“One of the jobs, I think, of a lyricist - whether I'm working to my ow...” — Stephen Schwartz Quote

“One of the jobs, I think, of a lyricist - whether I'm working to my own music or I'm collaborating with someone like Alan Menken on his music - is to make sure that the audience can actually hear the lyrics and absorb them at their speed.”

“There is lots of great stuff on television and cable, etcetera, and cool movies to watch, but there's just nothing that beats live theater. Just having the sound of the audience laughing. And after a musical number, that kind of roar of appreciation. You just don't get that anywhere else.”

“Greed probably figures in my intellectual life as well, as I attempt to absorb a massive amount of information with consequent mental indigestion.”

“I have played characters where I haven't been absorbed - you know, what I call a typical film leading man role where you just have to look gorgeous and be attractive and charming. It bores me. I like a bit of dirt, a bit of sand in the oyster.”

“I was listening to a lot of bebop. And to Miles Davis. Everyone thinks I was just in the folk world in 1966, but in 1963 and 1964, I was absorbing enormous amounts of music, from baroque to jazz to blues to Indian music.”