My play Safe Sex was picked apart because critics thought it was untrue. It was a play in which no one had AIDS but the characters talked about how it was going to change their lives.

I think the true test of a pop song for me and I've talked to a lot of other writers about this is you take your demo you pop it in your car and you drive down Sunset Blvd. to Santa Monica and that's the Hollywood car test.

I'm carded for R-rated movies. And I get talked down to a lot. When I try to go rent a car or buy an airplane ticket or other stuff adults do I get 'Okaaaaaay honey.' I remember when I was 18 getting crayons in a restaurant.

We talked about many issues like welfare is it the way of life or hand up? Talked about size of government how much should it tax families and small businesses? And when we left that lunch we got in the car and I looked over at Chuck and said 'I'll be damned. we're Republicans.'

My mother is a big believer in being responsible for your own happiness. She always talked about finding joy in small moments and insisted that we stop and take in the beauty of an ordinary day. When I stop the car to make my kids really see a sunset I hear my mother's voice and smile.

My grandfather was a man when he talked about freedom his attitude was really interesting. His view was that you had obligations or you had responsibilities and when you fulfilled those obligations or responsibilities that then gave you the liberty to do other things.

I believe very strongly and have fought since many years ago - at least over 30 years ago - to get architecture not just within schools but architecture talked about under history geography science technology art.

I talked about the barriers created by monopolies. I said that it was the role of government to break up these monopolies and that we couldn't do it alone.

If you're truly in a band and you guys have been together for a long time there's a family bond that you have. In fact I've talked about this with therapists especially if you're talking about a relationship because when you're with somebody you're going to your family and she's alone.

I was apprehensive. I feared every time I talked about poetry it would be filtered through the lens of race sex and age.