You have to have a thick skin, yes. If you're going to do something as foolhardy as standup, you've got to be able to take it on the chin if someone has a go at you.
Interpretation
To succeed in stand-up comedy, one must be resilient to criticism and tough enough to handle challenges.
This quote by Bill Bailey emphasizes the importance of resilience in the field of stand-up comedy. It suggests that performing in front of an audience comes with risks, including potential heckling and criticism. A comedian must develop a 'thick skin' to endure negative remarks and continue thriving in such a competitive environment, highlighting the need for psychological toughness in artistic endeavors.
In practice
Use this quote during a comedy workshop to encourage new comedians.
It's a lovely moment when everyone's part of something greater than the sum of its parts. That encapsulates what a comedy gig should be, with the comic as the lightning rod, the Norse mischief god, getting the audience to do something they wouldn't necessarily do.
I always take Scotch whiskey at night as a preventive of toothache. I have never had the toothache; and what is more, I never intend to have it.
I hasten to laugh at everything, for fear of being obliged to weep.
There are women named Faith, Hope, Joy, and Prudence. Why not Despair, Guilt, Rage, and Grief? It seems only right. 'Tom, I'd like you to meet the girl of my dreams, Tragedy.' These days, Trajedi.
Gentlemen, Chicolini here may talk like an idiot, and look like an idiot, but don't let that fool you: he really is an idiot. I implore you, send him back to his father and brothers, who are waiting for him with open arms in the penitentiary. I suggest that we give him ten years in Leavenworth, or eleven years in Twelveworth.
No louder shrieks to pitying heaven are cast, When husbands or lap-dogs breathe their last.
Right now I’m having amnesia and déjà vu at the same time. I think I’ve forgotten this before.
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