what has kept [stephen] trask going is what he calls his nonmonetary "trust fund," the reservoir of confidence and fearlessness that his parents, a therapist and an auto parts salesman, instilled in him. without it, he says, he would have quit at 28, when his health collapsed from overwork, sleeplessness and hard living. his pragmatic brand of optimism is distilled in a maxim he once heard on the radio: "even though it's not true, you have to think of the world as being run by a conspiracy of you and your friends."

- stephen holden, "the other half of hedwig is film's hottest composer," new york times september 21, 2003