I'm always storing away phrases and ideas and things that I think might turn into songs.

I was taking chemical engineering. But I went into the army after that. When I came out of the army, I was a different person. I met a lot of good jazz players in the army.

The idea was I'd never amount to anything in music, The theme there was that I was talented, but I wouldn't work hard enough to do anything with it.

And Lennie Tristano I like a lot, I still like him.

I didn't feel anything [frustraiting]. I just kept working 110 or 120 nights a year.

I'm happy whenever anybody does my material. I don't care what they do with it. I do what I want to with other people's songs.

Everybody cryin' mercy / When they don't know the meaning of the word.