Good short-story collections, like good record albums, are almost always hit-and-miss affairs - successful if they include three or four great tracks, wildly successful if they have five. And that's as it should be.

It's always been difficult to make a good record.

The last five years have been a good five years, record-wise and statistically and all those type things. But my concern is the next five years, the direction we're going and making sure that we're going in the right direction.

A good record transports you to another place.

I have a pretty good record of winning in court.

When somebody like Elvis Costello comes along, anybody can make a good record with him.