I was a bartender in New York and I overheard this girl saying she made $3000 doing a commercial. A kid at work told me, 'Hey, I know this director and he'd really like you!'. So I walked into this guy's office and was like 'I was thinking maybe I could make $3000' and he hired me for commercials, short films, like 15 jobs in a row.
I was eight when I found out I was adopted. My step-brother told me. He'd overheard my mum and my stepdad at the time talking about it, and he threw it in my face. But I didn't really care. It didn't seem relevant, because I never once in my life felt unloved or like I was a burden.
As a young boy I won a few dollars in 1972 when Riva Ridge won the Kentucky Derby. I had overheard someone say he was going to win, and I guess that made an impression on me.
One day, the infielders were having a pretty bad time and were making some bad throws to me at first base. After digging a few out of the dirt, Joe Orengo called over to me, 'Atta boy, John, you look like a big cat.' Some of the writers overheard the remark and asked Joe about it later. The nickname has stuck with me ever since.
I know, for me, that I love wrestling, and I love games, so there was already an overlap there because all of my friends growing up were the same.
I tell my engineers that they should not overload me with information.
As a nurturer, I have always lived my life running for others, trying to make everyone happy, even if I often overlooked my own needs. I do it because it makes me happy and fulfilled.
I think being an immigrant makes me overly optimistic.
I probably have an earlier curfew than anyone. My mom wants to keep me really safe and my dad's not overly protective, but he's a dad no matter what.
Give me a couple of years, and I'll make that actress an overnight success.
I think people love to attach themselves to the idea of an overnight success. That may be true about me.
My dad told me, 'It takes fifteen years to be an overnight success', and it took me seventeen and a half years.
It took me 30 years for people to consider me an overnight success.
It seems like everybody's perception of me is very bipolar. To one group, it's overpaid, overrated; to another group, it's underpaid, underrated, underdog. It's funny to me because there's no real balance.
The first view of the Earth is magical. It is a very overpowering realization that the Earth is so small. It affected me. I could not get over the notion that in such a small planet, with such a small ribbon of life, so much goes on. It is as if the whole place is sacred.
New York is a fascinating city. I think it's a very inspiring city, but it's overpowering when you get older. It tires me now. But it's wonderful for young people - very inspiring and full of surprises and full of ideas.
Even people that are close to me or people that are acquaintances... The only question I get now is, 'How is music going?' It's an overpowering quality of my life now, the fact that I write songs. It's weird to navigate what that means socially.
Let me just say this - sometimes being a trailblazer is highly overrated.
It would be a lie to say that I don't care what people say about me. Every human being cares unless they're nuts. Am I nuts? But you can't allow that to override your mission.
I don't really hear much music these days that grabs me. I think there are a lot of reasons for this but the overriding one is that there aren't as many opportunities for a band to get good or experiment or start the next wave of something.
