Get into it – because they can tell
Jerry Seinfeld: "Comedy is about how into it the person up on stage is."
Q: Will you still be working on stage into your 70s and 80s, like so many other classic comics? You don’t seem to be able to not do stand-up.
A: As long as you have energy and you have stuff that’s fresh. Comedy is about how into it the person up on stage is. Are they into it, or just kind of picking up some cash on the weekend and they’re not that into it? That’s all you care about. The great thing about stand up is if you’re not into it, the audience smells it instantly and they turn right off, so there is a truth in that. That’s the real truth in stand-up: they know if you’re into it or not. Which is the same as sports. When you see a player run onto the field everybody knows if this player’s on their game or not. It’s not like in acting or music or many other fields. But in stand-up and sports the whole place knows if they’re on their game or not.
Chicago! I’ll be headlining Zanies on 11/22. Tickets here.