Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.

I had loved magic tricks from the time I was six or seven. I bought books on magic. I did magic acts for my parents and their friends. I was aiming for show business from early days, and magic was the poor man's way of getting in: you buy a trick for $2, and you've got an act.

A remarkable memoir that's packed with anecdotes, advice and humor, all while maintaining a high level of dignity and self-awareness.

I was not self-destructive, though I almost destroyed myself. In the end, I turned away from stand-up with a tired swivel of my head...

Awards mean nothing to comedians. What matters is the audience, how you're doing - artistically, for the most part - at that moment.

Relationships end, but they don't end your life.

I'm not a human being. I'm despicable and disgusting - but that's where the money is.