"I would have been content to just do studio work, making it on my own never really entered my mind"
About this Quote
The context matters. Campbell was a first-call session player in 1960s Los Angeles, part of the Wrecking Crew ecosystem where anonymity was both normal and strategic. Studio labor meant craftsmanship without spotlight, a paycheck tied to precision, and the strange intimacy of building hits that other people would be credited for on the label. Saying he'd have been content there signals a particular kind of confidence: not the self-branding kind, but the competence that doesn't need a narrative arc.
The subtext is also about class and access. "Making it on my own" carries the language of careerism - the dream sold to outsiders looking in. Campbell suggests he wasn't even shopping for that dream; the industry, with its producers and radio machinery, effectively "made" him by recognizing a voice that couldn't stay in the background. The quote lands as both humility and critique: maybe success isn't always the result of willpower theatrics. Sometimes it's the byproduct of being indispensable long before anyone knows your name.
Quote Details
| Topic | Career |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Campbell, Glen. (2026, January 16). I would have been content to just do studio work, making it on my own never really entered my mind. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-would-have-been-content-to-just-do-studio-work-125123/
Chicago Style
Campbell, Glen. "I would have been content to just do studio work, making it on my own never really entered my mind." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-would-have-been-content-to-just-do-studio-work-125123/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I would have been content to just do studio work, making it on my own never really entered my mind." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-would-have-been-content-to-just-do-studio-work-125123/. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.

