Q: In the past I’ve spoken with musicians who’ve said that dabbling in drugs has opened them up to new ideas.
A: Well, that’s what Allen said—my friend Allen Ginsberg. And that’s what Tim Leary said. However, they lived to regret having said that, because they realized later that that kind of blanket encouragement led to abuse among other people.

Q: You played the glockenspiel in your high-school marching band.
A: Yeah, I also played fife. I played a lot of things. I played the tenor trumpet, as well.

Q: That’s an interesting way to meet cheerleaders.
A: That wasn’t why I did it, because I went to an all-boys school. I did it because I could get into the football games free. And I discovered that I could sell hot dogs during the football games. I got to eat free, and I could make money. So I eventually gave up the marching band and became a hot-dog vendor.

Q: You’re a rare bird—a contemporary composer who’s managed to make money at it.
A: But it’s because I wanted to. I didn’t give up and say, “Oh, I’m a composer, I’m an artist, I shouldn’t touch money.” I didn’t go to a university and get a teaching job. I didn’t look for the security of academia. I looked for the security of making a living.

Q: Do people in the classical world give you shit about it?
A: They used to. Now they’re totally envious of it.