There's no shortage of material in life.

I grew up in northern New Jersey - the banlieue of New York - and I now live in Brooklyn. I am separated from my parents by about 50 miles, but really there is almost no distance between us. I speak to them nearly every day.

Some ego is involved because I guess one wants to be perceived as a good clown and one puts one's name on the art; but it's so hard to do anything in life, trapped as we are in our bodies, that is purely selfless for others... somehow the self is always involved.

I don't really recognise success. I don't see myself as on an upwardly mobile trajectory. I see myself as on the edge of a cliff about to fall off.

I promote my own self-hatred.

The reason it's hard for me to tweet is I don't want to pronounce anything, and Twitter is for pronouncing.

I don't laugh that much, but I do like humorous books, and I like to entertain readers that way.