I think it’s pretty stupid to write off an entire genre of anything. It’s one thing to say ‘I don’t like country music.’ But it’s pretty narrow minded to say ‘All country music sucks.’ Of course, that being said, all short-form improv sucks. Matt Besser Read Quote
I grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, and before the Internet and before everything, just to get anything interesting, you had to go on vacation to San Francisco or something. But I think when you’re in the middle of America, you feel very jealous of not just comedy but music that you don’t have access to. Matt Besser Read Quote
Many improv groups give off the same positive annoying vibe that I associate with Christian Young Life groups with shows that more resemble children playing than a comedy performance. Matt Besser Read Quote
There’s something about the Razorbacks that’s unique to Arkansas – I don’t know how many states have just one team that the entire state coalesces around. We don’t have a pro team, so everybody’s into the Razorbacks. Everybody’s watching the Razorbacks on Saturday. Matt Besser Read Quote
I got really depressed when Sidney Moncrief lost to Larry Bird. That really depressed me. Matt Besser Read Quote
You’re always starting with a nugget of truth, whether it’s a song or an improv scene. Matt Besser Read Quote
Standups have all the talk shows, but you never see a sketch group on a talk show. Even on so-called variety shows, if you do see a sketch group or character, it’s written specifically for that variety show and usually written around the host of the show or a celebrity. Matt Besser Read Quote
For all you Joe Besser haters who claim that he was the worst Stooge, that’s not true – Curly Joe DeRita was the worst stooge. Joe Besser was the second worst. Matt Besser Read Quote
There’s a creative vibe at U.C.B., and to maintain it, we can’t pay people. If you pay, then you have to assign worth to shows, and then people will resent that. Matt Besser Read Quote
We agree that there is a problem in the sketch and improv community where, in general, there should be more interest from a more diverse sampling of our society. That is precisely why we do have diversity scholarships and why we’ve put together a diversity program to try to figure this problem out. Matt Besser Read Quote
