Growing up in the South, I was raised to be a Negro boy. I was acutely aware how other people perceived me, and that informed my behavior. That worked for a period of time, but it could also be suffocating.

1985 - That was my time in New York, and I have such poetic, fond memories.

The rules I sort of live by for my theater career, which I hope to live for my film career, is that if there's something that intrigues me or fascinates me, or I don't know how to do it, then I should do it.

In Los Angeles, wealth and poverty are separated by the freeways. In New York, they're next to each other.

I've seen the government up close and personal, and for the most part, it's inefficient and hidebound, and it stifles creativity in any industry it clutches within its well-meaning but slimy tentacles.

There is actually no such thing as an Artist type. 'Artist' is just an economic designation, a box you tick on a form. We are all people, and we are all creative.

It is not enough to know your craft - you have to have feeling. Science is all very well, but for us imagination is worth far more.

When I think about my new CD, the word 'joy' comes to mind. I sincerely hope that each listener will feel the earth, spirit, and aggressive creativity emanating from this album.