“As far as I'm concerned, baldness is the male breast cancer, only much worse because almost everyone gets it. True, it's not life-threatening. Just social-life threatening. But in New York City, there is no difference.”

“New York City in life was much like New York City in death. It was still hard to get a cab, for example.”

“2 AM and I'm still awake, writing a songIf I get it all down on paper, it's no longer inside of me, Threatening the life it belongs to”

“Most fathers don't threaten to disembowel their daughter's boyfriends." "That's not true. And anyway, that's not what I actually said. It was much worse.”

“These cities grew in approximately the same places as our cities do now, however different the shape of the continents was. There was even a New York that in some way resembled the New York familiar to all of you, but was much newer, or, rather, more awash with new products, new toothbrushes, a New York with its own Manhattan that stretched out dense with skyscrapers gleaming like the nylon bristles of a brand-new toothbrush.”

“When the New York Times scratches its head, get ready for total baldness as you tear out your hair.”