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.
Interpretation
To succeed in stand-up comedy, one must be resilient to criticism and tough enough to handle challenges.
This quote by Bill Bailey emphasizes the importance of resilience in the field of stand-up comedy. It suggests that performing in front of an audience comes with risks, including potential heckling and criticism. A comedian must develop a 'thick skin' to endure negative remarks and continue thriving in such a competitive environment, highlighting the need for psychological toughness in artistic endeavors.
In practice
Use this quote during a comedy workshop to encourage new comedians.
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.
There's nothing grimmer than the tragedy that wears a comic mask.
My method is to take the utmost trouble to find the right thing to say, and then to say it with the utmost levity.
It was sad, like those businessmen who came to work in serious clothes but wore colorful ties in a mad, desperate attempt to show there was a free spirit in there somewhere.
Surveys show that the #1 fear of Americans is public speaking. #2 is death. That means that at a funeral, the average American would rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy.
The Navy is a master plan designed by geniuses for execution by idiots. If you're not an idiot, but find yourself in the Navy, you can only operate well by pretending to be one.
I'm not into those kind of rivalries. I remember standing out in front of Stratford, minding my own business. Carload of about eighty kids would pull up: 'STRATFORD SUCKS!' Am I supposed to run after these guys? I'd just stand there, you know. They'd back up. 'STRATFORD SUCKS! ...STRATFORD SUCKS!' I'd say, 'I know. I go there. You're wasting gas, man.
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