When I'm funny is when I'm angriest.
I never got beaten up, because I was a wisecracking jokester. I could make a bully laugh before he delivered a punch.
I've always been part of comedy. One of the things about our family was that if we were reasonably funny with each other, particularly my two brothers and myself, when my father was upset with something you'd want to make sure in some way you made him laugh. Because when he didn't laugh, you were in trouble!
I think my resignation was the only way to avoid bloodshed.
If I don't agree with something, I let people know, and it occasionally leads to tension. But I usually iron things out.
I never engage negatively with reviewers. If someone says something that enrages me, I do what I do on stage. I make a joke about myself and move on. Sometimes people say things that are manifestly wrong or even apparently malicious. That's fine, too. It's a response.
Often, joking for me is a way of diffusing the awkwardness of a situation, so it's kind of exhilarating to be a part of projects where there's nothing funny or lighthearted.
If I'm in an uncomfortable situation, I think I can say something funny to defuse it. Sometimes you can't.
Our humor turns our anger into a fine art.
When we can find some humor in our upsets, they no longer seem as large or as important as they once did.
If you can't ignore an insult, top it; if you can't top it, laugh it off; and if you can't laugh it off, it's probably deserved.
People complain that joking about serious subjects is 'making light' of them. Isn't that a good idea? Comedy lets the air out of the bully's tires.
If I'm at a book signing, and someone decides to take me to task, it can make for quite a sticky moment.
I learned early in life that laughter is a great way to diffuse and uncomfortable situation, so I began to use that as a tool, throughout my life.
We've all had those phone conversations. Things are heated, you're in a position where you're gonna say something nasty. Instead, you say, "Oh, I've got that thing in the oven." Lie. Get off the phone. Don't perpetuate a bad situation.
My mum had this amazing ability to deflect things, and from an early age, I knew what I was not supposed to talk about.
So that's kind of like how I was, even body guarding with guys I was more of a talker and ran my mouth and smiled and stuff and it kept people off, especially if a guy's is fired up and you're laughing at him or smiling or winking at him it just messes with their mind.
I defuse everything I can with it. Humor is such a great shield.
I used comedy to deflect a lot of situations; if you make someone laugh, they don't want to punch you in the face.
I'm not a confrontational person in real life, so I really don't wanna get into arguments or fistfights with people I'm making fun of.
There will always be criticism, but I remained calm and relaxed.
There are times when there's been some discontent and muttered threats from audience members. I take no notice, and in any case, I always have John Carroll around to deflect unpleasantness.
When I was younger, I used humour as a tool to avoid getting too serious with people - if there was deep emotional stuff going on, then I would crack a joke to defuse the situation.
I think it's funny to be delicate with subjects that are explosive.
