The idea that you have to nurture creativity with money – we have to re-orient our thinking here. You will never get true original arts by funding it. Funding for the arts should come by providing arts education and training, training of young artists. No individual artist should be taking public money. Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the beat poet, made a big speech during the NEA crisis a couple of years ago and said, ‘No one should be applying for it. No truly avante garde artist should ever apply.’ He was agreeing with me. It puts you on the leash. It trivializes you and the arts."