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.
God bless our good and gracious King, Whose promise none relies on; Who never said a foolish thing, Nor ever did a wise one.
From here on in, Harry, I may be as woefully wrong as Humphrey Belcher who believed the time was ripe for a cheese cauldron.
I was in analysis. I was suicidal. As a matter of fact, I would have killed myself, but I was in analysis with a strict Freudian and if you kill yourself they make you pay for the sessions you miss.
That woman speaks eighteen languages, and can't say 'No' in any of them.
If you work on a comedy show, your basic form of communication is teasing. That's generally how we speak to each other: you communicate the information between the lines of insulting sentences.
I've just read that I am dead. Don't forget to delete me from your list of subscribers.
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