If it wasn’t good, I wouldn’t be going back out on tour.

Meaning of the quote

This quote means that Keith Emerson, a British musician, thinks his music is so good that he wants to keep performing it on tour. He's saying he wouldn't keep touring if he didn't believe his music was really great and worth sharing with his fans.

About Keith Emerson

Keith Emerson was an English keyboardist, songwriter, composer, and record producer who found fame with the progressive rock supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer. He was renowned for his technical virtuosity and arrangements of classical music in a rock format, contributing to the success of ELP through the 1970s.

More about the author

More quotes from Keith Emerson

They were keen for me still to play the piano, which I was going to, but 45 minutes of piano would be extremely boring. I like a bit of light and shade.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

Find a good teacher, as I found for my sons. I feel the worst thing you can do is to try and teach your own children yourself, because there is a natural rebellion that occurs.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

I’ve gone through hell and back.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

We can all put weight on or lose weight.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

Since this our first show, I think they’ll see us sweat a lot.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

Next year I’m going to be a guesting soloist with orchestras all over Europe, to start off with.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

I’ve broken my nose, I’ve broken ribs. You name it. In fact, we just got back from South America, and I fell over a monitor speaker on the stage and almost ended up in the front row of the audience. I managed to sprain my wrist on that one but luckily nothing was broken.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

I’m proud of my kids, they are doing what they want to do.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

If they want a photograph, then just take it.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

The best thing about this band is I’m the leader!

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

If it wasn’t good, I wouldn’t be going back out on tour.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

I don’t care who I play to, as long as they enjoy listening to what I play.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

We manage to bounce ideas off one another. Every band fights, but at the end of the day, we’re very positive about the way we fight. At least we come out with a result.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

I’ve never written a book before.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

I love my mother dearly, but it wouldn’t be suitable for me to live with her all the time.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

I had written movie scores, television series, played with other people. Carl had done the same with Asia, with other bands, everything. We weren’t about to entrust Greg automatically with a production credit.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

At the Isle of Wight, the sound went out and kind of kept on going. And I wasn’t… when I came off stage I was kind of unhappy about how we had played. But now, I listen back to those recordings and it’s not bad.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

I consider everything I compose a gift.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

I guess when Rick is finished with his Journey to the Centre of the Earth, then we might have a go at something. We’d like to, we’re open to it, and we’ve been talking about it.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

I remember that I used to mix with my friends who had brothers and sisters. I was an only child.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

There’s a clip where he had someone miming me running around from keyboard to keyboard. Oh dear, I am sure a lot of people didn’t know what he was going on about.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

My sons are into German music, but they are into all kinds of music.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

If you’re a good parent, see the changes that are happening in your kids.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

You’ve got to keep things flying.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

I’m not a rich man, and Greg Lake is certainly not. I don’t know how he can survive. I don’t know how he can be that suicidal. But having said that, I’d love to be there to help Greg.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

I was always playing the Hammond Organ back to front even during the days of the Nice, going back to 1968. Really what I was doing there, was choosing notes at random and trying to make some sense of them, improvising back to front.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

I don’t regard myself as a great classical or jazz pianist. I like country music, but I’m not a great player. I just like music. Drums ‘n’ bass is pretty exciting and I’d love to explore it.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

We’ll be presenting a broad spectrum of the music and looking at how the younger guys can carry it on.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)

If we didn’t do the tour, it would have been disastrous.

Keith Emerson

British recording artist; keyboard player and composer (1944-2016)