When you've only got few days of rehearsal before you're in the studio, it's wonderful to start off with people that you have good, friendly, tolerable relationships to start with, for the simple reason that you don't have to spend 24 hours figuring out how sensitive they are, and can you give them a line reading, or how do you have to give them direction.

Now most people do not want an ordinary life in which they do a job well, earn the respect of their collaborators and competitors, bring up a family and have friends. That's not enough any more, and I think that is absolutely tragic - and I'm not exaggerating - that people feel like a decent, ordinary, fun life is no longer enough.

Most of the bad taste I've been accused of has been generic bad taste; it's been making fun of an idea as opposed to a person.

What is absurd is not the teachings of the founders of religion, it's what followers subsequently make of it.

You have to create boundaries of space and then you have to create boundaries of time.

Always start where the energy is.

It's not the despair, Laura. I can take the despair. It's the hope I can't stand.