My life is proof that I dont need you to do what I do. If theres no one to see it Ill watch it.

In the film business its basically honor among thieves.

Im not a big fan of talking about dying. And then I make a movie where I kill everybody.

With New Rose Hotel I knew that I was getting paid a $100000 fee to write produce and direct and thats all I was going to get.

I grew up in the 60s which was a creative time so it wasnt that big of a stretch to go from a baseball bat to a guitar to a film camera.

Mulberry Street was the beating heart of the Italian-American experience but you dont find those gangsters now. I live with a bunch of yuppies and models.

I was raised a Catholic and when youre raised a Catholic they dont teach you to think for yourself. Youre taught not to think too deeply about things.

The last day of your life is still going to be a day.

I come from a world where you get the film done thats a success.

As barbaric is we are its a miracle we havent blown ourselves off the face of the earth so far.

Thats the thing about making a movie: You never finish editing. They just take it away from you.

I dont care if I get $50 million to do a film.

I was born in the Bronx and then my father moved us to the country at an early age.

My existence is about making movies so Ive just got to rock and roll with the punches. You want to make movies on telephones Im there.

Where I come from youre not raised to think on your own. Its not that youre pushed to read the Bible. The Bible is read to you.

No one can stop me from talking about my movie.

I dont know what DVD commentaries are about. Id like to strangle the person who came up with that concept.

Making money is not gonna change anything about what I am except I wont answer the door.

Certain actors wanna get paid they think working in a low-budget movie is being ripped off. But for others its like Yes lets do it.

But Im never gonna get to a point in my life where what it costs to shoot a movie is going to determine what it is. The limits of my imagination is the only thing thats gonna stop me.

Im a lapsed Buddhist like Im a lapsed Catholic. I take it to a point.

Life is what happens when youre doing other things right?