Scott Simon: I hope you don't mind me asking. There is a shadow of suicide in your family line, between your grandfather, your father, your niece Margo. You read all kinds of speculation as to a genetic basis, chemical basis, a genetic basis that gets aggravated by chemicals... mostly meaning alcohol. Is it depression? Is it circumstance? I just wonder if you have any thoughts on that you wouldn't mind sharing.

Patrick Hemingway: I'm not really competent to say. I will say this though. There's a tendency in the public to want to endow all geniuses with some sort of madness. I think it must be envy on their part.

-- Weekend Edition, June 28, 2008