Comedian Quotes - Page 24

• You must not be afraid of small bits of silence. To use it well is the height of confidence and skill for a comedian. It increases the tension in a good way and adds contrast like a curveball complements the fastball of a good pitcher.

  Franklyn Ajaye

  Confidence, Skills, Silence

  Franklyn Ajaye (2002). “Comic Insights: The Art of Stand-up Comedy”

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• An aspiring comedian must be determined to get to his or her true feelings on a subject and convey that to the audience. Figure out what you're feeling or interested in because the goal is to get the audience interested in what you're interested in. Good stand up comedy is drawing people into your head.

  Franklyn Ajaye

  Drawing, People, Goal

  Franklyn Ajaye (2002). “Comic Insights: The Art of Stand-up Comedy”

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• I don't think that comedians have a tradition of trashing the next generation.

  Franklyn Ajaye

  Thinking, Generations, Next

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• The fact is that really no comedian sets out to offend you. Some comics enjoy the challenge of taking a subject that is likely to be found offensive and trying to make it funny‚ but the object is still to make you laugh. Offense is only a calculated risk. It's highly unlikely that a comedian whose only goal was to repulse you would ever make it past an open-mic stage, far less build a long career of touring theatres and television appearances.

  Doug Stanhope

  Past, Careers, Long

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• I was scared to death because for the comics of my generation, HBO specials are like the pinnacle. I'm thinking of all these unbelievable comedians I've seen on HBO: Chris Rock, George Carlin, Damon Wayans, Richard Pryor and Billy Crystal. I started having a panic attack seeing my name in that list of people. It was pretty overwhelming.

  Bill Burr

  Thinking, Hbo, Rocks

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• At a time when public finances are under huge strain, we surely do not need to pay celebrities to wax lyrical to mandarins. Unless American comedians can make the Home Office fit for purpose, the taxpayer won't be laughing.

  Chris Huhne

  Home, Laughing, Office

  "Comic Ruby Wax runs workshops for Home Office staff". www.theguardian.com. March 22, 2010.

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• I couldn't tell people what I wanted to do because I was from Atlanta. You don't tell people you're gonna be a comedian in Atlanta. That means you ain't gonna do nothing.

  Chris Tucker

  Mean, Atlanta, People

  "Chris Tucker earns, dreams big". Interview with Jamie Allen, www.cnn.com. August 9, 2001.

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• I've been fortunate to work with good directors who understand improvisation and understand the way comedians work. Luke Basan let me do my thing like do what you feel and take the character to another level. Quentin Tarrantino was more of an acting coach. He can teach you beats and then hell say go with it but give this feeling. So I've been fortunate to work with good, seasoned directors.

  Chris Tucker

  Character, Giving, Feelings

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• So I kept it to myself. Then some of my classmates started to come down to the comedy club, taking a girl out, and they started finding out I was a stand-up comedian.

  Chris Tucker

  Girl, Clubs, Comedy

  "Chris Tucker earns, dreams big". Interview with Jamie Allen, www.cnn.com. August 9, 2001.

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• I knew that drinking and doing stand-up was going to make me less of an effective comedian. And I just had a lot invested in wanting to be a really good comedian and so I stopped for that reason.

  Greg Fitzsimmons

  Drinking, Reason

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• I don't know what it would be like to actually play guitar. I've toured with a lot of comedians and it's never been like it is for a rock band.

  Eugene Mirman

  Guitar, Play, Rocks

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• The truth is, for however much my stories come out of things that have happened to me, they're not darkly or as deeply personal as someone like Marc Maron or a lot of comedians, but they are essentially my life and my interpretation of it.

  Eugene Mirman

  Stories, Truth Is, Interpretation

  "The Erudite Absurdist: Eugene Mirman". Interview with Austin Nelson, www.interviewmagazine.com. September 20, 2011.

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• Yes, I'm known as America's most genuine comedian.

  Eugene Mirman

  America, Genuine, Known

  "The Erudite Absurdist: Eugene Mirman". Interview with Austin Nelson, www.interviewmagazine.com. September 20, 2011.

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• An offended audience member repeating a comedian's act from memory is worse than, literally, anything.

  Anthony Jeselnik

  Memories, Members, Audience

  Twitter post from Jul 11, 2012

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• You can't expect everyone to laugh or applaud you for doing edgy things. Sometimes you'll miss. But I think comedians are artists and there's a value in failure. It kind of works both ways between comedians and audiences. The audience has to understand that comedians are going to sometimes tell a joke that doesn't work out with dark subjects, and the comedian has to understand that sometimes they 'll fail and it's not the audience's fault for not getting it or loving it.

  Anthony Jeselnik

  Dark, Artist, Thinking

  Biography/Personal Quotes, www.imdb.com.

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• I'd like to help other comedians and when I get a little older I'd like to open up a nice comedy club that is straight classy, with a straight restaurant and a chef. The whole thing, red carpet, and treating people nice, for people to come back and have a good time. That's the kind of comedy club I want to open up.

  Bruce Bruce

  Nice, Helping Others, People

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• Now, I want to explain something to you guys. I don't have an ending joke, because I don't tell jokes. I tell real-life stories and make them funny. So, I'm not like the average comedian. They have an ending joke; they always holler Peace! I'm out of here, and walk off stage. So, basically, when I get through performing on stage, I just walk off.

  Bruce Bruce

  Real, Average, Guy

  "Bruce Bruce: Losin' It", Documentary, Comedy, www.imdb.com. February 26, 2011.

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• I don't do too many jokes about current affairs, because almost every comedian always does that.

  Bruce Bruce

  Doe, Affair, Currents

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• A lot of the comedians nowadays just do comedy as a stepping stone. Take for example Dane Cook. The guy is huge. The main reason he got into it is to do what he is doing now: film and television work.

  Gabriel Iglesias

  Guy, Example, Film And Television

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• That's one thing about my shows. I tell people, I'm not a comedian, I'm just a really funny reporter. I put my life out there and make it entertaining. By putting it out there, it helps me to deal with it, you know, so I don't snap and so I don't go off the handle when I get home.

  Gabriel Iglesias

  Home, People, Helping

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• I wanted to be a comedian, and this is what I'm doing. If I can keep this going, I'm happy.

  Gabriel Iglesias

  Wanted, I Can, Ifs

  Biography/Personal Quotes, www.imdb.com.

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• I never thought I'd be a comedian. But, growing up, I simply loved watching comedy. The '80s was huge for comedy in the US. Eddie Murphy blew me away with his film Delirious.

  Arj Barker

  Growing Up, Comedy, Film

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• It’s been a very old thing for people to gather together and laugh at stuff. The first comedian in America really was Abraham Lincoln. He used to go to a pub near where he lived and stand in front of the fire and he packed the place every night and he would just talk and bust everybody in their guts. He was just a hilarious speaker and that’s what he did.

  Louis C. K.

  Night, America, Fire

  "Quint chats with the Hilarious Louis C.K.!". Interview with Eric Vespe, www.aintitcool.com. January 31, 2010.

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• I wanted to be a comedian. I wanted to meet waitresses and felt that being a comedian was my best way to go about it and I was right.

  Dana Gould

  Way, Waitress, Wanted

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• A good competition for comedians would be where a comedian has a conversation and is then quizzed on what the other person says.

  Dana Gould

  Competition, Would Be, Conversation

  "10 hilarious tweets from the great Dana Gould" by Liana Maeby, uproxx.com. January 21, 2014.

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