In the music business, to survive for so long, you have to be able to cut off from your emotions sometimes. And being a father, you're faced with that situation. I know that my father was, with me. I understand why he had to be distant, because to rip yourself away, time after time, is almost more devastating.

I very much faced my mother's death with hard, arduous and time-consuming labor. The more I would do, the less I would feel.

I knew I was gay when I was around 13. There wasn't the internet, there weren't support groups, AIDS was everywhere. I mean, it was really dark.

I'm hyper light-sensitive and must sleep in the equivalent of a sealed tomb.

I find so many songwriters today are missing an element ... either the production is amazing but the songs aren't, or it's the other way around.

I think the minute you mention death, people run for the hills - unless it's heavy metal. People do not like death.

Premiering a new opera is probably one of the hardest things in the world to do, and opening nights of any opera are always pretty stressful.