Admittedly, most of my exposure to Ribot was through his excellent Cuban-inspired albums. Once I got a hold of his latest Ceramic Dog album I was really surprised how much Ribot can Rock.

My favorite quote from the interview:

As great and meaningful as your influences are, they do change you. Do you feel like when you head back towards more of a “beginner’s mind,” influences could sometimes be a burden?

Like I say, “It’s always revealing.” [laughs]. I don’t think that you can go back per se. The obstructing angel guards the gate of the Garden of Eden and it guards the way back to high school, too. It’s not a simple process to become naive again. In other words, I don’t think I could be Arto Lindsay. I never thought I could be Arto Lindsay after I’d already learned how to play music. But, what I could be was someone who was smart enough to understand why Arto’s playing was great. I could be someone who valued that. Just because I know how to play all of this stuff doesn’t mean I have to be a muso.

Marc Ribot: A Rocker in Disguise