Gilberto Gil Quotes

Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira , known professionally as Gilberto Gil , is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture in the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Gil's musical style incorporates an eclectic range of influences, including rock, Brazilian genres including samba, African music, and reggae.

Gil started to play music as a child and was a teenager when he joined his first band. He began his career as a bossa nova musician and grew to write songs that reflected a focus on political awareness and social activism. He was a key figure in the Música popular brasileira and tropicália movements of the 1960s, alongside artists such as longtime collaborator Caetano Veloso. The Brazilian military regime that took power in 1964 saw both Gil and Veloso as a threat, and the two were held for nine months in 1969 before they were told to leave the country. Gil moved to London, but returned to Bahia in 1972 and continued his musical career, as well as working as a politician and environmental advocate. Wikipedia

✵ 26. June 1942

Gilberto Gil: 4 quotes 0 likes

Famous Gilberto Gil Quotes

“Brasília is a weird place but I like being here. I can focus on the job here, there's no city madness and I don't need urban stimulation.”

Gilberto Gil

[Sue, Steward, Minister of cool: part one, http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1066490,00.html, The Observer, Guardian Media Group, 2003-10-19, 2008-03-16]

“Brazil was, is, and will be in fashion.”

Gilberto Gil

[Brazil's Gilberto Gil, minister of cool, http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/americas/09/01/brazil.people.gil.reut/, Reuters via CNN, 2003-09-01, 2008-03-16]

“Like most artists and musicians, I considered myself detached from the political life…but I had an insight that maybe we would have a political contribution to make in the future.”

Gilberto Gil

[Oliver, Burkeman, http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1592188,00.html, Minister of counterculture, The Guardian, Guardian Media Group, 2005-10-14]

“[on the "tropicalization" of intellectual property laws] To make the digital world join in the samba…”

Gilberto Gil

[Dibbell, Julian, 2004, November, We Pledge Allegiance to the Penguin, Wired, 12, 11, http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.11/linux.html, 2008-03-16]