The thing is: I was quite slow when I was younger. I might have been smart - I don't know - but I was slow talking to people. And as you can see, I don't talk very loud.

People say my world is dark. No, there's a lot of lightness in my world. But I know very well that I'm not normal when I'm performing.

I'm a very honest person, and I'm quite emotional for a man. If I want to say something, I'll say it.

I don't want to ever write a book that seems like it's pandering to younger people or talking down to people who I know are very smart.

I know that New York is big - there are huge buildings - but, in fact, it's quite small and contained... I like it when cities are melancholic. When it started snowing, for example, I felt very lonely. I felt very comfortable and very relaxed. When that happens, I write. So I've been writing, not a lot, but I'm inspired every day.

I was lucky to have read a lot of poetry when I was younger; it helped me to remember a way to write.