Rik Mayall
It's difficult for me, to look into eyes of a journalist and trust him to present it as you say.Collection: Trust
Insanity is a very high art form. If everyone was insane, I wouldn't be here!
I've always had a problem with doing what I'm told.
When I was young, I saw some of my heroes doing it on the telly. We're talking about Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Arthur Lowe, Ian McKellan, Kenneth Williams. These were all guys telling stories to me.
I don't want people to know who I am.
I don't have moments of weakness. I'm Rik Mayall.
Words on the page don't have the same impact as somebody saying the words to you.
I'm frightened of interviews.
As I see it, there's mainstream comedy - and then there's me, out in the badlands.
I'd love Shakey Bill to tell me a story - I mean, William Shakespeare, he could squeak a nib couldn't he?
I ought to be groovy and be able to say the enemy is this and the enemy is that... but I've never been very good at... I don't want to have to answer questions I don't know the answer to properly. I have an opinion.
Storytelling has always been one of my great pleasures.
I have always tended toward extremism: I'm Motorhead rather than REO Speedwagon.
I died. Which is fantastic, because I have died already; I have been there and come back. I am completely recovered, thank you.
With 1,000-seater venues, rather than 5,000-seaters, there are richer opportunities for sucking the audience in.
I've always had live audiences.
With an audience it's now, there are no editors around. It's just me and the audience and it's what I like best.
You perform for a different audience each night. People who don't understand just think that you go out there every night and do the same thing, but you don't - you have to find out who they are and give it to them.
When you're an experienced celeb - which I am - you sometimes just need a bit of space, when you're not 'on'. I'm always on!
I had a very happy childhood, happy teenage years and I was famous by the time I was 22. A charmed life.
Other people get moody in their forties and fifties - men get the male menopause. I missed the whole thing. I was just really happy.
I would love to do more on the stage; having actual contact with the audience is great. You can give them a good seeing to!
Bring me another bad one, and I shall protect my British people - I brought down Thatcher to protect my people, and I'm bringing down Tony to defend them, and I'll be there for any other dangers that come along.
Something that has been important to me is never to repeat myself, never to go back.
London audiences are the most challenging around - it's a group of such diverse strangers.
I was in a coma for five days - I was dead longer than Jesus before he was raised from the dead.Collection: Jesus
I live on the limit, Vyvyan. The limit, because I'm a rider at the gates of dawn and I take no prisoners!Collection: Dawn
I was brought up to be a good boy and proud of myself so I suppress all the things about me that are bad.Collection: Boys
On stage you can group 200 people together and scare them or embarrass them or whatever. You can't do that on TV. You have to use the conventions, that's why Kevin (Turvey) works so well.Collection: People