Top 33 Scott Aukerman Quotes

When I was younger, I definitely had more of a dream, as they say on ‘American Idol,’ that I would have my own show. I always thought that that was something that would happen, that eventually I would just get my own show because anyone who wants their own show should get their own show.

I’m probably doing puns more than anything in my life.

I was always a big fan of Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner’s ‘2000-Year-Old Man’ sketch. I think it’s one of the biggest influences on the podcast, definitely. You’d never say Carl Reiner was the funniest dude on there, because he’s just teeing it up, but he knows what questions to ask to lead to great improv.

When I was growing up, I wanted to do Letterman and I loved that live, in-studio model. I still would do something like that.

I think that ‘Mr. Show’ was a huge influence on me. It was literally the reason I started doing comedy, because I was asked to do a bit at The Comedy Store, and B.J. Porter and I went to see Bob and David – who I’d never heard of – do a live show, which was one of the shows that got them the ‘Mr. Show’ show.

Not everyone can be as successful a performer as myself, who gave 10 great performances the first time I ever did comedy, and then toiled in obscurity for years.

You see people who are disenfranchised elsewhere coming to Comic Con and making lifetime friends. I love seeing the outcasts of society all bonding together.

I’m not the type of guy who’s funny in the room. I’m the guy who’s funny late at night on a computer, trying to construct jokes.

Podcasts feature comedians being as funny as they can be in a non-censored situation. It’s really akin to standup in a way. When you go see a comedian in standup, that is the most pure, unadulterated form of their art.

I get inspired when I look at Tom Lennon, who did ‘Reno 911!’ for six seasons while writing huge movies and directing and also doing other pilots; he did that FX pilot, the ‘Star Trek’ thing.

At the end of Season Four of ‘Mr. Show,’ instead of doing another season, everyone just thought they wanted to go and do a movie. Kind of like Monty Python. Monty Python went right into ‘And Now For Something Completely Different,’ and everyone kind of compared ‘Mr. Show’ to Monty Python.

I have new bodyguards ever since I got a TV show. I didn’t know, but it’s a lot like becoming president. They tell you every single secret, like who shot JFK. When you have a TV show, they not only tell you who shot JFK, but they assign you bodyguards.

I came to one of the first Comic Cons in 1985, when it was just people trading back issues of comic books.

I think comedians should focus on what makes them happy, what art form fulfills them the most. Don’t be calculated about it and say, ‘Okay, I’m gonna tweet, and I’m gonna podcast, and I’m gonna do standup, and one of those things is going to lead me to my own TV show.’ I don’t think that should be the goal.

The power of podcasting is pretty remarkable. It is such an amazing way to mobilize fans. It’s almost like they’re part of your family. They probably listen to you more than they listen to their own families. I know that’s true for me. So there is a real bond there.

That’s one of the benefits of working with a smaller network like IFC. You’re awarded more trust, but trust that I really earned.

There’s definitely something about the structure of ‘Caddyshack’ that is unique that no one has ever been able to achieve since then.

Your average comedian doesn’t know the podcast universe, really.

I look back on our productivity in the ‘Mr. Show’ days, and think, ‘We probably could have worked harder.’

After I did ‘Mr. Show,’ I was basically just a writer for a while. I was really young, and I kinda was like, wow, I’m 27 and I was already on this iconic show, and now I can just coast. But no one likes coasting, because you have to fill your day with stuff.

I’m a huge Bob Hope fan, up until about the late ’50s. I’ve seen so many of his movies up until then, and they’re a big influence on me and a big influence on Woody Allen, who is basically just ripping off Bob Hope for his first five or six movies.

Most of the stuff I’ve written has never even gotten made. It’s par for the course. It’s a great living, but it also gets very frustrating.

What I love about comedy is breaking down the barrier between the audience and the performer.

I was a standup comic, which doesn’t necessarily mean you interact with people all that much. In fact when I did shows, I wouldn’t talk to the audience very much. Then my friend offered me a radio show, and I thought, you know, I’ll try talking to people and see what kind of interviewer I was.

My partner, Jeff Ullrich, and I always thought Earwolf was going to be big. There were a couple of studies before we launched saying podcasts were going to really grow. But I remember so many conversations at the beginning where people would say, ‘How are you going to make money with this?’

Doing the podcast, the whole reason to do it is just because I can do whatever I want.

Comedy is really best when watched with other people, and I don’t really understand people who sit at home watching comedy movies on Netflix.

I probably could be a world-class screenwriter by now if I had spent the kind of work I devote on Comedy Death-Ray to that. But I do okay, in that regard. I mean, my stuff gets bought, so it’s all right.

I think you’re a better comedian when you’re in the moment and you’re kind of reacting to what’s happening like a real person instead of doing rote memorization.

If you look at Earwolf, we’ve tried to have a really diverse stable of hosts. Even my show can get a little ‘dudey’ sometimes.

Working on ‘Comedy Bang Bang,’ we’re there from 10-7, and that’s a pretty light day compared to most other TV shows. Other shows, it’s like 10-10.

There’s always something interesting about comedy teams that have the exact same energy. The one time I really noticed that was Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in ‘Step Brothers.’

The best sketch shows are from a group of tight-knit people who’ve worked together for a really long time.