Rick Wakeman

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

— Rick Wakeman

#going #i #later #left #literally

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. ↗

— Rick Wakeman

#bowie #class #course #cousins #david

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. ↗

— Rick Wakeman

#back #chalk #cheese #compare #did

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. ↗

— Rick Wakeman

#classical #everything #get #glam #great

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. ↗

— Rick Wakeman

#back #band #been #coming #even

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. ↗

— Rick Wakeman

#country #devil #god #handle #her

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. ↗

— Rick Wakeman

#between #bizarre #cord #even #felt

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. ↗

— Rick Wakeman

#always #breaking #first #i #i always

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

— Rick Wakeman

#actually #ago #born #i #i think

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

— Rick Wakeman

#because #i #life #my life #playing