Who would want to break into [the music business]? It's like a bank that's already been robbed.

People become who they are. Even Beethoven became Beethoven.

I'm pretty proud of my film music in general.

You've got troubles, I've got 'em too. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you. We'll stick together to see it through cause you've got a friend in me.

I have owned and played a Steinway all my life. It's the best Beethoven piano. The best Chopin piano. And the best Ray Charles piano. I like it, too.

I sit here in this chair, I pour myself some whiskey, and watch my troubles vanish into the air.

More of my songs are intended to be funny than almost anyone else. Sometimes maybe it cheers me up a bit. I've got a distance from it. Sometimes what I'm writing is more important to me than the rest of my life. It's more important to me that I'm writing well than anything else.