The people I admire are those who keep on producing and working and going on.

We disagree heavily on abortion [with Margot Hentoff].

Bill Clinton outshines John Adams in that regard.

This book, "Speaking Freely," starts when I came to New York. And the first chapter is about a man who became a friend of mine, much to our mutual surprise, Malcolm X.

I was very much against the Vietnam War, and Max Askeli was visiting Lyndon Johnson in the White House cheering him on, writing editorials. And in The Voice one day I once referred to him as Commander Askeli. And I called in to The Reporter to go over the galleys of a music piece I had written, and the editor whispered to me, `It's not gonna run. You're not gonna run. Max Askeli has fired you because of what you said about him.'

There are enough people who are starting to be actively involved that we can turn things around. And we need to encourage others to become involved.

I met [my wife Margot] on Fire Island when I had a house there many years ago.