Standup Quotations

Podcasts feature comedians being as funny as they can be in a non-censored situation. It's really akin to standup in a way. When you go see a comedian in standup, that is the most pure, unadulterated form of their art.

When I started doing standup when I was 17, I was talking about being Indian and specifically ethnic jokes. Straightforward stuff that was fairly ignorant that I knew would get the laugh. It wasn't flipping stereotypes; it was using them.

Whether it's writing a monologue or writing standup or writing a screenplay or writing a play, I think staying involved in the creation of your own work empowers you in a way, even if you don't ever do it. It gives you a sense of ownership and a sense of purpose, which I think as an actor is really important.

Over the years, I've realized that I have as much in common with the performance artist, the standup comedian, the screenwriter, as I do with the theologian. I'm in an odd world where I make things and share them with people.

When I became a standup comic, my hero, one of them, was Richard Pryor, and you know, I think that comedians, like, comedians talk about hacks, and what a hack is, is someone who does stuff that's not original.

My mom ending up passing away, and I got really depressed and didn't have money for therapy, and so I started doing standup to cope with my mom's death.

Actors, you have to wait for people to give you work, or you have to make your own stuff. But standup, I could just say, 'I want to do standup in 30 minutes,' and I can go do standup. Or I could just say, 'I want to do standup in a few weeks in this city.'

The demand for standup in the eighties was created by how easy it was to exploit 'comedians' and create very cheap television programming.

People see me on the 'Daily Show' or 'About a Boy'. But the reality is that I only got into this business to do standup comedy.

In my standup work, I always do these characters, older people who are just off to the side. It's easier to write a story about the guy who made it to the top, but the middle is so much more interesting, so much more murky.

I first did standup at a lesbian bar. I didn't know it was a lesbian bar at the time, but the lesbians loved me. I was huge among the lesbians and am to this day. I'm thrilled with the lesbian support.

I did standup for a lot of years, too, but when you come out as a standup, you get the feeling from a crowd - it's a kind of a 'make me laugh' attitude. But when you come out as an improvisor, they realize that they're suggesting everything you do. So they're already invested in the scene, and they actually want it to work.

When you're a standup comic, you get up and you try stuff, and you're always kind of seeing how far you can push things.

Standup really is a young man's game, a single young man's game. Even when I was younger, when I wasn't single, it was hard to be on the road because you go through relationships because your girlfriend kinda got tired of you being gone.

Unlike 'Deal or No Deal,' which is for the entire family, my standup is not for the entire family.

I don't enjoy writing newspaper articles any more than people like reading them. I'm a standup comic, not a journalist, although sometimes onstage I will say: 'What else is in the news?' Writing is work, which I'm not comfortable with.

It's weird because standup can be like therapy. Comedians can't be satisfied with just having fun with our friends. We've got to figure out a way to do it on stage.

Standup keeps me grounded and keeps me in touch. I get to go from small towns to big cities, across Canada and the U.S., and you're out there and talking to people. You get a sense of what they respond to.

Standup is a form of therapy. It is OK to tell problems to your audience as long as you are being honest and not boring them. I tell them that I am saving $75 an hour when I talk to them instead of a therapist.

I guess there's enough information out there to support that I'm a crazy, wild dude and rock and roll and this, that and the other. And there's enough information to support that, you know, I'm a single father, that, you know, has been a pretty standup guy in his community and pretty private about that stuff.

When I was in New York, I got to see Joan Rivers do an hour of material, and it blew my mind. I don't remember how old she was at the time, but she just had this edgy hour that had so much funny stuff in it, and she was so fearless. If you only watch her on the red carpet, you don't get a sense of what a legendary standup comedian she is.

Obviously, we brought him in here to be one of our starters. He has a leg up right now. He's a standup guy. I need him to stand up in the clubhouse. Be who you are. I'm not asking anyone to be any different. I'm asking to be who you are. Don't be afraid to say something if you want to say something. It's your clubhouse. It's your team.

I have a problematic relationship with some of Michael Moore's work. There's no such job as a standup journalist.

He is a standup guy. He handled all the pressure and everything well. He took it and was humble about it.

He's a standup man's man, and he's one of those guys you don't want to cross. He gives us direction, and that's all we really lacked.

I was a standup comic, which doesn't necessarily mean you interact with people all that much. In fact when I did shows, I wouldn't talk to the audience very much. Then my friend offered me a radio show, and I thought, you know, I'll try talking to people and see what kind of interviewer I was.

I think in 2006 we will introduce another Perrier. Some people want an international award, to separate the British from others, and others still want a pure standup award, with no slides or sketch comedy. It's my job now to canvass opinion as to what it should be.

I think in 2006 we will introduce another Perrier, ... Some people want an international award, to separate the British from others, and others still want a pure standup award, with no slides or sketch comedy. It's my job now to canvass opinion as to what it should be.

When we started, we literally rolled wheelchairs on the ice. We had no idea it would become what it is today. I have two sons who play standup hockey. Watching these kids smile is just as rewarding as watching them.

The other aspect about Aaron McKie is anyone you talk to around the NBA, he is the consummate professional, he is a leader, a standup guy who brings a big defensive presence to the court. He?s solid all the way around on and off the court. They just don?t make them like Aaron McKie.

Other kids would sneak out of the house to go to parties and do untoward things. I was sneaking out to do standup downtown. It paid off.

'Deal or No Deal' works nicely with my ADD/ADHD symptoms. I show up, meet the contestants, and move around the set. I'm not stuck behind a pedestal reading trivia questions. I've always had problems sitting still and listening for long periods of time. The show spares me these challenges. I can live in the moment. It's like a standup act.

A weird sort of awareness set in, like, 'Wow. My standup isn't just separate from everything else I do anymore.' With Twitter and Face book, everything is universal that everything everybody says gets seen.

A lot of female comedians will go up there in a sweatshirt and Converses, trying to dress themselves down, because it is sort of a boy's club. I'll go up in my heels. I like that people don't think I'll be funny. I'll take that on. I don't do standup comedy - I do standup and I do comedy, but I don't go up there and do jokes.

I told Phil I don't want this to be a charity case or sentimental pick. That's not what Phil is about. He's a standup guy and he's going to be honest with me. This is what he wanted. He wanted me to be here and he wanted me to get an opportunity to play, because he thinks I can do something.

It's sleeker than an automated teller machine. It looks like a monolith from a 2010 movie. It's a standup piece bolted to the floor. You touch the screen and it takes off.

I never really saw myself as a standup comedian. I always just thought of myself as someone who used the eight minutes or 10 minutes she was allotted and had a blast.

I'll gladly put our top three finishers against North Tahoe's top three finishers. If we have standup runs, it will be an extremely tight race.

Gary was a real nice guy, a standup guy, fun to be with, ... He was a good guy. My kid worked with him; in fact, he worked with him only a couple of weeks ago.

If Drew takes clean runs this year she'll be a strong contender. With four standup runs she'll certainly bring back some hardware.