Definitely. I kind of hate when I hear a performer who says they "never get nervous." I just don't believe that.

The first minute with Frank Sinatra - Jackie Gleason had arranged the interview for me, I was nervous. It was the first time I was nervous. But I got over it in a minute. And Frank eventually became a friend.

I was about to interview him at the Open Your Heart In Paradise retreat in Hawaii in front of the entire retreat. We were back stage and he looked up at me and smiled and I said "I'm so nervous!!!" and he said "Me too!!!!!!!" and we laughed and it was just the best. I miss him so much!

I think in the presence of a monster I get a little nervous, I think that's natural. To be humbled by someone who is "better" than you. I'm sure I make other comics nervous but all they have to do is say hi and be cool and I'll be cool. I should remember my own advice.

Definitely. I kind of hate when I hear a performer who says they "never get nervous." I just don't believe that.

Oh yeah. The thing is, you’re so scared, but every day you’re just dreaming of doing Conan or doing a special on Comedy Central, so when it comes, it’s terrifying but great. You know, as a guy you’re scared to have sex but you want it so bad, you do it. Also, as a comic, you realize how hard getting on TV is, that you’re not going to pass it up out of fear. When you’re at Conan behind the curtain waiting to go out, and they pull it open and say ‘you ready?’ you see the lights, the crowd—it’s crazy.

I was about to interview him at the Open Your Heart In Paradise retreat in Hawaii in front of the entire retreat. We were back stage and he looked up at me and smiled and I said "I'm so nervous!!!" and he said "Me too!!!!!!!" and we laughed and it was just the best. I miss him so much!

I used to have terrible stage fright, the best way to get over it is to just get onstage so much that it becomes second nature and not at all a big deal.

You have to really want it and/or believe deep down you can do it. And/or hit rock bottom with your alternate career choice. I was coming apart at college, sucking as a predental student, and I heard about a standup contest. I wrote an act and went for it, and if I had bombed I may have given up right then. Fortunately I won and the validation made me unstoppable, as far as knowing what I wanted to do from then on. Not that unfamiliar a story, insecure actor/writer is self-effacing, scared to assert himself, gets a little success and shifts in animal mode. I don't know how badly you want to do this for a living, but if you do, go for it hard, take chances, and if you're not as lucky early o...[Read more]

no you just have to have the fright and do it anyway. avoiding it is rational and smart. if you have a competing desire then you'll overcome the fear. but the fear aint going anywhere.

My favorite place to perform is Philadelphia, because that's where i started and that's the place that made me.

There's improv, but we write a bunch of stuff in advance, too. So have a library of jokes in your head, and on paper too, and you can pull some out when you need 'em.

One time at some old theatre somewhere I was holding a dude's phone to read his text messages and it slipped from my hand and fell through a crack in the floor and went into some deep, deep basement and broke. (I bought him a new phone).

I’ve definitely seen some crazy shit. I saw this one show where a guy goes up and somehow picks himself up in a plastic garbage bag. It was so upsetting. I’ve also seen a guy in L.A. jump up and land on thumbtacks. Someone from Chicago, Ian Abramson, did sort of break the mold of a stand-up comic—he found himself performing on Conan, and he did his bit where he wears a shock collar.

City of Florida

I purposely do something on air that I haven't planned to get me out of my head. It's like tricking your brain. It makes me feel like I screwed up so I can except that I screwed up and relax.

I think just reminding myself to quit thinking that there’s some kind of perfect show to capture; to remind myself constantly that it is comedy and mistakes are funny. Anything that is too perfect—it kind of becomes too sterile and then it does not feel genuine. If it doesn’t feel genuine then there’s no possible way people are going to feel they saw you.