Instead of books, art, theatre, and music being consigned to specialized niches, we might have a criticism that better reflects the eclecticism of our time, a criticism that takes in various arts all at once.
When you find a song that you love, you just have to do it - why would I try to match it? When I wrote more of the songs in the '90s - 'Nick of Time' and other songs I was surprised I came up with - it was because nobody else was saying what I wanted to say.
I wanted to develop a guitar style where phrases and lines get there just in the nick of time, like with Curtis Mayfield and Steve Cropper. Subtleties mean so much, and there is a stunning beauty in them.
I don't really get to see a lot of other comedians, because I work with the same people all the time. The guy I really like is Nick DiPaulo. I love Nick DiPaulo, but again, he's a buddy of mine. But I liked him for a long time. I liked him before he was a buddy of mine.
My father used to be away for months at a time, and he'd never leave any money for food, so my brother and I had to go out and nick it.
If I had a nickel for every time I said 'Why me?' I'd have probably said 'Why me?' more often.
If I had a nickel for every time someone asked, 'When are you doing an album?' My career is way too transparent to do say, 'Guess what - I've got 16 tracks you've never heard!'
Me and my brother used to love when my dad walked in with a pizza. We used to watch Nickelodeon every Saturday night. That was, like, the greatest time ever.
I took my job for Nickelodeon very seriously, and back then, it wasn't certainly as big of a network as it is now, culturally, and people my age didn't know much about it. But I loved my time there. I really put everything I had into doing 'Guts,' and it actually taught me a lot about how to work really hard.
Nicole Kidman was an inspiration to me at the time I left the church. Knowing that she went on to have a successful and happy life, both personally and professionally, helped to give me confidence.
I love spending time with my dog, my niece and my family. I'm very family-oriented.
I have two new nephews and a new niece this year, so I have plenty of kids that I can spend time with.
I like to say, 'I spend one-third of my time in Nigeria, one-third in Europe or America, and one-third on a plane.'
I think I'm ridiculously fortunate. I consider myself a Nigerian - that's home; my sensibility is Nigerian. But I like America, and I like that I can spend time in America.
I sort of consider myself a Nigerian who spends a lot of time in the U.S.
I would find myself being inspired by things that I've heard as a kid: Nigerian music or African music, some French music or some Jamaican music. When it's time for music to be made, it's almost like my ancestors just come into me and then it's them.
I say all the time that when you first meet me, you know three things right off the bat: I'm Nigerian, I love to laugh, and I love Jesus.
There are two types of people in this world: people who can be on time and Nigerians. I am in the latter group, and I confess to my inability to arrive anywhere punctually.
I think the first time I ever wore a tuxedo was when I played at the Talk Of The Town in 1967, because it was a nightclub and that was the thing to do.
But by the time I was 40, everything was winding down. It started after the war. On the plus side, there was more more products and technology. But for me the nightlife was winding down, the glamour, the fun.
