"As I grew up, I was interested in other areas, too, especially literature. It became a major love of mine. Later, it became a difficult choice for me as to whether to major in music or literature. It wasn't until my 30s that I began a profession in music"
About this Quote
Glazer’s confession isn’t a humblebrag about being multi-talented; it’s a quiet demolition of the myth that artists are supposed to “know” early. The line that lands hardest is the last one: not until his 30s did music become a profession. In a culture addicted to prodigies and origin stories, he offers something more useful and rarer: a timeline built on detours.
The intent feels almost corrective. He’s naming literature not as a hobby but as a serious rival love, the kind that forces a choice. That’s the subtext: creative identity is often negotiated, not discovered. The phrase “difficult choice” gives away the emotional cost - not indecision as weakness, but as evidence that both paths mattered. He’s also implicitly separating “music” from “profession,” suggesting that the art can exist long before the career does, and that delaying monetization isn’t failure.
Context matters here. Glazer came of age during the Depression and entered adulthood during World War II, years when stability wasn’t a given and the arts weren’t a safe bet. His later association with folk and children’s music sits neatly with this backstory: folk culture values the long apprenticeship, the community circuit, the idea that songs ripen through living.
What makes the quote work is its calm refusal to dramatize. It treats the late start as normal, even healthy. That understatement reads like permission: you can take your time, and still arrive.
The intent feels almost corrective. He’s naming literature not as a hobby but as a serious rival love, the kind that forces a choice. That’s the subtext: creative identity is often negotiated, not discovered. The phrase “difficult choice” gives away the emotional cost - not indecision as weakness, but as evidence that both paths mattered. He’s also implicitly separating “music” from “profession,” suggesting that the art can exist long before the career does, and that delaying monetization isn’t failure.
Context matters here. Glazer came of age during the Depression and entered adulthood during World War II, years when stability wasn’t a given and the arts weren’t a safe bet. His later association with folk and children’s music sits neatly with this backstory: folk culture values the long apprenticeship, the community circuit, the idea that songs ripen through living.
What makes the quote work is its calm refusal to dramatize. It treats the late start as normal, even healthy. That understatement reads like permission: you can take your time, and still arrive.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
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