The first time I got up in front of an audience was terror, abject terror, which continued for another four or five years. There still is, a little bit. Bob Newhart More Quotes by Bob Newhart More Quotes From Bob Newhart I worked in accounting for two and a half years, realized that wasn't what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, and decided I was just going to give comedy a try. Bob Newhart giving two years It was a decision to work clean. I just prefer to work that way. I have no problem with comedians who don't work that way. There was a temptation in the early '70s to reconsider. I decided against it. Bob Newhart comedian decision temptation I kind of do it in my head, then I'll try pieces of it on stage and if it looks promising, I'll put it together. Bob Newhart pieces together trying I gave up accounting. I went in for about six months writing ad copy. I was fired from that, and then another guy and I did a kind of poor man's Bob and Ray kind of syndicated radio show. Then I decided to stick it out and see what happened. I'd give it a year, a year became two years, and then two years became three years, and then along came the record album. Bob Newhart writing men years Because of the spin-meisters and the focus groups and the way politics is run now. It's run by polls and focus groups. So it's even more true today, I think, than it was some 40 years ago. Bob Newhart running years thinking All comedians are, in a way, anarchists. Our job is to make fun of the existing world. Bob Newhart comedian fun jobs I've been a very lucky actor. Bob Newhart comedy lucky actors I don't have a stack of scripts... Bob Newhart comedy scripts I was not influenced by Jack Benny, and people have remarked on my timing and Jack's timing, but I don't think you can teach timing. It's something you hear in your head. Bob Newhart timing people thinking I think there's a part, just a part of comedians, that is still childlike. Bob Newhart comedian stills thinking Jack Benny was, without a doubt, the bravest comedian I have ever seen work. He wasn't afraid of silence. He would take as long as it took to tell the story. Bob Newhart silence doubt long I love portraying the totally indifferent person. Bob Newhart portraying indifferent persons The only thing I have never done is a Broadway play. I'm not sure I have the discipline necessary to do a Broadway play. I know it holds a fascination for certain actors. Bob Newhart fascination discipline play I've been married forty-five years. I think laughter is the secret. Bob Newhart laughter years thinking The problem is that we live in an uptight country. Why don't we just laugh at ourselves? We are funny. Gays are funny. Straights are funny. Women are funny. Men are funny. We are all funny, and we all do funny things. Let's laugh about it. Bob Newhart laughter gay country Well, my career choice made a difference because I never would have met my wife, Jenny. I met her through comedian Buddy Hackett. He set us up on a blind date and then we got married. Bob Newhart choices-made differences careers You do a clean show and it's over and the audience have enjoyed themselves and you've enjoyed yourself, and you haven't had to resort to shock. Bob Newhart clean resorts shock Well I was much too practical to presume to have a career in comedy. Bob Newhart wells comedy careers I've been told to speed up my delivery when I perform. But if I lose the stammer, I'm just another slightly amusing accountant. Bob Newhart delivery amusing speed Don't be silly and don't waste your time. Bob Newhart being-silly waste silly
