I was very surprised how many people were earnestly reminiscing about the '80s. It's such a stupid thing to do, like, to be honestly invested in nostalgia. It never even occurred to me to do that. Michael Ian Black More Quotes by Michael Ian Black More Quotes From Michael Ian Black The whole idea of punk rock is that you're dressing yourself in a crazy leather jacket with safety pins and a Mohawk. The idea of being the rebel is a boring societal idea. It's such a type. And that's what I was, without knowing it. Michael Ian Black safety-pins leather-jackets crazy All my friends were girls. Then my mom's strident feminism for years where men were thought of as the enemy, I just didn't know what the right way to be a man was. Michael Ian Black girl mom men There's things I know I'm good at, and those things interest me less and less. I learn a lot more from doing it wrong than I do from doing it right. Michael Ian Black interest knows My process is surprisingly straightforward. I find myself with little to do over a stretch of time and I say, "I should write children's books today." Then I sit down and write a children's book, and if it takes more than, realistically, three hours, I feel like I've done something wrong. Michael Ian Black writing book children Things you never thought were going to turn into something end up being the most important things in your life. You have to learn to not try to control it. Michael Ian Black important ends trying The things I care about are the most pedestrian things in the world. I care about good ice cream and being a good dad and a decent husband. Michael Ian Black ice-cream dad husband I never really understood what was expected of me as a man, or how I was supposed to interact with women, but worse, with other guys. I did not relate to them. Michael Ian Black understood guy men I think in doing stand-up there are no rules and there's no architecture. Michael Ian Black architecture thinking I thought I'd be living a much more bohemian life and be very poor. I never thought I'd do comedy or be married living in the suburbs. Every time I try to plan my life out it just doesn't come to pass, and I think that's a great experience. Michael Ian Black comedy trying thinking All the work that I do, whether or not it ends up being commercially successful or not, feels like the most important thing to me while I'm doing it. I try to take something away from every project, and so they all feel like milestones for one reason or another. Michael Ian Black feel me important work Well, I think my stand-up is often kind of visual. Not like Carrot Top visual, but visual. Michael Ian Black well top like think Most of the time, you don't win anything on reality shows. You're booted off, or maybe you win $50,000, or $100,000, which isn't really life-changing. I don't know that it's worth it. Michael Ian Black win you time reality I am a poker player, but I am not a good poker player. My favorite game is seven card stud, but I'll play hi/lo, Hold 'em, Razz, etc. Michael Ian Black i-am game good play My first real break was when my college sketch troupe, The State, was asked to contribute pieces for a new MTV show called 'You Wrote It, You Watch It.' Michael Ian Black sketch new you college Everybody has something they love to do. Do that thing. Michael Ian Black thing something everybody love Nothing is more satisfying to me than sitting in a dank room, hunched over a single flickering candle like Ebenezer Scrooge, and watching my ledgers fill themselves with ink. Michael Ian Black nothing me candle sitting Wish I could, through my own financial prestidigitation, transform a dollar bill into two, or two million. It is an awesome and mysterious skill. Michael Ian Black skill own my-own wish I am not a music snob. If anything, my musical taste is bad by any critical standards. Michael Ian Black i-am bad music taste If you get an idea, you might as well stick with it until somebody calls you on it. Michael Ian Black somebody well get you At this point, I feel fairly comfortable in terms of performance. I think having a sketch background actually helps a lot. Because my background is acting, and stand-up, in a lot of ways, is acting. Michael Ian Black sketch performance feel think
