A song is such a short form ... that 'the slightest flaw seems like a mountain.' And so every song needs to be revised 'til it's close to perfection... But achieving perfection takes a lot of energy.

By the time I was 22, I was a professional. A young and flawed professional, but not an amateur.

After the Rodgers and Hammerstein revolution, songs became part of the story, as opposed to just entertainments in between comedy scenes.

I prefer neurotic people. I like to hear rumblings beneath the surface.

My parents got divorced and military school gave me a structure. A lot of kids my age were children of divorced parents. They didn't know what to do with the kids.

With videotaping, on the second generation you're already losing some of the freshness.

The more restrictions you have, the easier anything is to write.