Do I wear a helmet? Ugh. I do when I'm riding through a precarious part of town, meaning Midtown traffic. But when I'm riding on secure protected lanes or on the paths that run along the Hudson or through Central Park - no, I don't wear the dreaded helmet then.

A lot of cities are making a real effort, neighborhood by neighborhood, to make themselves into a place where life can be pretty good.

Suburban houses and tin sheds are often the objects of ridicule.

We live in ugly times.

The imminent demise of the large record companies as gatekeepers of the world's popular music is a good thing, for the most part.

Deep down, I know I have this intuition or instinct that a lot of creative people have, that their demons are also what make them create.

To some extent I happily don't know what I'm doing. I feel that it's an artist's responsibility to trust that.