I think that most writers who wait until they’re inspired to write are just waiting for the fear to subside. – Barry Mann
I think if one wants to be in a continual state of insanity one should stay married to that writing partner. – Barry Mann
The real danger of writing a great song when you’re on something is that it might get you thinking that the only way to repeat that is by only writing when you’re high. – Barry Mann
It’s very hard to teach someone how to write a song if to begin with there’s no creative crop to harvest. – Barry Mann
You have certain writing tools but generally creating something from nothing makes one quite mad and Cynthia and I are quite mad you know. – Barry Mann
I also used to work in the Catskill Mountains as a bus boy, and I performed in talent shows. – Barry Mann
I get a different kind of lyric from someone else that might make me go in a different musical direction. – Barry Mann
There’s so much fear involved in trying to do something you don’t know how to do that drugs and alcohol can become a big part of your life if you have an addictive personality or are very unsure, which most songwriters are. – Barry Mann
If we were the team that won out, then life was good and we felt that we were worth something. – Barry Mann
Cynthia’s lyrics always expressed the feelings people felt but they couldn’t express themselves. – Barry Mann
I looked through our catalog year by year, and I saw that there were pockets of time when we wrote some terrific songs. Then all of a sudden, we’d go for another two or three months and there weren’t great songs. – Barry Mann
If I waited for inspiration every time I sat down to write a song I probably would be a plumber today. – Barry Mann
A guitar riff played on a piano doesn’t come close to the purity of it being played on a guitar but I faked it enough to get by. – Barry Mann
One other thing, if it’s possible, as songwriters, you should also develop yourself as record producers. – Barry Mann