Spectator interviewed comedian-actor Tom Green, who will perform standup at comedy nightclub Caroline’s on Broadway Jan. 26 to 29 as part of his world comedy tour. Read more about Green in the Weekend issue. Here’s an excerpt from the end of the interview.
Lesley Thulin: Do you ever get nervous before you perform?
Tom Green: Oh yeah. I always get nervous before I go onstage and in fact I’m always nervous generally, in life. I’m full of anxiety all the time. I’m always flippin’ out about things and worrying about things and stressed out about stuff, and that kinda makes me who I am. And that’s why I like being a comedian because it gives me a chance to get up on stage and talk about all these things that stress me out. Before I go onstage I get definite strong sense of nerves and that’s really a big part of what makes standup fun. It’s the rush you get from releasing that nervous energy in front of a crowd. I think if you ever don’t get nervous before you go onstage, that’s usually not gonna be a good show. You got the nervous energy and the adrenaline. It focuses you and it helps you focus on everything that you’re gonna say and what it is you’re trying to accomplish. It gives you energy. It’s there for a reason.
LT: What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done onstage?
TG: Hmm. I do a lot of crazy stuff. It’s almost impossible to say. You have to come down to the shows this week at Caroline’s and make that determination for yourself because it’s just A LOT of craziness going on.
