I've done some things I wish I could erase. . . . I invented mistakes. But the mistakes must be seen in context, and they must be weighed along with the positives.

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate Elvis eleven.

Real success is not on the stage, but off the stage as a human being, and how you get along with your fellow man.

I have a respect for Elvis and my friendship. It ain't my business what he did in private. The only thing I want to know is, 'Was he my friend?', 'Did I enjoy him as a performer?', 'Did he give the world of entertainment something?' - and the answer is YES on all accounts. The other jazz just don't matter.

My mother was born in San Juan. So I'm Puerto Rican, Jewish, colored and married to a white woman. When I move into a neighborhood, people start running four ways at the same time.

Being in public with May and the children was too heavy. I was irreversibly tuned in to everyone around us.

Imitations only better the original.