This week NPR interviewed comedian Chris Rock in lieu of his Broadway debut. Chris Rock has perfected his craft and has remained at the top of his game for more than two decades. That’s a hard feat, which begs the question: how can someone achieve that? Rock’s philosophy says a lot:
Stand-up still makes me nervous, and the play makes me nervous…The nicest compliment I ever got was from Conan O’Brien; I did the show and it went well, and he said, ‘You know what I like about you? You’re still smart enough to be scared.’ He said a lot of guys come — big-name comics — and they’re overly confident, and they bomb. ‘I’ve got to dig them out of the hole they put themselves in.’ Anything you can suck at should make you nervous. One should always be cognizant of how bad it could go.
Those butterflies in your stomach? They’re actually beneficial. They prevent you from sucking.
(Photo credit: Deemonita)