Brian Stokes Mitchell Quotes

The greatest benefit of being a solo performer is that it is seriously frightening, but at the same time very empowering. It's just you and the audience. All the weight is on you to deliver the songs.

In standup, it's just you. You're your own writer, your own critic, your own director, and it's never the same. You really don't always have it down. Your continue to learn, you continue to risk, and I really love it.

You can get bored up there on stage, night after night. But it's an open forum where you can get away with almost anything, so you might as well do it.

Once you sit in front of people and start playing songs, it's all on you. No matter what happens, it's entirely your responsibility the entire time. I like that intensity.

So much about getting onstage is creating a connection with an audience that allows you to go different places and try different things.

One of the great things that I loved about doing solo - which I ended up doing because I was too shy to ever try out for bands back in the day - I could sit there with a list of songs and 'paint away' for the show.

You know, back in acting school they always teach you, 'Make bold choices and look for activities that are interesting.'

I think if you're an actor you kind of have to be willing to look stupid.

Nothing makes an actor feel freer and more inventive and more creative than being trusted.

When I'm on stage by myself, I don't have to think about anything. I don't have to worry about anything because I'm not responsible for anything except just opening my mouth and making sure music comes out.

Acting is really about having the courage to fail in front of people.

I think I'm actually much too shy to do any performance art. I admire the big swings those guys take, but I'm not a one-man band.

I love people who go on stage and blossom like a weird flower.

I think actually performing on stage when everyone's facing you and you're one person facing them, that is quite a lonely thing in a strange way. You have to be quite insular from everybody else, you've got thousands of people staring at you and you're just on your own.

Playing live is closer to theatre, although when you're up there on your own, it's quite scary and revealing because you're playing your own songs. It's like a one man show that you've written yourself.

It's a privilege to act, and you have to protect and cherish it.

Every three days on average, I am alone on stage, facing the public.

I've said numerous times that I play to have a stage that people will listen to, and I pray to God that I do right by my influence.

I guess there's this mind shift that happens once you're on stage. I don't know, chemicals, something happens and you just... I just become completely in control of where I am. And it's all about trusting the people that you're on the stage with, listening... and it just falls into place really easily.

There's something interesting about playing live; you're in the moment, and I think it would be beneficial.

What is exciting is taking back the excitement of being able to debut something to an audience in exactly the way you want to.

I did things with the microphone stand that no-one else has attempted to do.

I wanted to make a film as an artist, and it's going to have to find an audience, you know. I don't know how big the audience will be.

Carefully execute every instruction given to you by the director, producer, and studio. But that would be a life not worth living.

I don't like going for more than a year without doing theatre. I don't mind falling flat on my face so long as I feel I'm open to the possibility of something extraordinary happening.