(continued)

I'm kind of bifurcated on it. Hypocrite that I am, I don't have a computer. But my assistant uses the computer, so I'll say to her, "I wonder if you can find out the following things," so I get the benefits of it and I get to delude myself that I'm not a whore to the 21st century.

Do you watch television?
I don't. We got kids, you know. We work hard, come home, and by the time the kids are asleep we have time to read a couple pages of a book.

Do your kids watch television?
They watch television, yeah. And they're always on the computer. I'm always telling them to get off the computer. My wife is always saying, "Dave, Dave, hush, did you watch television when you were a kid?" And I said, "Yeah, all day, every day."

What do you think about living in Los Angeles?
I like it here. I like living here. I like working here. Hollywood is a dreadful place to visit, but it's a great place to live.

What do you mean by that? That's funny because so many people who don't like it here haven't spent enough time in Los Angeles.
It's true. It's a different kind of city. And like any kind of change, our first reaction to it is, it's wrong. It's a city that's based on the automobile. That's the way it's laid out, but it's a wonderful city. I was talking to Gore Vidal and he said, "You know, the best [in every field], the best people in the world are here in Los Angeles." I thought about it for a while and I said, "That's true." Greatest teachers of anything you want to find, greatest minds with artists, sculptors ... all the great actors are here.

People complain that L.A. just isn't interesting.
You know what it is—it's not interesting to visit 'cause you don't know where to go. But there are wonderful webs of people and associations of people in Los Angeles. You get in your car and you go here or there. Finally, it's not that much different from getting in the subway and going here or getting there. One of the things that's marvelous about L.A., which is really unfortunately becoming unique in America, is it's a working town.

Some people don't have that perception, maybe because the weather makes it seem as though it's so carefree and there is no character to the city. The car culture and the weather make people think there is no heart or that it is too easy a life, as if you almost need a little more hardship in daily life.
I think that's a bunch of bullshit. There's enough hardship in daily life. You've gotta go looking for it? If you turn down your head, nobody's going to say to themselves, "My life is too easy. Thank God it's 40 degrees below."

READ MORE
• AVENUE STEW: The star of Passing Strange talks to Radar about Broadway, breakups, and The Negro Problem
• SNAP JUDGMENTS: X17 co-owner Brandy Navarre on paparazzi principles, and why she just might be Britney's best friend
• Today's Top Stories