BARON VAUGHN

I think we have a lot to learn from ancient cultures and different tribes.

When things get stressful and crazy and you think to yourself, 'When will this get easier?' it won't, because that's what a career feels like.

Anxiety is your creativity turned into a weapon that you use to beat yourself up. And this is because anxiety is mostly storytelling - repeating poisonous stories that you've inherited from others. It feeds on your fear.

When I'm watching Tom Servo, I don't feel like I'm in my own body; I'm just reacting and saying what the character in front of me would say.

The name of my first comedy album was 'Raised by Cable.' Coming up and watching all of these weird movies on different channels was such an influence on me and an influence on how I do standup. It informs everything I do.

My first impression of Jane Fonda was she is a queen. She is royalty. She walks into the room - any room - and has this presence about her that demands respect.

In this age of the Internet, if you are going to go see someone, you usually look them up first. It can be an advantage and disadvantage. Most of the time, people can Google you and see a couple clips and say, 'Oh I am going to go.' They can kind of co-sign off on you.

It seems that people are tired of everyone looking the same on television. And this seems especially true for white people. Even white people are tired of watching the same white people. That's why we've been importing them from Australia.

In a way, you just can't predict a perfect movie for 'MST3K.'

In other places, especially in Boston, it's like a place where comedy gestates. People come out of there that are fantastic, but you have to come to New York or L.A. to quote unquote 'make it.'

When it comes to politics, comedians read between the lines and see hypocrisies and half-truths. And we report those things to regular people who go, 'I noticed that, too!' or 'You're right, that doesn't make sense!'

I think any good standup or actor is part philosopher, part psychologist and sociologist, because you're constantly recreating behaviors.

I had a gentleman steal or 'misplace' - I guess I should say 'allegedly' - a lot of money from me. It didn't make any sense when it was happening, because I just didn't understand why I didn't have any money. I was a perfect mark because I had all of this shame and insecurity about money.

As long as the world keeps spinning, I'll keep riffing.

I'm a big fan of PlayStation 4. I like watching movies, TV shows, comedy specials, and listening to comedy albums and music. I'm also a big fan of getting coffee with a friend or catching up on the phone with people I've known for years, people who keep me grounded, who knew me before.

What I am trying to do is create a space for people to explore what they want to be, as opposed to fit into a label that they have been given.

Here's the best place that people can find me: go to this website called Google, and then type my name into it. So much stuff.

One time, I was really close to Steve Martin. I was too afraid to actually go talk to him, but I'll count that as meeting.

I guarantee you that Leonardo Prince is doing nothing but listening to the 'Tron: Legacy' soundtrack on loop. And he's probably seen 'Tron: Legacy' twice, or three times. And the other two times, he's taken people who he thinks are important to him, and judged by their reaction to see if he should still be friends with them or not.

Standup led me to acting because I liked standup, and I saw people on a stage, and the closest, nearest thing to me was doing plays. It was like, that's the same thing as standup - people are on a stage; they're being seen and saying things - so, because of my love of standup, I moved towards acting.

You can't erase Bill Cosby's contributions. That's the conflict. He's one of the most influential comedians of all time, and 'The Cosby Show' is one of the most influential sitcoms ever. When I watched as a kid, I wanted Cliff to be my dad. Everybody did.

If you live with a certain amount of dread for your own personal safety every day, that is anxiety.

In New Mexico, my local church did a nativity play, and I was cast as Wise Man #3. Of course, Wise Man #3 had no damn lines. Wise Man #1 had all the lines! I stood there thinking, 'I could do that role so much better!' From that moment on, I knew I wanted to be an actor.

With storytelling, you have to see yourself as the hero in the movie of your own life, and I kind of see myself as a supporting role, a walk-on role that has five lines. I say, 'Mr. President, the Russians are here.' That's how I see myself.

I've always been a comedy nerd, and 'Partners in Crime' was probably more influential for me than anything else because it was not only standup, but Robert Townsend had those short films.