I always play these rodent type characters - skittish and hyper like a chipmunk. It's a complete act though. I'm a very normal person.
Being in a multicultural environment in childhood is going to give you intuition, reflexes and instincts. You may acquire basic responsiveness later on, but it's never going to be as spontaneous as when you have been bathing in this environment during childhood.
It is from the blues that all that may be called American music derives its most distinctive character.