For me, the iPhone is harder than reading Faust.

I definitely consider 'Poses' - the whole album in fact - to be kind of a miracle. Like the last breath of that moment when decadence is healthy, 'Poses' encapsulates that feeling. It's a kind of song and a kind of album that I'll never be able to repeat.

A diaper is as inspiring as a drink.

When I wrote the opera, I made a deal with myself that for at least an hour a day I would work on it, even if it meant just sitting on my piano bench, staring into space and thinking about it. It's about keeping it regular, like your bowel movements - let's get real: it's your bodily artistic movements! It comes from the same place.

My cheeks explode when I smile. Thats why I have to look so nonplussed.

Once illness strikes, you realize there's not a lot of time for you to do what you really need to do. And there's no time like the present.

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.