Spike Lee

It comes down to this: black people were stripped of our identities when we were brought here, and it's been a quest since then to define who we are.

A lot of times, we censor ourselves before the censor even gets there.

What's the difference between Hollywood characters and my characters? Mine are real.

I always dreamed of writing in an orchestral context. But when you finish a piece, you want to hear it. So we played everything with Phish.

It took me realizing that a broken heart has never actually killed anyone to find the courage to ask for what I want, in just about every situation. That was part of my own growing up.

I laugh at absurdity hardest, then stories, then observations, then bearded men on roller skates.