American sex is generally straight. It happens at 11 o'clock Saturday night. In the rural areas, it happens at nine and it happens pretty fast. Got to get up the next morning, especially if there're kids. Can't make noise, either, wake the kids.

I started with [Leo] Tolstoy and I was overwhelmed. Tolstoy writes like an ocean, in huge, rolling waves, and it doesn't look like it was processed through his thinking. It feels very natural. You don't question whether Tolstoy's right or wrong. His philosophy is housed in interrelating characters, so it's not up for grabs.

I know how to make it a great musical. I've got to. It's like I've got to see it on stage.

I was out in the combat engineers. We would throw up bridges in advance of the infantry but mainly we would just throw up.

I don't know what to say so I'll just say what's in my heart...badoom, badoom, badoom.

As far as songwriters, I've always been a fan of Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and George Gershwin; those guys mean a lot to me.

As long as the world is turning and spinning, we're gonna be dizzy and we're gonna make mistakes.