There was no such thing as a solo career in East Germany. You had to get the best orchestra job that you could.

In Berlin... it's important to present a concert that will change their ears... so if you present a Tchaikovsky symphony, you get almost no audience.

I remember my first time coming to New York City. It was 1986, and I was on a U.S. tour with a stop at Lincoln Center. It was love at first sight.

I tried to play Piazzolla's 'Grand Tango' at 20 and failed miserably. You need a little experience of life for tango.

I never worry about people not taking my work seriously as a result of the humor. In the end, the comic's best trick is the illusion that comedy is effortless. That people imagine what he's doing is easy is an occupational hazard.

I get all of my comedy from CNN.

If you work at comedy too laboriously, you can kill what's funny in the joke.

Whether it's viewers of the show or readers of my columns and books, I'm consistently impressed with their wit, humor and insight. That goes for about 95 percent of the audience. The other five percent are why the 'Delete' option and restraining orders were invented.