This whole fuss did not only damage Fischer's image but that of the USA as well. The way the Americans treated one of their most popular citizens did not make a positive impression worldwide.

George W. Bush brought a lot of minorities into his administration which was a positive thing and they had some issues that they wanted to press but 9/11 really gave them direction. It gave them a purpose.

Generally I'm a pretty positive but like any other working person if the jobs aren't coming in I do get depressed.

Facing the press is not easy but because you have to go you have to try to take a lot of positive things for yourself from these face-to-face meetings.

I don't think of myself as a role model. I do try to live in a compassionate considerate and positive way. The only advice I can offer is to find what you love to do find the joy in it and express yourself through your passion.

I've been singing for six years. I've been in and out of the studios with top producers but it wasn't something I was ready to express to the public or to the press. I wasn't ready to come out. I wanted to perfect my voice and be 100 percent positive that I could come out right.

Most people get their politics obviously from TV shows about senators or movies about them or... all the day-to-day press and the talk shows.

This idea that a book can either be about character and feeling or about politics and idea is just a false binary. Ideas are an expression of the feelings and the intense emotions we hold about the world.

As a society I think we express our cultural mores through our politics. We're trying constantly to figure out what's OK and what's not OK. And it's hard because our society is constantly buffeted by gale force winds of technology. Things are always changing.

Every artistic expression is either influenced by or adds something to politics.