In college, I wrote newspaper articles and songs. Then, on my 21st birthday, I sold my first book. It was a nonfiction book about women pirates – ‘Pirates in Petticoats.’ After that, I was a book writer for good.
When it comes to birthdays, I think there are two camps. There are people like me, who choose to treat it like any other day, and then there are the ‘birthday people.’ You know, those people who claim the full month in which they were born as their own.
When I was 13, my parents bought me a mini snooker set for my birthday. From the moment I first held a cue in my hands, I was transfixed.
A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer.
I hate my birthday. I don’t like to celebrate it much. But, if someone wants to throw me a surprise party, that normally works better.
My parents split before my fifth birthday, and I moved with Mom and my three siblings to her native Oahu.
If you’re going to do a job, do it right. If you’re going to throw a birthday party, make it amazing. If you’re going to do anything, do it awesome.
My ace in the hole as a human being used to be my capacity for remembering birthdays. I worked at it. Whenever I made a new friend, I made a point of finding out his or her birthday early on, and I would record it in my Filofax calendar.
It was shortly before my 18th birthday when I came out and admitted that I was gay.
My birthday is always around Thanksgiving, and I always had to have turkey on my birthday. My mom was always, ‘Let’s celebrate your birthday on Thanksgiving.’ My other siblings got to have special dinners they liked. I resented turkey. For a long time, I hated turkey. I’ve kind of gotten over it.
I have been a frequent air traveler since I was a few months shy of my sixth birthday, when my parents packed me off to boarding school two plane rides away from home. Those days of being willingly handed from air hostess to air hostess as an ‘unaccompanied minor’ made me blase about the rigors of air travel.
Sinatra invited me once to his birthday party in L.A. I was young, and I felt great about it. But when I got there, the Rat Pack were all in the kitchen laughing their heads off.
My first paying job might have been doing a play, actually. My mom paid me to dress up as a flounder at my sister’s ‘Little Mermaid’ – themed birthday party when I was little.
I told my father I wanted to play the banjo, and so he saved the money and got ready to give me a banjo for my next birthday, and between that time and my birthday, I lost interest in the banjo and was playing guitar.
I enjoy the celebration of my birthday as much as anyone else does, but I always remember to start my day thanking my mom because she did most of the work the day I came into the world, not to mention all she has done throughout my life that has contributed so much to the woman I am today.
If you’ve been running a business for 38 years, you’re approaching your 66th birthday, you’ve never owed a man a penny or done anyone any grievance in your life, and you feel hard done-by and try to protect yourself and your family, but go to prison, well if that’s the society we’re living in, I’m happy to accept that.
I got my first tennis racket on my seventh birthday. And because we had a tennis court in our backyard, I played every day. By ten I was playing competitively.
About astrology and palmistry: they are good because they make people vivid and full of possibilities. They are communism at its best. Everybody has a birthday and almost everybody has a palm.
I used to go to musicals every birthday – that was my birthday present. We’d go to London, me and my two brothers and mum and dad. I think I saw ‘Mamma Mia’ about five times.
I like to keep my birthday very relaxed.
I had a ‘Cats’ phase, where I did lots of overturned furniture and trash cans. I asked for a fog machine for my birthday.
We didn’t have a whole lot of money when I was growing up either. I would always ask for magic books or magic tricks for my birthday or for Christmas and the rest of the year I either had to mow lawns or find part time jobs to help supplement the cost of doing magic.
I’ve got some incredible fans actually – so loyal and they make me birthday cards and Christmas cards. I got this package of poems and artwork based around the songs. They’ve got this thing called ‘Floetry’ where they all have to put in artwork. They’ve set up their own competitions and stuff which is kind of amazing.
Having a Mary Poppins-themed birthday party when I was 5 – all my friends went in dresses, and I went as a chimney sweep. I was a real tomboy.
I was very aware of Jeff Buckley. My brother actually bought me The Mamas And The Papas and Jeff Buckley for my birthday when I was in my early teens.
