There's damsels in distress out there, and we got all this beer.

Maybe roll in the sand with a rock and roll man.

I've always found drugs and alcohol somewhat pedestrian. It's like, I don't need an external agent to open my mind. I'm here, conscious, alert, present. Why would I alter that?

And I wound up in New Orleans for all those years and it was a great place, really a catalyst creatively.

[Writing] is edit, edit, edit. It's almost like getting a boat ready to go to sea. You've still got a countless number of things left to fix, but you've just got to go, "O.K., everybody get on the boat. We're going, ready or not."

If it doesn't work out there will never be any doubt that the pleasure was worth all the pain.

Sail the main course in a simple sturdy craft. Keep her well stocked with short stories and long laughs. Go fast enough to get there but slow enough to see. Moderation seems to be the key.