“I did voice training and piano lessons, and while I was a decent musician.”

Something respected, was the most important thing to do with your life.

100 percent, my whole life. I went to school, I did music theory,

As a kid, I wasn’t given the sense that celebrity, or fame or any of that,

Was something to be impressed by, or to seek out. It was always impressed upon me that making something well crafted

I felt like I wanted to make more than just music.

I’m pretty committed to being a filmmaker because it incorporates everything I love: music, art direction, story, and you know – everything.

And I try to preserve whatever’s of value and achievable in their idea.

I’ve never made a video where I didn’t talk to the artist before I wrote the treatment.

Basically, I enter into it knowing we are collaborators.

I always wanted to be a musician.

And I’ve tried to do that where I can in my field.

If it’s something I can’t achieve, I tell them straight.

Otherwise they’re not going to feel great when they’re up there miming it.

My process in making a music video is pretty much a formula of talking to the artist.

It didn’t seem like enough for me.

I try to bring musicians into the logistics of filmmaking.

Some musicians play with their heart, you know what I mean? I don’t know what to tell a person that can’t – if you can’t tell a person what you’re talkin’ about when they’re rushin’ or droppin’ the tempo, you get somebody else.

At least one day out of the year all musicans should just put their instruments down, and give thanks to Duke Ellington.

The Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame will provide a center where the lives and the artistry of the greatest jazz musicians will be celebrated, and where people will come to learn about jazz, something to which my brother devoted his lifes work.

The Muslim people is calling upon you, Jerusalem is appealing to you, will anyone answer?

We don’t work like the best basketball player and the best musician and so on. Science is a collective effort.

Little Willie John is the soul singer’s soul singer.

That’s a very high goal to have, study eight hours a day to be a concert pianist.

The thing you must remember is that I’m the Number One John Lennon fan. I love him to this day and I always did love him