Time & Perspective Quote by Mose Allison

Deadpan is doing a lot of heavy lifting here: a jazz musician, long mythologized as the smoky-club virtuoso, calmly admitting that what’s keeping him afloat is a regular restaurant gig at Pizza Express in London. Mose Allison’s line lands because it punctures the romance the culture sells about “serious” artists. He doesn’t posture, he doesn’t complain. He just reports the economics with the same cool minimalism that made his songs bite.

The specific intent is practical and slightly mischievous: yes, he still does concerts; no, that doesn’t necessarily pay the bills. The subtext is sharper. In the late-20th-century music economy, even respected musicians often survive through residencies and side doors, not grand tours. Saying “I’m being helped a lot” reframes the gig as lifeline, not prestige. And naming “Pizza Express” makes the contrast unavoidable: the everyday chain becomes the patron, replacing the aristocratic benefactor or the legendary jazz club.

Context matters: PizzaExpress Jazz Club in Soho has long hosted serious players, but the brand name still carries a faint comic deflation. Allison leverages that. It’s a subtle critique of a market that applauds artistry while outsourcing its support to casual dining. The line also protects his dignity: by owning the absurdity, he stays in control of the narrative. That’s classic Allison - wry, unsentimental, and quietly indicting.