Me

Long ago made it a principle of my life to cultivate a positive frame of mind, to strive to project it and to share it with those I meet. It is a principle that has served me well.

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Long ago made it a principle of my life to cultivate a positive frame of mind, to strive to project it and to share it with those I meet. It is a principle that has served me well.

I've always been fascinated by Elizabeth Taylor, and I had read that her first kiss happened on a film set, which actually made me a little sad. You need to have normal experiences of your own.

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I’ve always been fascinated by Elizabeth Taylor, and I had read that her first kiss happened on a film set, which actually made me a little sad. You need to have normal experiences of your own.

For me, church was about not only religion but about community. A woman in my grandmother's church helped pay for my SAT classes when I was in high school and drove me there every week.

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For me, church was about not only religion but about community. A woman in my grandmother’s church helped pay for my SAT classes when I was in high school and drove me there every week.

To me, you have to declare yourself a Chicano in order to be a Chicano. That makes a Chicano a Mexican-American with a defiant political attitude that centers on his or her right to self-definition. I'm a Chicano because I say I am.

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To me, you have to declare yourself a Chicano in order to be a Chicano. That makes a Chicano a Mexican-American with a defiant political attitude that centers on his or her right to self-definition. I’m a Chicano because I say I am.

When I was a critic, I reviewed Public Enemy's 'Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age' – this is back in '94 – and I called it a 'Dante-esque spiral of the hip-hop hell.' I idolized Chuck D, but I just hated that record, and I did not hold back. Chuck didn't freeze me out. Every time I met Chuck, he always treated me with the utmost respect.

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When I was a critic, I reviewed Public Enemy’s ‘Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age’ – this is back in ’94 – and I called it a ‘Dante-esque spiral of the hip-hop hell.’ I idolized Chuck D, but I just hated that record, and I did not hold back. Chuck didn’t freeze me out. Every time I met Chuck, he always treated me with the utmost respect.

I'm trying to think, like, 'Wow, I know one day, my kids are not going to live with me. They're gonna be like, 'Oh my god, Mom, leave me alone!' So I try to be grateful for all the little things. Perspective really lets me slow down.

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I’m trying to think, like, ‘Wow, I know one day, my kids are not going to live with me. They’re gonna be like, ‘Oh my god, Mom, leave me alone!’ So I try to be grateful for all the little things. Perspective really lets me slow down.

When I do a mix tape for my kids, for my friends, for my lover, I meticulously choose the tracks, and it's beautiful. And when they are alone they think of me – and when I am alone I think of them.

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When I do a mix tape for my kids, for my friends, for my lover, I meticulously choose the tracks, and it’s beautiful. And when they are alone they think of me – and when I am alone I think of them.

Only in the mystery novel are we delivered final and unquestionable solutions. The joke to me is that fiction gives you a truth that reality can't deliver.

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Only in the mystery novel are we delivered final and unquestionable solutions. The joke to me is that fiction gives you a truth that reality can’t deliver.

Through the music, you can pretty much tell what I've been through and what I've accepted. And releasing it has made me realize I'm not alone in it, because of the reactions I've been getting.

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Through the music, you can pretty much tell what I’ve been through and what I’ve accepted. And releasing it has made me realize I’m not alone in it, because of the reactions I’ve been getting.

Is everything funny? For me, yes. There's a positive to every negative. Even my divorce? For me, yes. If you go back and look at it, why it happened or how it happened, there's something in there that'll make you laugh.

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Is everything funny? For me, yes. There’s a positive to every negative. Even my divorce? For me, yes. If you go back and look at it, why it happened or how it happened, there’s something in there that’ll make you laugh.

Self-belief is the key to success and that has helped me. So I will put in all my efforts in the manner I know. If it works, it is great and if it doesn't it's still great as I know I have put in all my effort.

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Self-belief is the key to success and that has helped me. So I will put in all my efforts in the manner I know. If it works, it is great and if it doesn’t it’s still great as I know I have put in all my effort.