The Last Word: Bill Maher

Sean Woods: What advice would you give to the younger you?

Bill Maher: To have a better attitude. I was too sensitive. I used to get insulted if the crowd didn't get the jokes. The correct thing to do is just keep smiling, keep plugging, and if they still don't laugh by the end of the show, say thank you, good night, and get them next time. It's not smart to start telling the audience how stupid they are. And that happened. Many times.

SW: What's the best advice you ever received?

BM: In 1979, at Catch A Rising Star, or one of those New York comedy clubs, Larry David told me to take my wallet onstage, because it would get stolen if I left it in the dressing room.

The Last Word: Bill Maher / Men's Journal / October 2012 / Page 138

Julia Louis-Dreyfus: From 'Seinfeld' To 'Veep'

Dave Davies: But I gather ‘the ball’ wasn’t so much fun for you? (referring to being a cast member on Saturday Night Live at age 21)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus: Yeah, it wasn’t that great.

DD: Why not?

JLD: Well, I was very young. Okay, and I was very, very naïve. And I was coming from college and doing theater work with my friends and we would all work really hard as an ensemble to make the best possible show so there was a sort of an earnestness that I took with me to doing SNL that really had no place. I didn’t understand the politics and the dynamics of the show. I also went in thinking that I would just work with writers and you know, you just sort of… I didn’t go in with characters that I had worked and worked and worked on. I was not a writer myself. I was somewhat unprepared. Larry David was there my third year… he was a writer on that show for my last year and it was his only year. And we became friends during that period of time and we sort of… he was miserable. He didn’t get a single sketch on… he did get one sketch on but it was cut between dress and air. And so we sort of bonded in misery and there you go.

DE: And that’s what led to Seinfeld, right?

JLD: Yeah, pretty much. I mean there was a period of time in between, but yeah, it did.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus: From 'Seinfeld' To 'Veep' / NPR Fresh Air Weekend / Interview by Dave Davies / May 5, 2012