Frank [Zappa] said he probably would have been a major criminal, given his brain power and his attention to detail, had he not been a composer. But being a composer is not something you can't help.

Frank [Zappa] was not a big fan of having lyrics, but sometimes he had things to say that lent themselves to lyrics.

Frank [Zappa]'s music was never for the mass audience. His music contains specific kinds of information that you won't find elsewhere in rock and roll.

Musicians more than most people are in the moment. That's the dual nature of that job.

I never dreamed that my future would be my husband's past. But it's such a huge past in terms of the recorded content.

The problem with composers is that they are the most unrequired job in America.

I think ingenuity is part of our DNA. That plus curiosity, plus the willingness to commit.

It's the ultimate identity theft when you start messing with somebody's work. Thinking that you could edit the work, or mix it differently, or re-EQ it, or make claims about it that aren't true.

Certainly Apple has improved enormously. At the beginning, the sampling rate was an issue for me, but a bigger argument was over digital rights, which I had.

When you have a single composer writing his work, it shouldn't be doled out in singles based on the length of a piece.

If you think about how long it takes to write a piece of music for an orchestra, it's outrageous to me, outrageous.

I tend to really enjoy being swept up in fiction. I love a good story and I admire fiction authors.

There are certain inessential activities-moths of precious time-and it is worse to busy yourself with the trivial than to do nothing.

Here's a hot tip: Most girls don't like being stalked.

I think I write in a fairly self-confident manner.

Novelty is both delightful and deceptive.

Worlds going to hell anyway, have a good time.

Every human being is a raindrop. And when enough of the raindrops become clear and coherent they then become the power of the storm.

I maintain a balanced view of the world, but that balance is always in my favour.

I wasn't a visionary but I literally had my finger on the pulse of the women of America.

Women are a problem, but if you haven't already guessed, they are the kind of problem I enjoy wrestling with.