This Is What It Sounds Like – Questions and Answers

This page provides 15 in-depth questions and answers about This Is What It Sounds Like by Susan Rogers and Ogi Ogas, grounded in the book's evidence.

1. Why did Susan Rogers leave the Led Zeppelin concert early and what vow did she make?

She left halfway because her jealous husband enforced a 10:30 curfew. Feeling powerless, she vowed in the Forum rafters to return one day as a sound mixer. That impossible promise ignited her escape from an unhappy marriage and her eventual career as Prince's engineer.

Evidence context: In Chapter 2 (Overture) Rogers describes the abusive marriage, the Led Zeppelin concert, and the vow. This event is the catalyst for her transformation. More on her journey can be found on the Susan Rogers character page.

2. How did a Sly & the Family Stone song change Susan's professional relationship with Prince?

While arriving at Prince's house, she played "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" loudly. Prince sang along through the intercom, recognizing they "lived on the same street." This moment of shared taste prompted him to invite her into the engineer's chair, although she had no recording experience.

Evidence context: The Overture chapter recounts this scene. The shared musical taste was the cause; Prince's trust in her listening ability was the consequence. It led to her role on Purple Rain. Learn more about Prince on the Prince character page.

3. What was the emotional significance of Susan thanking Prince at the Forum?

During the Purple Rain tour, she privately told Prince about her Led Zeppelin vow and thanked him. He smiled broadly, revealing genuine joy. This rare personal exchange deepened their bond beyond the usual professional distance, marking one of their most resonant moments.

Evidence context: Overture details this scene. It shows the human connection behind the career achievement, and how Prince, usually poker-faced, lowered his guard. The Prince character page offers more context.

4. How did Miles Davis's "some of the best musicians I know aren't musicians" reshape Susan's view of listening?

The comment liberated her from feeling inferior as a non‑performer. It implied that active listening is as vital as performing. Over time she saw listeners as co‑creators who complete the musical experience, a concept central to the book's thesis.

Evidence context: In the Overture, Miles Davis delivers this line after a verbal improv session. It took years to fully sink in, but it transformed her perspective on the value of listening. Visit the Miles Davis character page for more.

5. What does Tommy Jordan's epigraph in Chapter 1 reveal about the book's view of authenticity?

"The wrong note played with gusto always sounds better than the right note played timidly" asserts that emotional commitment beats technical perfection. Authenticity is audible risk-taking and human vulnerability, not flawlessness. This frames the first listening dimension.

Evidence context: Chapter 1 epigraph. The concept of "gusto" becomes a trait of authentic expression. See the authenticity in musical expression theme page for further discussion.

6. How does Bob Dylan's lyric in Chapter 3 illustrate the novelty dimension?

Dylan's "my right hand drawing back while my left hand advances" captures the tension between safety and adventure. Novelty seekers crave the "advancing" surprise; others prefer the "drawing back" comfort. This dynamic defines a listener's novelty sweet spot.

Evidence context: Chapter 3 epigraph from "Angelina." The chapter discusses risk‑reward in music and how listeners differ in tolerance for surprise. The novelty and risk-taking theme page expands on this.

7. Why does the book open Chapter 4 with Leonard Bernstein's question about melody?

Bernstein asked, "Isn't any string of notes a melody?" challenging a common assumption. The book uses this to argue that true melody requires perceptual unity and emotional resonance. It prompts readers to examine what makes a sequence feel "melodic."

Evidence context: Chapter 4 epigraph. The chapter examines melody as the primary carrier of musical feeling. The emotional power of melody and rhythm theme page explores this further.

8. How does Bono's epigraph in Chapter 5 challenge authorial intent?

Bono says songs often mean what listeners need them to mean, not what artists intended. This supports the book's concept of co‑creation: listeners interpret lyrics through their own identities. Meaning‑making shifts from artist to listener, emphasizing listener agency.

Evidence context: Chapter 5 epigraph. The chapter argues that listening is an active, co‑creative act. The co‑creation of meaning between artist and listener theme page delves into this idea.

9. What does Sam Phillips's advice "Don't listen to the music on the record. Listen to the rhythm" emphasize?

It directs attention to the underlying pulse often ignored in favor of melody or lyrics. Rhythm is the skeleton of a song; conscious focus on it can change the listening experience. This aligns with the book's rhythm dimension.

Evidence context: Chapter 6 epigraph. The chapter likely explores how rhythm drives emotional and physical responses. The emotional power of melody and rhythm theme page provides more context.

10. How does the Shakespeare quote about voice in Chapter 7 relate to timbre and gender?

"Her voice was ever soft, gentle, and low—an excellent thing in woman" associates specific vocal qualities with femininity. Timbre is the attribute that distinguishes voices and instruments. The quote suggests society evaluates sound based on gender, shaping how we hear.

Evidence context: Chapter 7 epigraph from King Lear. The chapter focuses on timbre's evocative power and vocal quality.

11. Why does Susan stress that listening is active, not passive?

She argues that listeners close the creative circle; music cannot exist without perception and reaction. Active listening requires curiosity, effort, and love. This distinguishes her framework from mere hearing and gives listeners agency in the musical experience.

Evidence context: Overture provides this distinction. It is a core premise for the listener profile introduced in the book. The listener profile and self-discovery theme page develops this concept.

12. What is the "third ear" concept in Chapter 8, and how does it serve form and function?

The third ear is a producer's ability to hear from the audience's perspective. It guides choices of arrangement and mix so that formal elements serve the song's emotional or practical purpose. Rick Hall's isolationist perfectionism exemplifies this fusion of form and function.

Evidence context: Chapter 8 discusses form and function. The third ear synthesizes earlier dimensions into a purposeful whole. See the Rick Hall character page for more on his process.

13. How do Susan and Ogi's guilty pleasures in the Coda reveal their listener profiles?

Susan admitted to REO Speedwagon's "One Lonely Night" (sentimental pop ballad); Ogi chose "Cool Water" by Tim Blake Nelson (cowboy song). Despite opposite tastes, both loved cowboy music—Gene Autry, Sons of the Pioneers—showing that shared pleasure can emerge beyond their profiles.

Evidence context: Coda record pull. This demonstrates that listener profiles are not totalizing; unexpected common ground exists. The listener profile theme page discusses how profiles shape but do not dictate taste.

14. Why does the book conclude that music is ultimately a form of sharing?

After exploring seven dimensions, the Coda shows that two very different listeners can be united by cowboy music. Music creates connections that run deeper than words. The act of sharing completes the musical experience, making it relational rather than solitary.

Evidence context: Final paragraphs of the Coda. This is the book's emotional payoff, emphasizing that music requires both performer and listener to exist. The co-creation theme page expands on this idea.

15. How does the "rare bird" concept apply to both Prince and Susan in the Overture?

Prince was a genre-bending outsider; Susan was one of very few female audio technicians. Both were "rare birds" willing to relocate to Minneapolis. Their shared outsider status fostered mutual understanding and enabled their collaboration on Purple Rain.

Evidence context: Overture describes both as rare birds. This concept of being an eclectic outsider helps explain why Prince trusted her listening. Learn more about Prince on his character page and about Susan on hers.