When You Hit A Wall – Of

Character Is An Essential Tendency. It Can Be Covered Up, It Can Be Messed With, It Can Be Screwed Around With, But It Can't Be Ultimately Changed. It's The Structure Of Our Bones, The Blood That Runs Through Our Veins.

Keep Away From Fantasy. Shake Off The Image.

People Talk About The 1960s In A Nostalgic Way, But To Me It Was Terrifying. People Were Getting Assassinated. There Was Vietnam. There Were Race Riots. It Felt Like Everything Was Going To Get Blown Up Sky-high. It Didn’t Feel Like Flower Power. It Felt Like Armageddon.

My First Job Was With The Burns Detective Agency. They Sent Me Over To The East River To Guard Coal Barges During These God-awful Hours Like Three To Six In The Morning. It Wasn't A Very Difficult Job -- All I Had To Do Was Make A Round Every Fifteen Minutes -- But It Turned Out To Be A Great Environment For Writing. I Was Completely Alone In A Little Outhouse With An Electric Heater And A Little Desk.

It's One Of The Great Tragedies Of Our Contemporary Life In America, That Families Fall Apart. Almost Everybody Has That In Common.