Maxwell Jacob Friedman Quotes

I may or may not be the best fighter in the world but I want to be the best entertainer, so when you see my fights before and after, you'll remember my entrance and the fight. When I've walked in there, you'll know I've walked in there!

Once you step on stage, the people are actually looking to be transformed. That's why they showed up; that's why they spent some money. And great performances do that.

I never felt I left the stage.

There's nothing like performing for a live audience.

I remember feeling the energy of people. That stuck with me. Understanding that I could stand behind a mic and captivate people. I was always obsessed with that.

Being performers, that's what we do: We put on shows and want people to watch.

Being an entertainer includes knowing how to connect with an audience.

I'd love to knock an audience cold with one note, but what do you do for the rest of the evening?

You play with the audience, and they play back with you. They get into it, and then everybody gets into it. I don't want to be like a monkey on stage and just go through the motions because then it wouldn't be fun anymore. I just pay attention to the audience and appreciate the fact that somebody wants to see us. That gets me psyched.

I just want people to focus on the performance.

A live performance is the same no matter what genre it is. Wrestling, rock 'n roll, hosting, acting - it's the same thing.

Playing live is basically just hyperactivity and a certain sense of enchantment that I deliver to the audience, to let them know what it would be like to be inside my head.

What was important to me was entertaining the audience, and whether that meant winning, losing, singing, or whatever it was on the live show we were doing every week, which was awesome, I was game for it.

I question what emotion Manilow touches. People are entertained by him. But are they emotionally moved? I don't believe anything that Barry Manilow sings.

I have fun on stage, so people think maybe they should, too.

The bulk of my set is instrumental and you have to give yourself and the audience some relief because a performance is not about great guitar playing it's really about entertainment.

My parents had this incredibly vital relationship with an audience, like muscle with blood. This was the main competition I had for my parents' attention: an audience.

We don't dance because we can't dance. Our shows, production-wise, are always quite minimal. We always try and keep it more about us having fun and stay away from gimmicks.

I began to work the stage and get the audience into it. I also learned how to have fun out there. It is something I will never forget.

The thing about theatre is that when it is actually occurring, when you have the audience on your side, you absolutely think you can will them to do anything. It's exhilarating.

I know that I am an excellent live performer. I know that I have spent my life paying attention to my art form, developing my art form, worrying about my show and what it is I'm bringing to people, making sure that I give them a fine trade. They get a two-hour show, sometimes a three-hour show, for a decent price.

It's a little like casting out hundreds of fishing lines into the audience. You start getting little bites, then more, then you hook a few, then more. Then you can start reeling them in and that's a loveliest feeling - the whole audience laughing with you.

And I try to give the best bang for the buck. I love performing more than anything else.

I get a lot of influence from pro wrestling. People are like, 'Oh, it's fake.' But it's not about whether the guy wins or loses, it's about how he entertains you the whole time you're watching.

The entertainment is in the presentation.