Unfamiliar Audience Quotes

Whatever my intentions, whatever the truth of my claim, I had no business giving a lecture to a total stranger.

I can't even believe that anyone's paying to see me. It's so weird that there's a good possibility that at least 10 people I don't know have bought my music.

I was so intimidated by the thought of improvising back in the '80s when I was in Chicago. I think the opportunity only even came up once that I can recall, and I turned down the offer. It was to go improvise in some club in the suburbs or something. Good God, I couldn't think of anything more frightening than to get up there without a plan.

You have only 30 seconds to speak. Moreover, even if you had time to make your argument, the audience you need to reach … wouldn't understand it.

Auditioning for people you know is way more stressful than auditioning for people you don't know. And you have to pretend that you don't know because they're just staring at you.

A first preview is not exactly a pleasant experience for directors and actors. You're never as raw as when the audience first comes in.

I hated my early videos. I really did. I hated 'The Rhythm.' Hated it. It's not my vibe to have lot of white people jumping on trampolines.

I'm very bad with improvisation. I hate it.

I only did karaoke once in my life. It was with Courtney Love and it was a total disaster. She pulled me on stage in front of 500 people at a wedding. I'd never done karaoke before.

The most dangerous place I've ever performed standup is in my home state of California.

The only way I thought I could do a greatest hits album is to do it in a prison where they have no f**king idea who I am. I'd do what I consider the best of those old, early CDs before I did DVDs. A women's prison would be even better, but it has to be English-speaking.

This autocue was obviously written for someone else and I've been brought in at the last minute.

Acting, when you don't want to do it or you disagree with everything, is almost like having sex with someone you don't like. I had one experience like that on stage, in a terrible version of The Cherry Orchard. I put on a wig, dark-coloured contacts and just hoped no one would recognise me.

When you're playing to an audience that isn't your own, it's quite scary.

Hearing my songs in public freaks me out a bit. There was one restaurant I really liked in L.A., but I had to stop going there when they started playing my music. It felt kinda awkward.

The movie wasn't a hit, although it did well in Europe for some reason.

I would have given up acting in a minute. I didn't like how it set me apart from other people.

I could never just play in a pub in front of four people because I would have had all the press turn up. That way, you don't get to build up naturally. It makes the work feel unnatural, and puts a lot of unnatural pressure on you.