Word

SG: What advice do you have for girls who wanna learn how to play guitar and write songs?

Chan: My advice is to go to a guitar store and get a flamenco-style acoustic guitar—they’re usually cheap—or just a cheap electric guitar. Or, you know, go get a casio keyboard or beg your parent to get a piano. Actually, you can often rent a piano for about 25 bucks and once a month they will come by your house and tune it. You know, get some instrument and stash it in your basement or whatever….and then whenever you have that feeling like….like, I want to paint or I want to make something, like, a purse, or I want to cut my t-shirts up and make a new outfit or I want to call my friend Susan and do something, but I don’t just want to go to the mall or hang out in the park, I want to do SOMETHING. Whenever you have that feeling, then go to the instrument of choice or get a pencil to write or steal your parent’s video camera and make a short film—whatever it is, just go to that thing and do it. Whether it’s once a month or after school or before you go to sleep, just make something or create something…and let it be just for you. Don’t ever listen to what anybody says about what you’re doing. I never let anybody teach me how to play guitar because I never wanted to play like anybody else. Just as long as you’re being creative and not getting wasted or doing drugs or just hanging out with dudes because they are in a band and seem cool, but they are really just trying to sleep with you or whatever….as long as you are making music or making art for yourself and for the sake of doing something good in the world—not to get famous or rich to date the cool guy or girl—then you’ll never fail. Even if you don’t become famous, you’ll still have given yourself something really important.

Excerpt from Chan Marshall interview via Soundgirl.

-Amanda