Style is innate to who I am. My father gave me a picture the other day. I must have been about seven and I had on wing-tip shoes and some cool pants. I thought 'Wow!'

New York had a big influence on me growing up and I was really part of the club scene - the Mudd Club and Studio 54. When you're living in New York you are just bombarded with style trying to figure out how to be cool and how to feel relaxed at the same time.

My style icons would be people like Brigitte Bardot and old Hollywood actresses who always look so stunning cool and chic. I like classic and timeless looks.

Edie Sedgwick had a cool style she pushed the envelope for the time.

Big Star invented a vision of bohemian rock & roll cool that had nothing to do with New York Los Angeles or London which made them completely out of style in the 1970s but also made them an inspiration to generations of weird Southern kids.

I think fashion is a lot of fun. I love clothes. More than fashion or brand labels I love design. I love the thought that people put into clothes. I love when clothes make cultural statements and I think personal style is really cool. I also freely recognize that fashion should be a hobby.

I'm obsessed with the 1920s everything from the style to the lifestyle. It was a really cool era.

They're very uh you know I don't come from the suburbs and a jolly Disney type of lifestyle. I come from something totally different. And they're cool and bare minimum so it's not always a money issue for me.

It has to be able to play at the maximum expression and communication in every style and the only way you can do that is - like Verdi said - working with a file every day little by little until the orchestra's collective qualities emerge.

Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise you will have the gift the style the sharpness the clarity and the emotions to affect other people.