When I was skating I felt I represented not just my family and the people who helped me make it to that point, but also New York and the country.
I thought that making movies was drab. I'd lived through that. And I didn't want to use my parents, ever... They didn't want to push me into this business.
Times change; Hollywood is not the same as it was when I first entered the business. It felt to me like it was starting to narrow down and centralize itself around what would... make money.
Everyone knows almost everything about me. I make it very clear that I'm cool with people knowing all my personal life through my songs.
To me, a critic is some loser who has no idea... someone with an opinion. We all have opinions. No offense, but what makes them dictate what is cool and what is not.
'Go Back Home' encompasses not only actual geographic location but also, for me, back home in the worlds of music and theatre, and back home in terms of making albums again. There are lots of meanings to that.
I can relate to soul, R&B... whatever people want to call me is fine. I just hope it makes them feel something.
Some of my high school teachers did remind me that I had an excellent imagination when it came to making up excuses.
I always do like seeing other people dance in their cars. It's one of the things that makes me happy.
I do get scared of the dentist, so a drive-through dentist might make me feel more at home. If I got to stay in my car.
Math was always hard for me, but my dad would come up with ways of making it fun. I remember playing 'Number Munchers' on our old Mac... That counts as math class, right?
Doing interviews can sometimes mess up my head. It makes me feel dirty. It's frustrating how the press recycles a quote to death.
I like having my hair and face done, but I'm not going to lose weight because someone tells me to. I make music to be a musician not to be on the cover of Playboy.
Fairy tales read before bed tend to make me dream. They're all quite violent stories, as are my dreams.
I've always wanted to be a very commercial director, or I had dreams of making these movies into blockbusters. And with each movie, they tell me it's not that way.
I think taking design out of the studio and really having a relationship with the people that you're making it for really convinced me of how powerful a thing design is. It's not just an aesthetic decoration.
If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name at a Swiss bank.
The herbalist I met a few times - it was great - she gave me literature about the different processes that an herbalist would do to make medicines from certain herbs and things.
To me, the hook of the riff is what makes a great guitar recording. It's the backbone of the whole song. When you have a strong riff, it's the rocket fuel for the track.
Many of my staff have been with me for over 20 years. I have a great team, and I make sure they feel respected and appreciated.
I work for a place that's been great to me over the years, and when you make a mistake, you're hurting your company as well.
