Kevin Rooney
An Emmy Award-winning television writer, Kevin was also a stand-up
comedian, appearing five times on “The Tonight Show with Johnny
Carson.” Kevin has written for many variety shows, including Dennis
Miller’s syndicated and HBO shows and “Politically Incorrect with Bill
Maher.” He co-wrote and guest-starred in Jay Leno’s Showtime special,
“Jay Leno and The American Dream.” Kevin also wrote for a number of
sitcoms, including three seasons as co-executive producer on “My Wife
And Kids,” starring Damon Wayans. Kevin lives in Los Angeles,
California and Nice, France with his wife, the actress and author Carole
Raphaelle Davis, and their three rescued dogs, Lamby, Finley and Jinky.
MB: Can you tell me about the first time you were anxious or nervous
when you were on stage?
KR: I’m almost always anxious and nervous when I go on stage because you
don’t know exactly what the animal is that you’re facing; you can’t really
tell what the crowd’s going to be like. You can get a sense of them, but you
really can’t tell what you’re dealing with until you’re talking to them. So
you’ve got to be on your toes. I guess it’s like jumping out of a plane; you
check all the equipment and the weather, but until the chute opens . . .
MB: So the first time you experienced anxiousness or nervousness on
stage, what were the circumstances then?
KR: When I did “The Tonight Show” for the first time, I was very aware of
being anxious because I was sitting around for an hour waiting to do a fiveminute
set. A five-minute set on national television makes for a very short,
intense period of time.
MB: How did you feel?
KR: Very zoned out. You’re not paying attention to a lot of things around
you, and you get focused on what you’re doing. You cling to specific stuff,
like, “Are my shoes tied? Is my zipper up?”
MB: Could you be a little more specific about what your feelings were?
Were you nervous? Were you calm? Somewhere in between?
KR: I was a little nervous. But it’s not like you’re going to be shot. It wasn’t
like I was walking past a snake pit.
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