"There’s a funny story here. When I was with Dave Roth he would always talk about Tom Waits in a very respectful way which was rare. I never heard Dave speak reverently about anybody and I didn’t even know who Tom Waits was. I had never come across his music. But all through the years, Dave would always say, ‘Yeah, like Tom Waits’ and I’d just say ‘Yeah, yeah!’ And then I was on tour with Whitesnake and there was this band opening up called Bad English whose singer was a guy called John Waite and I thought “Wow, this was what Dave was talking about? Hmm, it’s kind of strange because it’s not the kind of singer that Dave would be reverent about.” And then I realized I had the wrong guy… So I went to the store and bought about twenty Tom Waits albums and (one of them was Mule Variations), and I remember that I was listening to all these records, getting three tracks in and literally throwing them away. Then I put Mule Variations on and stopped dead in my tracks. It completely leveled me and I can say – out of everybody I’ve talked about – Tom Waits is my favorite artist now. I completely resonate deeply with his music, his voice and his lyrics; I buy everything he ever does. He’s one of those guys who are totally at one with the creative element with no excuses or concerns about what’s going on around him – totally uncompromising.A lot of people think they’re uncompromising, but they’re not…"

"The value of laughter, always sky-high for me, has gone beyond gold. I recommend anything by Dave Barry—especially, for those who get the jokes, the recent A Field Guide to the Jewish People by Barry, Adam Mansbach, and Alan Zweibel."

"Dave Eggers released two books this year, and The Circle received more attention than this one. But I loved this all-dialogue novel, and always find myself recommending it. It's a philosophically searching novel with the pace and energy of an addictive beach read."

"Quiet Life' is one of the most beautiful tracks Giorgio Moroder ever created, and together with the voice of the uber-glamourous Dave Sylvian, is like heaven on a stick. The cover of 'All Tomorrow's Parties', dare I say, is better than the original."