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Young people have decided they like to listen to music in a certain way, through ear buds, and that's fine with me as long as it doesn't bother them that they're not hearing 90 percent of the music that way.

Adolescence is a plague on the senses.

It's no fun getting older. I might be wearing beautiful diamond earrings, but they can't take away the pain of losing my hearing.

Teenagers talk about the idea of having each other's 'full attention.' They grew up in a culture of distraction. They remember their parents were on cell phones when they were pushed on swings as toddlers. Now, their parents text at the dinner table and don't look up from their BlackBerry when they come for end-of-school day pickup.

You go to a theater now and you literally see parents watching the movie and they suddenly cover their kid's ears. I figured I'd make one movie where they didn't have to do this.

I did not develop my ear. I discovered I had an ear, and it was an accident.

Teenagers did not have, before rock 'n' roll and rhythm-and-blues - they did not have any type of music they could call their own once they got over 4 or 5 years old until they were well into their 20's and considered adults.

Looking after your ears is unfortunately something you don't think about until there's a problem.

When you get older, two things happen to you. You begin to lose your hearing, and I forget what the other one is.

I got my ears pierced when I was 12. I looked up to my older cousin, and he had earrings. Will Smith on 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' had the left earring. So I started with the left earring, and then two years later, I got the other one pierced.