Quotes from Jim Carroll

Does each song, he wondered, have a certain time and place-beyond the subjective aspects of technique and talent-when it is perfectly played by the performer, or perfectly received by the listener? If so, he wondered, what if by some huge cosmic coincidence both occurred simultaneously? He felt he had just witnessed such a phenomenon. Could the same process occur with other art forms?

You have to retrace your steps and see how you got to where you are, the bird said sarcastically, which, I might add, is a pretty pathetic situation.