I must admit I am nervous about getting Alzheimer's. Once it hits, I might tell my best joke and never know it.
Joan RiversRead
Comedy is learning to be funny, and you learn to be funny in small rooms with young audiences.
Interpretation
Comedy is a skill that is developed through practice in intimate settings.
In this quote, Joan Rivers emphasizes that the art of comedy relies on the experiences gathered in small, intimate environments, particularly with young audiences. This suggests that learning and practicing in a close-knit setting allows comedians to understand their craft better, experiment with their humor, and connect with their audience on a personal level.
In practice
A comedian reflecting on their early career in a speech at a comedy festival.
I must admit I am nervous about getting Alzheimer's. Once it hits, I might tell my best joke and never know it.
"I've learned what's funny verbally ain't so funny on e-mail: They don't hear your intonations. Melissa broke up with somebody over that. She tried to tell him: "That was a joke!" But he just didn't get it. Mick Jagger said, "F- 'em if they don't get the joke." And I love him. That comes with age: Knowing it's their problem, not mine."
I enjoy life when things are happening. I don't care if it's good things or bad things. That means you're alive.
Life goes by fast. Enjoy it. Calm down. It's all funny.
Life is so tough. I don't know how old you are, but I've seen so much in a wink. One phone call and your life is changed forever. We all know that. You better laugh at everything.
I walk on a stage, and I know if it's been a good show or not. You know when it's been a good interview. No one has to tell you. You know it. You feel it. You can feel the air. You can feel everything about it when it's a good show. And you know when you've messed up.
The income tax has made liars out of more Americans than golf.
I heard that after you throw away a 'New York Times,' it takes over a hundred years for the lies to biodegrade.
Sometimes I lie awake at night thinking about all the dumb things I do every day... If I live to be eighty and I do ten dumb things each day... That would be about two hundred and ninety thousand dumb things... When you add up all the dumb things you do, it's best to use round figures.
If you ever start taking things too seriously, just remember that we are talking monkeys on an organic spaceship flying through the universe.
That's the kind of ad I like, facts, facts, facts.
I always say that I've been in a bad mood for maybe 35 years now. I try to lighten it up, but that's what comes out when you get me on camera.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.