I used to say, for me, writing was like walking a high wire, and heroin made me forget there was no net. Which is a fancy way of saying dope made me forget how shitty I felt for being on dope.

How do you write when you're not miserable? The solution, of course, is to make yourself miserable about not writing.

You may think you don't want to throw your life away for mere fleeting euphoria. But, once you get a taste, it doesn't feel so mere. From then on the planet becomes a waiting room. The rest of your life devolves to no more than the time between highs.

My own theory is that people are just so desperate for somebody they can feel better than, in America. Now that everyone's going broke and working 17 jobs - if they have one at all - at least they can look at these guys behind bars and think, "At least I get to wear my own clothes to work."

It's not like I was an alkie or anything. Alcohol is for cleaning needles

Creativity is the opposite of TV

The art and act of writing - speaking just for myself - involves getting your proverbial ass in the proverbial chair.