Constantly risking absurdity and death whenever he performs above the heads of his audience the poet like an acrobat climbs on rhyme to a high wire of his own making.

Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death.

I've been looking at some video clips on YouTube of President Obama - then candidate Obama - going through Iowa making promises. The gap between his promises and his performance is the largest I've seen well since the Kardashian wedding and the promise of 'til death do we part.

On my best days such as when I was a junior in high school coming off a 42-point performance and near triple-double my dad was there to tell me I haven't arrived yet and bring me back to reality.

Whenever I did a good performance my Dad and my uncles who were rabid movie fans took me to the movies. There began my underlying love affair with film.

Dad really had little to do with the songs except to perform them.

I'm worried because of my mother she's going to see my performance and she's quite hard. She's going to see me naked. And my Dad woah. Yeah they're going to see me like a woman you know?

I knew I really made it when my dad saw me in London and after the performance he had no notes to me and just said 'You are doing your own thing and I am proud of you.'

I wanted to perform well for my mom and dad because in high school I didn't have a job. My brothers they worked at Pizza Hut or places like that but sports that was my way of giving back.

My dad is a Jack Nicholson lookalike and a frustrated performer my mother's into reading and poetry. I suppose the thing I owe them most is my confidence.