There’s video footage of my 10th birthday where I’m wearing, like, a little pink T-shirt. Then my dad comes in brandishing a copy of ‘Eraserhead,’ going, ‘Look what we’ve got for tonight!’
I was born full grown in the middle of a hurricane and an earthquake on 10 September 1954, 12.52 P.M. When I found out that I had missed lunch, I gave such a shout that the Earth stopped and spun backwards two days. That’s why I celebrate my birthday on 8 September.
For my 10th birthday, what I wanted was Beatle boots and a Beatle wig. My parents couldn’t find Beatle boots, but down at the dime store, Woolworths or someplace, they found a Beatle wig!
On my birthday, I was in Milan for the collections.
Cherish all your happy moments; they make a fine cushion for old age.
I remember when the candle shop burned down. Everyone stood around singing ‘Happy Birthday.’
I must have been yearning for some Jewish content beyond my genetic makeup because soon after my 21st birthday, I noticed I was no longer dating WASPs.
If you can give your child only one gift, let it be enthusiasm.
I have got a vintage Omega 1949 watch I love… It was a present that I got for my birthday.
I intend to live forever. So far, so good.
If you believe in romance, and if you believe in marriage, you also have to believe in divorce. It’s like, with ‘Getting On,’ a lot of people say, ‘I don’t want to watch that. It’s so dark.’ But you can’t just want to go to weddings and children’s birthday parties. You’ve got to witness it all.
I turned away from bikes when I got a bambino kart for my seventh birthday and started doing some karting, just around some cones at home, but I didn’t think at that point I knew I wanted to go into F1, it was more just for fun.
I was forced to live far beyond my years when just a child, now I have reversed the order and I intend to remain young indefinitely.
Jewellery’s not a big thing for me. The only thing I wear is a gold cross on a chain that I got for my 21st birthday. You have to take it off every day for filming, but that’s the only time I’m not wearing it. You won’t find me in rings, bracelets or earrings.
I had a happy childhood in the suburbs of L.A. My parents instilled in us an appreciation of history, art and, most important, Motown. Jarron and I weren’t allowed to listen to rap until we were 12. After our birthday I dashed to Target and bought DJ Quik’s album ‘Quik Is the Name.’ I memorized every line.
I often go to bed in my birthday suit. But I like teddies and cute little undies that match. I like a sexy bra and panty set, or little shorts.
I was only 16 when I was selected for ‘Madrasapattinam.’ I celebrated my 17th birthday on the set of the film. That was the first time I had travelled to India, and it was a rollercoaster ride. I soon fell in love with the country.
I get asked, on a sort of daily basis, ‘It’s my wife’s 30th birthday, can you set her a task?’
I reflected a lot, I thought a lot on my 50th birthday. It has been one of the most important birthdays in my life, not in terms of celebration but in terms of retrospect.
At her birthday, my seven-year-old daughter will say that she wants these big cakes and certain expensive toys as presents, and I can’t say no to her. It would just break my heart. But when I was little, for birthdays we just played outside and we were happy if we got any cake.
I tend to foster drama via bleakness. If I want the reader to feel sympathy for a character, I cleave the character in half, on his birthday. And then it starts raining. And he’s made of sugar.
Fans are always going out of their way and doing so much, be it my birthday or any festival or occasion or most of the time nothing at all and there couldn’t be a better way than connecting with them personally and giving them access to my world.
I did drama at school and when I was doubling Xena, one time for my birthday mom and dad bought me an acting course ’cause I’ve always liked the performance side of anything.
Presents don’t really mean much to me. I don’t want to sound mawkish, but – it was the realization that I have a great many people in my life who really love me, and who I really love.
I love the big fresh starts, the clean slates like birthdays and new years, but I also really like the idea that we can get up every morning and start over.
I was fired by ‘America’s Next Top Model’ on my birthday.
The first comic book I ever read was an issue of ‘Legion of Super-Heroes’ where the earth was surrounded by all of these chains. I remember the cover; I got it at a birthday party.
