If you go for the money first and try to think of what other people want to see, you change your original inspiration and perhaps put out something that's less original and less personal and maybe less satisfying.

In rock and roll, homosexuality was accepted, but it was less cool to say it.

I don't like being choreographed to a T. I like to take steps and make them my own.

I'd like to do some female roles again.

I love a good party.

I've obviously always been aware of actor-oriented films, being an actor. Altman and Cassavetes were really strong. And then I realized their structures were quite fascinating, too.

'Hedwig' is not autobiographical, but what she goes through is clearly a big metaphor. She doesn't want to be what she is, but she comes to an understanding that what happened to her has actually made her whole.

I'm not interested in replicating 'Hedwig' like a virus.

There are a lot of silly projects out there.

Obviously, when you get into larger budgets, you have less of that freedom, and I just - I'm not a person that tends to make stories for those larger budgets. To me, it's not much fun to have that kind of pressure.

My mom was a little weepy. My dad was very logical about it. Once they realized you can't change, they wanted to know that you can be happy and be gay. Once they realized that, they were very cool about it.

The people that were most interesting were always questioning the status quo.

I think it helped me like myself more, playing Hedwig.

I remember being afraid of doing drag when I was younger because I didn't really like my feminine side - most gay guys at some point are told that that's the worst part of you, so that becomes a negative thing.

You can make serious pop, you know? There was a time when the best movies were the most popular, and I keep thinking that can happen again.

I don't regret anything, because I feel better every year, and if I'd done something different, maybe I wouldn't. I'm more of a whole person, the older I get.

Drag is a little scary, especially for a gay man who's not comfortable with his feminine side.

London is the English-speaking theatre capital.

Doing 'Hedwig' totally contributed to my acceptance of myself.

I've always liked a good joke that everybody can laugh at.

I come from the theater, and there is a real collaborative history there.

Isn't it funny - why is it called a tennis bracelet? It doesn't seem very tennis, does it?

My father's favorite poem was probably 'Love is patient, love is kind.' It's simply stated but pretty profound. That's how my dad wrote.

My dad was a poet. He saw the world through unique glasses, with simplicity, spirituality, and humor.

My mother did a fried vegetable dish called 'stuff.' It's fried potatoes and carrots. Then you add bell peppers, mushrooms and other softer vegetables. At the end you add onion. Then, you steam the dish with hot pepper cheese on the top and it melts down through the dish. It's delicious. It's wonderful.

So many use dad's name, saying 'Johnny Cash would not like this' or 'Johnny Cash would do this' or 'Johnny Cash would vote for... ' Please, let his actions speak for who he was: A simple, loving man who never supported hate or bigotry. He was non-political, and a patriot with no public political party affiliation.

When I was young, my mother said to me, 'Momma loves her little son.' Now, this tender endearment holds a firm meaning within my life, inside my spirit. It reminds me that in sharing love, it grows that much greater in our hearts.

My parents' love for each other lasted throughout their whole life. They didn't give up... They accepted each other totally unconditionally.

I can't think of another artist who has a fan base as diverse, in that the ladies in their 70s at the 4-H club have the same collection of Johnny Cash records as the punk on the street in Amsterdam.

God probably shook his head and said 'Oh, my goodness' many times in dealing with my father. But what God saw in my father was that he was a rock, a foundation in a lot of ways - someone people could relate to who could shine strong and was not afraid to reveal himself. I think he was a great role model to many people in that way.

My father claimed no political affiliation. He supported Al Gore because he knew him as a human being. He supported Lamar Alexander, who was the governor of Tennessee, who was a Republican. It was based on the individual. He didn't believe in politics. He based his support for someone on their heart and their integrity.

Personally (and I believe I can speak for my sisters on this), I am against any organization or individual who believes they are superior to and/or may wish harm upon another because of race, ethnic background, religion, or sexual orientation. We also believe in the potential unification of humanity as a whole.

This is my home; I've made it my home for my whole life. I'm an old Nashville veteran.

My mother made wonderful cheesecake. She loved cheesecake. She ate it every day of her life.

I always heard my dad talk about playing music right through till the end. He may have talked in the early 90s about how he was ready to get off the road. But retirement, for my dad wasn't part of his make-up.

Seeing my father's handwriting puts me in contact with the man he was at each stage of his life.

People come to Nashville where I live and they say, 'What's a great Southern restaurant?' Well, you got to know the right grandmother, because there's a lot of magic to good Southern cooking.

My father was a great outdoorsman. From when I was about six we would spend countless hours together in the woods or on a lake. He taught me how to skin a rabbit and pluck a wild turkey. He showed me there is much more to nature than we can ever understand.

My mother's death was very painful as it occurred over a period of a week. Watching her die was the hardest thing my dad ever went through.

I try to weigh out the dark and the light. They were both very real aspects of my Dad. To me, the good and the healing and the light outweigh the dark so much, and that's why I focus on the good.

In the end, the best music will always rise to the top.

I did a lot of struggling with my identity trying to figure out who the heck I was. I had to face my demons.

My mom, dad and me were a compact group. They instilled in me a love for the outdoors. On school breaks, we'd go fishing for a week in the wilds of Alaska or Canada. The land was always in their souls.

I was 33 when my father passed away.

Well, my parents were sort of packrats. They never threw anything away and, all through their time together, they stored away various things in a vault.

There are thousands upon thousands of new Johnny Cash fans every year, inspired by the music, talent, and - I believe hugely - by the mystery of the man.

My father was an entertainer. This is, of course, one of the most marked and enduring manifestations.

He gave me a picture of himself when I was 14 and it said, 'To John Carter: My Best friend, Dad.' That meant so much to me. We were best friends, but we struggled.

Mom was very protective of me. Her hands were gentle, and her touch was soothing. She always talked quite a bit, but she was bright and affectionate.

I'm always writing my own music, recording my own music, even if I am 9/10 of the time recording stuff for other people. I'm still working on my own creative endeavors.