Opening for Louis C.K. during his "Hilarious" tour was a great experience for me. He is the generation just ahead of me, because he started so young.

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

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

Sometimes crowds start out not liking someone but then they shift and love them. Or vice versa. It can shift on a dime.

Comics can definitely be subversive on the whole, but it's a stylistic thing.

TV is a different animal. It's not a club set. As you said, you do short sets on TV - about five minutes. So you have to get that rhythm down and also be aware of the camera so you're connecting with the viewers at home as well as the studio audience. It's a different muscle to develop.

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