Some comedians are silly or goofy or straight joke writers who avoid anything subversive or political. Others are drawn to it. The beauty of standup is there is room for everyone, and years of performing in front of crowds will dictate what you can or can't do.

Ultimately, an audience wants to laugh. That's who they like, the comedian who makes them laugh.

Certainly, you want to be liked, but as you gain confidence and experience you're more concerned with expressing yourself and what matters to you.

Listening to your own sets and listening to the audience as you perform. It's a conversation of sorts. There is an exchange.

Comedy takes all of life and puts it through a lens of acceptance, just by the mere act of talking about it on stage in a communal setting. It's very primal and ritualistic in that sense.

After twenty plus years of performing hundreds of shows a year, I prefer to try things out on stage rather than for friends. I don't see the benefit in that, really.

That heightened dynamic can produce interesting, funny ideas that are phrased in ways that surprise even you, as the performer.