The Pre-Show Rituals of Famous Comedians

Image via Complex Original

For a man known for his one-of-a-kind brilliance, Louis C.K. has a relatively simple pre-show ritual. Discussing his pre-game activities, he once said, “I open my stupid mouth and put water in it.” When pressed, C.K. provided a more nuanced answer. His preparation is all about silent focus:

“Chris Rock and I used to talk on the phone for hours about standup, and I learned a lot from watching him … I started to follow rules that he helped me have. Like: don’t listen to the radio in the car on the way to the show, just sit in silence in the car, just think about what you’re going to do.”

He echoed that sentiment in another interview:

“I try not to talk to people before I go on stage. Sometimes, I’ll sit in the back of the club while the other comedians are on. But, I’m not watching him; I’m watching the crowd and feeling the room … I learned that it’s important to seize on that instead of running away from it. So, I stay in the back and bottle up the energy so that when I go on stage I’m more connected.”

Ansari’s cool demeanor has been perfected through meticulous preparation and study. A 2010 The New Yorker profile revealed that before shows, Ansari analyzes his past shows looking for ways to improve his pace and rhythm. Kelefa Sanneh wrote, “Ansari records each of his performances, and he usually listens to the last one right before the next one, taking note of which interjections are worth repeating.”

Also, in an interview with the Nashville Scene, Ansari copped to enjoying some Hot Chicken before shows in Nashville, which really should be everyone’s pre-show ritual in Music City. It’s good that an artist as meticulous as Ansari can find time to enjoy the little things in life.

Veteran comic Todd Barry takes the advice to “stay hungry” quite literally. He told Food Republic, “I try and not eat like a full meal sometimes, just a little something. I mean I’ve heard that it's good if you go on stage hungry, but I don’t know, you forget a lot of things when you're on stage. I like to eat after a show. It's part of the after-show ritual.” 

In somewhat related news, Barry told Laughspin, “I usually just go to the bathroom like five times. I pace around and try not to talk to a whole lot of people.”

Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Susie Essman has one of the most interesting pre-show rituals of any comedian, though her husband probably doesn’t see it that way. She says, “I scream at my husband and tell him everything that's wrong with him and he’s come to accept that as my pre-show hysteria. He knows I’ll be back to my loving self once it’s over.” In an odd way, this helps her reduce her anxiety, however, these spats don’t completely get rid her of stage fright. In an interview with Newsday, she said that she feels nerves right up until she steps on stage: “I’m a pacer. I’m incredibly nervous. I go through tremendous stage fright and anxiety before I go on.” Thankfully, this dissipates when she hits the stage. She says, “The minute I step on stage I’m completely relaxed.”

Most of us can relate to Sarah Silverman’s pre-show ritual of “complaining that I have nothing.” In another recounting of her routine, she took a longer view: “I got to the hotel, went on Google Maps and looked up the nearest vegetarian place. I ordered and picked it up in a cab. Then I took a bath; I like to take a nice little soak.” In addition to that, she has another way to get herself pumped up: She listens to Katy Perry’s “Roar,” or at least she used to.

After you watch this Instagram video, you’ll wish that Hannibal’s pre-show ritual was actually singing along to Ja Rule’s part in “Put It On Me.” In reality, the stand-up and Broad City star varies his preparation depending on his environment. A couple of years ago, when asked about his pre-show ritual, he said, “Eh … no real ritual where I do this or do that—just depends on where I am. I kinda just chill out, listen to music. Today my pre-show ritual might be watching a basketball game.”

In the past, when asked about his pre-show ritual, Gaffigan hasn’t been the most forthcoming. Though he doesn’t seem to take pre-show rituals seriously, Gaffigan practiced a pretty interesting pre-show routine when he appeared on Broadway in The Championship Season. He reported that co-star Jason Patric convinced him to gargle before every show.