Stand-up comedy is a science. Every comedian is a psychology major, naturally.
I wanted to do a show based on what my life would be like if I had never become a comedian.
I wanted to be a tragedienne. I only wanted sad parts. When mother read the press notices when I was on the road, saying I was a 'comedienne,' the tears rolled down my cheeks. I thought comedians had to have black on their faces, or red beards.
I'm a comedian, for God's sake. Viewers shouldn't trust me. And you know what? They're hip enough to know they shouldn't trust me. I'm just doing stand-up comedy.
The comedians all finished their acts with a song. They would get a certain amount of money from the song publishers and would use that money to pay the writers. None of them paid very much for their comedy material, but it all added up.
George Carlin was great right up to the end of his life. But Richard Pryor was probably the best, most gifted stand-up comedian who will ever live.
The comedians I liked were Bill Cosby and Steven Wright, like just always as a comedic actor. I always liked Gary Larson, who's really funny for a cartoonist, obviously.
Comedians by and large are some of the most sensitive people on earth. Even if they're socially callous.
It's annoying when people do that so-called comedians impression of me when it's stupid nonsense.
I would say most comedians have a very cynical worldview of the way the world can work. It's almost like if you didn't, you couldn't be a comedian.
I never wanted to churn it out. Comedians tend to work all the time. They never put it down like musicians who might make an album then take three or four years off to recharge their batteries. Comedians tend to work straight through and they get stale because of that. Even when I didn't have a lot of money I never ever did it unless I had something new to say.
Outside of performing, (a comedian) is someone who is analyzing life, thinking about it and trying to be observing so much. In my opinion, it can make you feel on the outside looking in.
I think Flip Wilson is a brillant comedian.
I have worked with a great many comedians as opposed to comics, although I have worked with comics as well, I make the distinction.
It was a decision to work clean. I just prefer to work that way. I have no problem with comedians who don't work that way. There was a temptation in the early '70s to reconsider. I decided against it.
I really don't know what makes a comedian. I think it's a family background and environment. Yet if you put the same ingredients in another person, he may never utter a funny line.
For some comedians it feels so cool to be like: 'I'll say anything, man!'. I'm not quite there yet.
I'm funny. I'm a comedian. I'm not a clown.
Whatever talent I had, I'm sure it helped that my parents were in the business and that I grew up around actors, comedians and directors.
I do a lot of Vegas work and work with the comedians.
Really good comedians, you know, when they go on stage, they don't really care what the audience - they're fearless, you know? They're so comfortable that they don't care. They don't have that neediness where they need the laughs.
Disasters are funny to me. As a comedian you learn from failure, so I'm always trying to put myself in a situation that does not seem ideal for my comedy and see how it works.
I like seeing what the comedian thinks is funny, not just what they think I'll think is funny.
I'm not a comedian. I'm an actor who just happens to be funny on occasion.
Some of the best ideas I've gotten for my act have come from comedians and not magicians.
