Editing While You're Writing Is Like Strangling

To Me It's No Accident That All The Symphony Orchestras Around The World Tune Up To The Note A. And A Is 440 Cycles, Except In Germany Where It's 444. But The Universe Is 450 Cycles. So What I'm Trying To Say Is, I Think It's God's Voice, Melody Especially. Counterpoint, Retrograde Inversion, Harmony... That's The Science And The Craft.

I've Been Driven All My Life By A Spirit Of Adventure And A Criminal Level Of Optimism. I Believed In My Dreams Because They Were My Only Option. The People Who Make It To The Top Are Addicted To Their Calling. You Have To Honor The Gift God Has Given You. The People Who Get The Call Are The Ones Who'd Be Doing Whatever It Is They Love, Even If They Weren't Being Paid.

Thank God, 50 Years Ago I Learned That Our Entire Business Is All Based On Two Things; A Great Song And A Great Story. Film, Television, If You Don't Have That Story, Nothing Else Matters. You Don't Call Anybody Else Or Direct Anybody. The Same With A Song. A Great Song Can Make The Worst Singer In The World A Star.

I Was Raised In Chicago And I Guess That Was One Of The Special Breeding Grounds For Gangsters Of All Colors. That Was The Detroit Of The Gangster World. The Car Industry Was Thugs.

Music Was The One Thing I Could Control. It Was The One World That Offered Me Freedom. When I Played Music, My Nightmares Ended. My Family Problems Disappeared. I Didnt Have To Search For Answers. The Answers Lay No Further Than The Bell Of My Trumpet And My Scrawled, Pencilled Scores. Music Made Me Full, Strong, Popular, Self-reliant And Cool.