“I used to do impressions of all the mothers in the neighborhood. I’d get them rolling with laughter. But sometimes – and this is a terrible thing to do to a kid – my father would literally say, 'Stop! You’re going on too long. Shorten it up! Make it interesting!' In order to get my own parents’ attention, I had to tighten up the story. So I’m awfully paranoid about droning on too long.”