To me, human existence exists on a multiple level, not just on a two-dimensional level, not just having to be identified with what you do and what you say.

It seems to me that in the western world, culture has something to do with appearance. A person that's out creating good stuff has got to appreciate someone when they take the time to have an appearance that goes with what they're doing.

I wasn't so interested in being paid. I wanted to be heard. That's why I'm broke.

I had a really good time in New Orleans, although I had some very tragic times in Baton Rouge. Some guys beat me up and threw my horn away. 'Cause I had a beard, then, and long hair like the Beatles.

Originally, I wanted to be a composer. I always tell people, 'I think of myself as a composer.

It's just someone has labelled us as having a different label to do what you do. I find that labels are the worst thing in the world for artistic expression.

We in the Western world suffer from too many categories and classes; we've forgotten that we all still have diapers on. We've separated music from life.