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.

A person riding a unicycle on a tightrope doesn't worry about being likeable; they're doing something amazing that very few people can do.

Not that that's the goal, but sometimes these funny insights can also be deeply profound.

The blues is a hopeful music. It helps you process something rather than avoid it. It's like mourning, in essence.

I don't know that I have a single comedy philosophy. But talking about things that matter to you is a good place to start. Listening is a big part of it, too.

Sometimes it's fun to explore ideas that might make people uncomfortable. If you let it, there's a lot of self-censoring that can go on in the name of remaining likeable, but I don't find that an artistically interesting path to take.

Chris Rock went from a guy whose name you knew from SNL to a legendary comedian by working his ass off.