Just like Pagliacci did, I try to keep my surface hid. Smiling in the crowd I try, but in a lonely room I cry.

It kills me to see people think that, show business is sex, drugs and rock and roll. And I have what you call a meet and greet. I do it before the show. But when I was doing it after the show especially, there would be people who would come back and said, OK, Smoke, where's the party?

She may be cute, but she's just a substitute.

There's some sad things known to man, but ain't too much sadder than, the tears of a clown when noones around.

My uncle Claude was my favorite uncle he was also my godfather. He and I were really, really close. He used to take me to see cowboy movies all the time when I was a little boy because I loved cowboy movies. He got a cowboy name for me, which was Smokey Joe. So from the time I was three years old if people asked me what my name was I didn't tell them my name was William, I told them my name was Smokey Joe.

Motown will always be a heavy-duty part of my life because those are my roots

The one thing about God that's so beautiful is He is omnipotent, and He is the Almighty. But He's not a dictator.