Miles Davis on the Overly-hip

Miles Davis: People are so gullible - they go for that - they go for something they don’t know about.

Feather: Why do you think they go for it?

Davis: Because they feel it’s not hip not to go for it. But if something sounds terrible, man, a person should have enough respect for his own mind to say it doesn’t sound good. It doesn’t to me, and I’m not going to listen to it. No matter how long you listen to it, it doesn’t sound any good.

Anyone can tell that guy’s not a trumpet player - it’s just notes that come out, and every note he plays, he looks serious about it, and people will go for it - especially white people. They go for anything. They want to be hipper than any other race, and they go for anything ridiculous like that.

via (see also part 2 3 4