Kristen Schaal Quotes

TV is easier: it's all planned out for you and the audience is there to see a show and they are all pumped up but when you are in a comedy club, you have to be really funny to win them over.

The great thing about a sitcom is that you're in front of a live audience, so you really get in touch with what audience reaction is, but also there are lots of elements of film that you're dealing with, and there's kind of a great boot camp or graduate school mentality to it, because you're going to suck.

TV is easier: it's all planned out for you, and the audience is there to see a show and they are all pumped up, but when you are in a comedy club, you have to be really funny to win them over. To me, that's more pure.

Doing stand-up takes the fun out of being funny.

Before doing my first open mic, I was sitting in the back watching all these comedians banter back and forth and fire jokes and up each other, and I thought, 'This is where I wanna be.'

I think the challenge is going out in front of a paying audience with absolutely nothing and trying to entertain them for two hours. Thankfully, I only think about that right before we go on, and then once we're out there, everything's fine.

It takes many years to be a great comedian.

The only way to stay sharp is to do live shows. There is no part-time comedy.

When you start out, it sometimes feels like you're fighting audiences every night just to prove that you're funny.

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

If you haven't truly died a million times as a comic you haven't gigged enough!

When I started out in stand-up, I was already used to speaking in front of people, how to project, control my voice - a lot of learning curves I had overcome.

I wasn't properly performing in Canada. I was just starting out, and when everyone starts out, they're terrible. I'm sure there are some Kellyanne Conway videos of me just really dying on a stage.

Getting to prove yourself in a room that's not your typical demo is an experience every comic should try. It makes you better.

I've learnt that from stand-up - you should always worry that it's going to go badly, otherwise you're too laissez faire.

When I was in third grade I taught myself ventriloquism... What's hard is to learn to be an entertainer and make people laugh. I was a few years out of college before I felt I had enough material. Then in 1988 I moved to L.A. and started to do some shows at comedy clubs.

I wish I had the guts and talent to be a good comedian. I love the idea of it, yet I'm terrified of it. I'd also love to play music in front of people.

I could never do stand-up because it's that thing of having to get up on stage. And out of every 10 jokes you tell, nine of them have to get a really good response.

The truth is, I had always wanted to be a comedian, but I really didn't have that kind of personality, and it's a terrifying thing to say.

You can't be a proper comic unless you've been out on stage and felt the fear.

I did comedies for 10 years and I learned a great deal.

I'm not a stand up at all, it's such a fear of mine. My sister does it, and she's really great at it.

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 read somewhere that when I go on stage, people realize that they're not me and they feel better. When I walk off the stage, people know who I really am. I'm not saying it's great comedy, cool comedy or better comedy - but that's what I do, and I do it first for myself.

I haven't really done a lot of comedy. It's something that terrifies me.