You realize that for all the shenanigans that go on in the big circus of politics, everybody wakes up and goes to work.
Lewis BlackRead
One of the interesting things about comedy is it's tension release, and nothing creates tension faster than anger.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Comedy acts as a way to relieve tension, often highlighting how anger can create that tension.
In this quote, Lewis Black reflects on the nature of comedy and its role in relieving emotional tension. He points out that comedy often stems from conflict and anger, suggesting that these intense emotions can be transformed into humor, allowing people to laugh and release their frustrations. This interplay between anger and laughter illustrates how comedy serves as a coping mechanism for the stresses of life.
Themes
ComedyTensionAngerHumorRelease
In practice
Example use cases
During a stand-up comedy show, the comedian can refer to this quote to explain the relationship between anger and laughter.
More from Lewis Black
All quotes βWhen I'm funny is when I'm angriest.
Lewis BlackRead
If you're going to vote for somebody because you think they have a great faith in God, you'd better be sure that God has faith in them.
Lewis BlackRead
I like my friends because they make me feel normal, even though I'm not.
Lewis BlackRead
I get an idea about something. I just start thinking about it, and then I get onstage and I talk about it, and then I think about it some more and talk about it some more, and think about it some more and talk about it some more, until it starts to take a shape.
Lewis BlackRead
Stand-up is the only thing in which you actually write it, act it and direct it simultaneously, so it's actually a great theater exercise.
Lewis BlackRead
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The people who must never have power are the humorless. To impossible certainties of rectitude they ally tedium and uniformity
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Whoever drinks beer, he is quick to sleep; whoever sleeps long, does not sin; whoever does not sin, enters Heaven! Thus, let us drink beer!
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If I'm doing something on stage, and it evokes an emotion, then I might show that emotion, but I also don't believe in being a preacher. If you have a point, that's a bonus. But the funny has to come first; otherwise, you shouldn't call yourself a comedian.
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Show me someone not full of herself and I'll show you a hungry person.
Nikki GiovanniRead
And when we take ourselves too seriously, we are grim about the brothers and sisters, especially the dissenting ones, and there will be no health in us and no healing humor.
Walter BrueggemannRead
You spend so much time in the world of virtual that the actual - which nothing is more actual than stand-up - it's a painful experience for the audience, and the comedian a lot of time - we miss that.
Jerry SeinfeldRead