Songwriting as an art is a bit archaic now. Just writing a song is not good enough.

I'd rather stay here with all the madmen than perish with the sadmen roaming free.

Style is about the choices you make to create the aspects of civilization that you wish to uphold. I will buy a chair for my house. What style of chair are you gonna buy? Everything we look at and choose is some way of expressing how we want to be perceived. I mean, why bother choosing a chair because it looks a certain way? Because there's gonna be something about that chair that says something about you.

It was like treading water all through the '60s, and when 1970 kicked in, I thought "We're here. Right." God, this is exciting. I'm going to go for it now. I really felt it was my time. Then Marc Bolan did it first. That really pissed me off.

I realized the other day that I've lived in New York longer than I've lived anywhere else. It's amazing: I am a New Yorker. It's strange; I never thought I would be.

I don't mind trying it out and making sure something seems to work well.

And these children that you spit on as they try to change their worlds are immune to your consultations. They're quite aware of what they're going through.