Daniel Rigby Quotes

I've been doing stand-up since '89.

I did stand-up comedy for 18 years. Ten of those years were spent learning, four years were spent refining, and four years were spent in wild success. I was seeking comic originality, and fame fell on me as a byproduct. The course was more plodding than heroic.

Obviously those who burn to be professional jesters mean that they want to be successful comedians. And those are always an elite, microscopic portion of the population. But oh, how they try.

Over the years, I managed to develop this comedy career, went from opening act to headliner at comedy clubs, to playing concert halls, and had an off-Broadway show with 'Sleepwalk With Me.'

I wanted to make a living, but I really was not interested in money at all. I was interested in being a great comedian.

I had no desire to be a stand-up comic until I decided to do it.

For my first gig, I got $75. I could make money being funny, so I pursued it as a career and have turned it into a lucrative business.

It takes many years to be a great comedian.

I worked for the Comedy Store as an employee trying to become a paid regular. I had this dream of achieving a half hour special on TV.

I did not go into comedy to escape anything. I went into comedy because I had parents who thought it was a reputable way to earn a living.

People who want to do stand-up from the start - I mean that's an extremely self-centred thing to want, isn't it?

I can't claim to ever have done stand-up.

I knew at an early age that I wanted to pursue comedy.

I think I probably would have gone into stand-up.

Stand-up is still my job. That is the thing I wanted to get into when I was 21. You cannot beat the immediacy of it, making people laugh without any interruptions or edits.

My whole life, I knew that I was going to be funny for a living.

I started comedy in 2006. I didn't even think it was a thing I could do.

My intent when I moved to L.A. was to get in good with the comedy clubs and, eventually, try to break into Comedy Central and have my half hour special.

I love doing stand-up, and the more you do outside of stand-up to raise your profile, the better your stand-up becomes in terms of the quality of gigs.

You can succeed as a terrible director, but try doing that with stand-up: try being a terrible comedian and getting up on stage. The funny will win out very, very quickly.

I have always been a comedian - that has always been my job and it is what I want to do for a long time to come.

I never really watched much stand-up growing up. I just was not really that into it. But I can say I honestly fell in love with it the second I touched the microphone. It was like this weird thing where it's like, 'Oh, yeah, this is what I'm supposed to do.'

I was writing stand up comedy for TV for around 5 years and just wanted to attempt it myself. Vir Das started an amateur comedians' night in Bombay in 2009 and I went for the very first one. It was a competition and I won the first prize.

Every comic is taught that you're supposed to have a great seven-minute set and then get a sitcom. And I don't want to get the sitcom.

I think you're a comedian as soon as you start. I don't think there's a moment where you become a full comic.