"My life has been marked by vigorous defiance and a steadfast refusal to compromise - a life of fierce independence, of swimming upstream, always against the grain. The rebellion began at home against my parents, continued in school against my teachers and professors, and then broadened in my musical life against critics, academics, promoters, label executives, club owners, grant panels - any authority figure or gatekeeper that attempted by physical means, or the power of their will, to diminish my vision, to bend me to conform, to strip me of my freedom, or to stray me from my chosen path. But no words or actions will ever stop me from doing what I believe in and rather than distracting me from my sense of purpose, the challenges encountered throughout my life have, instead, inspired - resulting in a deepening of my convictions, a strengthening of my will, and an expansion of my vision and poetics. In my world challenges have always been opportunities.
My ability to say "fuck you" was acquired early, and has angered and confused many. It has been said that through the years I have managed to alienate almost everyone that could have "helped" me. The deeper truth is that their concept of "help" has often had strings attached - strings that threatened my sense of freedom. And the most important thing for an artist is freedom. One profound truth about freedom is that it is not a gift - it must be fought for every day of your life.
My hard-earned reputation for irascibility has helped me keep the posers, floaters, brokers, and users at bay. It has also enabled me to forge everlasting bonds with like-minded artists who enthusiastically embraced uncompromising integrity and dedication to a unique artistic vision, often in the face of outright hostility, antagonism, or worse - a community of outsiders that are on the outside looking OUT. Milford Graves, Lou Reed, Terry Riley, Jack Smith, Meredith Monk, Richard Foreman, Charles Wuorinen, Harry Smith, Derek Bailey, Lee Konitz are a few of the free spirits that have aided me in developing a true sense of inner worth. Exemplars of artistic acomplishment and inner strength, who have often manifested impatience with the ignorant and closed-minded, these artists, along with many others, have, by example, inspired me to work hard - and to put my Art first and foremost. They have loved me for who I am, for what I do, for my strong work ethic, rugged individualism, and for my inborn ability to resist the powerful and toxic societal pressures to conform. They started as major influences, eventually became friends, and will always remain amongst my heroes, along with Blake, Einstein, Artaud, Van Gogh, Varese, Rimbaud, Brando, and others."