Talent is the ability to say things well, but genius is the ability to, well, say things.

The banjo is such a happy instrument--you can't play a sad song on the banjo - it always comes out so cheerful.

I always think back to my high school days and realize all the people who were so popular then are nowhere now and all the people who were steadfast and steady-going are somewhere. So high school doesn't necessarily translate to later in life.

Working at the magic shop really gave me a sense of comedy because it was all jokes.

I would get records by Earl Scruggs... I would tune my banjo down and I'd pick out the songs note by note. Learned how to play that way. I persevered. There was a book written by Pete Seeger, who showed you some basic strumming and some basic picking... And I kind of worked out my own style of playing.

What I mean is that none of my talents had a - what's that great word - rubric. A singer, an actor, a dancer - there was nothing I could really say I was. The writing came much later. And, actually, thank God, because if I had said I'm a singer, I would really have just had one thing to do.

There are some people that will not pick up a phone and call you, but if you knock on a door and talk to them, they'll talk back to you.