My most persistent memory of stand - up is of my mouth being in the present and my mind being in the future: the mouth speaking the line, the body delivering the gesture, while the mind looks back, observing, analyzing, judging, worrying, and then deciding when and what to say next. Enjoyment while performing was rare - enjoyment would have been an indulgent loss of focus that comedy cannot afford.

I just believe that the interesting time in a career is pre-success, what shaped things, how did you get to this point.

Chaos in the midst of chaos isn't funny, but chaos in the midst of order is.

I think films are about having a good time, so I don't know that there's a message. The message of a film is always what a critic writes, and the fun of a film or the emotion of a film is what the audience feels.

The Apple Pie Hubbub was a significant novel for me, because that's when I first started using verbs.

I really enjoy finding the right word, creating a good, flowing sentence. I enjoy the rhythm of the words.

I'm the leader of the platoon and I run gambling and lotteries, dances and I sell beer illegally. I'm a con man and I'm thoroughly lovable.