"Don’t get caught up in the passing debates in the field. In other words, try to think originally about your subjects. I always recall a Miles Davis quote in which he says if he had to do it all over again, he would not listen to any music. Now that’s preposterous, but his larger point is once you’ve learned the clichés, it’s hard to forget them. If you want to do something truly original, you need to keep your distance."