Historians and archaeologists will one day discover that the ads of our time are the richest and most faithful reflections that any society ever made of its entire range of activities.

We ought to be beating our chests every day. We ought to look in the mirror stick out our chests suck in our bellies and say 'Damn we're Americans ' and smile.

As a songwriter I hate this whole 'If it's a sad song it has to sound like a sad song thing.' And that goes all the way back to my days with the Format. I'm an insane narcissist so if I have to get something off my chest I'll get something off my chest.

In the military I could exercise the power of being automatically respected because of the medals on my chest not because I had done anything right at the moment to earn that respect. This is pretty nice. It's also a psychological trap that can stop one's growth and allow one to get away with just plain bad behavior.

They are representations of many shared hours of collaboration between us all. That's the real nature of the relationship the orchestra and I are trying to build.

There is no relationship between the gestures and what an orchestra will do.

I think actors are getting so much more power these days but I'm not. I stay very much away from the decisions the way in which things are orchestrated what's been changed. I just try to stay completely in the role as the actor and as the character.

My relationship with the Philharmonia Orchestra brought me many times to London and I will always reflect positively on that early period of development with them - their patience their warmth their dedication.

As a means of contrast with the sublime the grotesque is in our view the richest source that nature can offer.

It is the nature of truth in general as of some ores in particular to be richest when most superficial.