I was a personality before I became a person - I am simple, complex, generous, selfish, unattractive, beautiful, lazy and driven.

When I was maybe 5 or 6 years old, the neighborhood girls would sit on the stoop and sing. I was known as the kid who had a good voice and no father.

I was raised on the streets, in hot, steamy Brooklyn, with stifled air.

My mother had a great voice. Not like mine, not like my sister's, not like my son's - a high soprano voice, but like a bird. I mean, really beautiful.

Success to me is having ten honeydew melons and eating only the top half of each slice.