The artist does not have to suffer to show suffering.

The nervous system functions in a fourth, unique way, as different as dreaming is from sleeping as sleeping is from waking. When you transcend, it's the only experience that lights the full brain on an EEG machine. It's the only experience that utilizes the full brain.

I've said many, many, many unkind things about Philadelphia, and I meant every one.

I just like going into strange worlds.

Death in my mind isn't a finality. There's a continuum: It's like at night, you go to sleep and in the daytime you wake up, or whenever you wake up, and it's a new day.

Music has fed me a lot of ideas... The film BLUE VELVET came out of Bobby Vinton's version of the song BLUE VELVET.

I don't think it was pain that made [Vincent Van Gogh] great - I think his painting brought him whatever happiness he had.