she has a parrot and when she hears her parrot laugh she will also burst into laughter even while you're talking to her. They had a chorus going between each other. It all happened in the middle of a conversation and then gradually you get into the way of things. Also she suddenly asked me to change seats while we were talking. The song "I Know What I Like" was written around her painting. At first she was not sure that she would wish to paint something for a pop group, but after she'd heard some of our music she agreed. This is the first song we've written like this, in that the subject was presented to us first, but I think it's worked out quite well' - Zig Zag interview 10/73.

'I used to try do some sort of mime - mime is a very grand word for waving the arms in a fashion. I would wave my hands to give some idea of what I was trying to sing about. The fox mask was the first time I actually took on a costume and tried to act out a character. It sort of went on from there' - US interview 3/74.

Typed up by Thomas Holter, from GENESIS MAGAZINE No: 12, July 1979.