We did not get any money from the early records. It was all taken by crooked managers. It is just a gangster's paradise.

I play music a lot but on my own mostly, so it was nice to be around other people. There was a certain sense a relief in the physical act of just playing and being with other musicians.

I consider myself a sit-down comedian really, as much as anything else. I love comedy. Life is a cosmic joke.

People have habits about what they think songs should be like. There's the folky thing of: "Poor me, I'm a sensitive person in a cruel world." Or the pop thing of: "Hey, look at me, I'm sexy."

I prefer the mystic clouds of nostalgia to the real thing, to be honest.

I know people who grow old and bitter. I want to keep making a fresh start. I don't want them to defeat me. That would be suicidal.

The most effective instruments do have a vocal quality.