My mother was a very good violinist; my father was a musicologist and spent most of his life in academia.

I came from an intellectual family. Most were doctors, preachers, teachers, businessmen. My grandfather was a small businessman. His father was an abolitionist doctor, and his father was an immigrant from Germany.

I keep reminding people that an editorial in rhyme is not a song. A good song makes you laugh, it makes you cry, it makes you think.

One of the things I'm most proud of about my country is the fact that we did lick McCarthyism back in the fifties.

The good and bad are all tangled up together. American popular music is loved around the world because of its African rhythm. But that wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for slavery.

My mother is very good in Scrabble. In Boggle, my father is probably better.