I think violence cynicism brutality and fashion are the staples of our diet. I think in the grand history of story-telling going back to people sitting around fires the dark side of human nature has always been very important. Movies are part of that tradition.

I love graphic design. I love working with design and I love storytelling so I've been working on a children's book for a while and I'd like to see that through.

When I was on a major label I felt obliged to say yes to every interview tour and whatever else. The label is always telling you 'This ain't going to last ' so I worked myself half to death. I learnt from that and I like to pace myself now.

I decided to devote my life to telling the story because I felt that having survived I owe something to the dead. and anyone who does not remember betrays them again.

Suicide is man's way of telling God 'You can't fire me - I quit.'

You know I had my mother and my father convincing me that he would be going back to Hollywood and he'd be back with the actresses and dating them and that he wasn't serious about me at all. So I had him saying one thing to me and my parents telling me something else.

But although Australia was also involved in the Vietnam conflict I can remember my dad telling us that if we were in Australia we wouldn't be drafted until we were 20.

Most young people haven't used their storytelling skills since they were 8 or 9 or 10 and wanted to persuade Mom and Dad to take them to the ball game.

As a dad I'm emotionally dedicated but I'm not 'figuring out their life plans'. But of course as I'm telling them about the rights of wrongs I'm thinking back to what I was like at their age.

I think in my case I had no choice but to have a good sense of humor. I grew up with my dad Danny Thomas and George Burns and Bob Hope and Milton Berle and Sid Caesar and all those guys were at our house all the time and telling jokes and making each other laugh.