But now old friends are acting strange They shake their heads, they say I've changed Well something's lost, but something's gained In living every day

When I began experimenting, people weren't ready for it. Once it's in its second and third generational stages, people can accept it.

It's in my stars to invent; I was born on Madame Curie's birthday. I have this need for originals, for innovation. That's why I like Charlie Parker.

In terms of fiction, I'd rather go out and have a good time than read a book about someone having a good or bad time.

There's a man who's been out sailing In a decade full of dreams And he takes her to a schooner And he treats her like a queen Bearing beads from California With their amber stones and green He has called her from the harbor He has kissed her with his freedom He has heard her off to starboard In the breaking and the breathing Of the water weeds While she was busy being free

Rachmaninoff made a musician out of me. His 'Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini' was the piece that sent me into raptures. It spoke to me. To me, it was a tender entreaty for the misunderstood.

My individual, psychological descent coincided, ironically, with my ascent into the public eye.