My mum was raised Jewish, my dad is very scientifically minded, and my school was vaguely Christian. We sang hymns in school. I liked the hymns bit, but apart from that, I can take it or leave it. So I had lots of different influences when I was younger.
Oh, my dad listens to a lot of 2Pac, Ice Cube and WC. That's what he was listening to a lot when we were growing up. He's always been a fan of hip-hop.
Blessed with Mom and Dad's remarkable genes, raised on big words and big, iconoclastic attitudes, Larry and I, before entering kindergarten, knew who we were, what we wanted, and how we would get there.
I've always been interested in Catholic iconography. My dad's from Naples and I was brought up in a Roman Catholic school.
My dad is a writer, and to see him always in front of a typewriter gave me the inspiration to write. He was my idol, my hero. I wanted to be just like him.
I just went to your typical public schools, and my dad would take us to the movies every week, or he'd buy scalped tickets to San Antonio Spurs games. I remember I was four or five years old and my parents, who were very young, took us to see The Police in Austin, and Iggy Pop opened.
I grew up in a small town in Illinois, and my dad was a basketball coach. Thanks to him, I have excellent fundamentals in both basketball and baseball.
Dad was an amazing storyteller and illustrator, which he did in his spare time - very inspiring and dramatic.
I think it was hard at first for my dad to transition to being immobile.
My dad used to ignore me when I was a kid. He couldn't stand my voice, so he just used to ignore me, and then he'd impersonate me.
My dad just imprinted in my mind from a very young age that you always do what you say you're gonna do when you say you're gonna do it.
My dad would play 'The Blue Album' a lot, the first Weezer album, and that influenced my alternative indie thing and that's kind of how I found tons and most of my favorite bands.
My mom and dad used to tell me, 'You've got to see this film,' and they were influential to a high degree of the films I saw as a kid.
My dad was the guy who wanted to teach a man to fish. He was very, very curious, right up until the day he died. He was insatiable for information. He was the pursuit of awesome.
I didn't really want to sing at first, but my dad insisted that I do.
When I started wrestling, I hounded my dad to teach me. Eventually, he gave in, but he was careful to instill in me a respect for other wrestlers. He wanted to be sure I wasn't going to hurt anyone.
I'm just as insufferable and useless as every other dad is. The dynamic never changes, no matter what you do for a living.
My mom and my dad were both very sociable, meeting lots of interesting people.
I worked as an accountant in an auditor's office, at a textile showroom, a telephone booth, and a fast-food joint while studying. My dad found it odd, but he never interfered in any of my decisions.
I see it every week - parents shouting and screaming at kids. My dad was the same. He was always there, but he never interfered. Ron Greenwood, who was the manager of West Ham when I was a kid, wouldn't allow any parent to shout from the touchline. He thought players should be allowed to think for themselves.
