If you asked an 18-year-old what they want to do with their life and the options are 'Transformers' or Lars von Trier he's probably shipping out for 'Transformers.' If you ask a 26-year-old what he wants to do 'Transformers' or Lars von Trier he'd probably pick Lars von Trier. So my sensibilities are changing as I change.
For the past 33 years I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row I know I need to change something.
I've always been asked 'What is my favorite car?' and I've always said 'The next one.'
I remember being at Greenblatt's on Sunset and some guy just walked straight up to me and he had some bling on and whatever and said something about a party down in Malibu and asked if I would jump in his car and go to the party. All I could think was 'Who are you? I don't know you and I don't care about how good your car is.'
Nobody's ever asked me to pay for a meal before I've eaten it I've never been pulled over just because I was driving the wrong kind of car in the wrong kind of area at the wrong time of night.
A couple of months ago I was down in Florida for the Food and Wine Festival. And this journalist grabbed me and said 'How does it feel to be a TV guy? You're no longer in the restaurant business.' And I laughed. I asked him 'How long do you think it takes me to do a season?' He said 'Well 200 days.' And I was like '200 days? Try 20!'
When I was building the Vietnam Memorial I never once asked the veterans what it was like in the war because from my point of view you don't pry into other people's business.
The common question that gets asked in business is 'why?' That's a good question but an equally valid question is 'why not?'
I want a chainsaw very badly because I think cutting down a tree would be unbelievably satisfying. I have asked for a chainsaw for my birthday but I think I'll probably be given jewelry instead.
My mother asked me what I wanted for my birthday so I said I wanted to read poetry with her.