You have to have a thick skin, yes. If you're going to do something as foolhardy as standup, you've got to be able to take it on the chin if someone has a go at you.
Bill BaileyRead
It's a lovely moment when everyone's part of something greater than the sum of its parts. That encapsulates what a comedy gig should be, with the comic as the lightning rod, the Norse mischief god, getting the audience to do something they wouldn't necessarily do.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True comedy creates a unified experience where individuals come together as part of something larger.
Bill Bailey's quote emphasizes the essence of live comedy as a collective experience, where the audience, led by the comedian, engages in shared joy and spontaneity. The idea of being part of something greater than oneself highlights the transformative power of laughter and the connections formed in that moment, reminiscent of participating in a communal event where barriers are momentarily dissolved.
Themes
ComedyAudienceLaughterUnityPerformance
In practice
Example use cases
During a comedy show, the comedian can remind the audience of their collective experience and bring them together.
More from Bill Bailey
All quotes →Similar quotes
Sometimes if something is entertaining and amusing, people tend to think that it doesn't have the depth of something that's dramatic. I don't think that's true.
T. C. BoyleRead
Dad: Honey, have you seen my glasses? I can"t find them. Mom: I haven't seen them. Calvin: (with glasses, to Dad) Calvin, go do something you hate! Being miserable builds character!
Bill WattersonRead
I said it in Hebrew—I said it in Dutch— I said it in German and Greek; But I wholly forgot (and it vexes me much) That English is what you speak!
Lewis CarrollRead
I was in analysis. I was suicidal. As a matter of fact, I would have killed myself, but I was in analysis with a strict Freudian and if you kill yourself they make you pay for the sessions you miss.
Woody AllenRead
You have two choices, two paths to take as a comedian. You can tackle the difficult subjects and be harsh about it, be brash, be abrasive. But adding hatred to racism is not going to help everybody. So I like to have fun around it.
Trevor NoahRead
There is little success where there is little laughter.
Andrew CarnegieRead