When I got hoarse, the manager would say, 'Drink this. Joplin used to drink this,' and I used to say, 'Joplin? Joplin's dead

Men and women are different. I don't think men grow a brain until 26 or even 30. Girls mature a lot quicker.

I learned jazz; that comes from blues. I learned rock; that comes from blues. I learned pop; that comes from blues. Even dance, that comes from blues, with the answer-and-response.

Humour is a great vehicle for getting a message across. If you get too serious, you could die of starch.

You can laugh when I talk, but not when I sing.

I have never been prouder to be a lifelong New Yorker than I am today with the passage of marriage equality.

When I sing I don't feel like it's me. I feel I am fabulous, like I'm 10 feet tall. I am the greatest. I am the strongest. I am Samson. I'm whoever I want to be.