My father's very public life as Famous Amos was the opposite of that of his ex-wife, my mother Shirley, who was fighting a very private, solitary battle with mental illness.

The Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie was an unexpected, unplanned pop culture phenomena. My father went from star-maker to star.

While not a musician, my father was a music agent for years before becoming pop culture icon Famous Amos.

Of course, screwed up families are not the exclusive province of the famous. Still, most families get to screw up in private.

Many cities make music, but no city breathes music quite like Memphis. The songs and sounds that come from here are uniquely American.

Schizoaffective disorder is a big mental mash-up of a disease. It combines just about every disorder, from depression, delusions, and paranoia to mania, schizophrenia and hallucinations. My mother bounced between all of these regularly while raising me alone in our Hollywood home.

If I were a rock star, I'd design my own clothes. I'd do it because that's the mark of a true rock star.