People do not come to a Penn & Teller show to see a magic show. They just don't. They come to see weird stuff that they can see no place else, that will make them laugh and make the little hairs stand up on the backs of their necks.
People don't come to see a Billie Eilish show to come to see me. They come to see her. So I just try not to screw up too much on my instruments.
There's a lot of people who don't want anything from me but to laugh and have a good time. You see them at the show and they like - they dress up to come see your show and stuff. And they pack these auditoriums and it's a lot of fun, man. It's like, this is how I started, and it's still fun for me.
I just always loved stand-up. It's like magic. You say something, and a whole room full of people laughs together. Say something else, they laugh again. The fact that people come to see that and participate in that... I don't know, it's just like magic.
It's funny how many people will come to Vegas to see your show where they might not come out to see you unless you come to their hometown.
My general advice for writers/comedians is, make stuff you like and are proud of. Put it in a place where people can see it, whether that's onstage or on the Internet or wherever. Just do the things that make you happy creatively, and then show them to people.
I am doing what I do [athletics] because the fans love it and it's a part of me, it's my personality. I think people come to see you run fast, but they also come to see a show, a performance. They want to see a personality, and that's what I give them.
I wish it was possible to do the work and not have to talk about it, but it is traditional in the theater to go into the village square and bang the drum and say, 'Come see this show, come see this show.'
When people come to see me, they'll see what they know me for. Hits from the past, but I always mix in a little something new. New stuff. Old stuff. It creates a great show. There's a lot of crowd participation. A lot of interaction and energy. That's what I do best.
The way I see it is, you can be a character on a TV show for years, then the TV show gets cancelled and your favorite actress or favorite comedian, you don't see them for a little while and then you see them back doing something else. You can still be enjoying them performing on TV.
I love doing [stand-up]. I love making people laugh no matter how. Whether it's a commercial, or a TV show, or a reality show, or a talk show, or a special, or a book. However I can make people laugh, that's what I want to do.
I would love to have the biggest band that I can have. I'd love to put on a massive show and just give people their money's worth, then just come away from it thinking, 'That was a good show', because it's kind of disappointing sometimes when you go and see someone and you can see they're not that bothered.
With comedy, the jokes will come out, and people will see them coming. Changes in daily life or current events can change the consciousness of audiences and can make the show less funny or feel more stale.
I choose my work based on what is offered to me. If I see if my role can change the way the show will shape up, I come on board. If me being there in a show will make no difference, then I won't bother being part of it. I am inclined to do things that I haven't done before.
I'm very lucky to be a comedian, and I feel privileged that people come to see me in the expectation that I will make them laugh.
People don't come to stadiums only to see results. They come to see a reaction, they want to see we are also human, that we can cry or laugh.
People basically aren't that racist. They want their laughs. If I make a white guy laugh, he's gonna come see me. He's not gonna go see the white guy who doesn't make him laugh just because that guy is white.