--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm always a little leery about doing…" description: "\"I'm always a little leery about doing shows where I'm not the headliner because when I first started playing in 1982 I opened for Missing Persons and g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/al-yankovic-3837_decision_i-m-always-a-little-leery-about-doing-sh_1414327.jpg" --- # I'm always a little leery about doing shows where I'm not… ![“I'm always a little leery about doing shows where I'm not the headliner because when I first started playing in 1982 I opened for Missing Persons and got pelted for 45 minutes. After that, I made the decision to headline no matter what, even if I was playing to seven people. I wanted people to be…” quote by Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/al-yankovic-3837_decision_i-m-always-a-little-leery-about-doing-sh_1414327.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/al-yankovic-3837_decision_i-m-always-a-little-leery-about-doing-sh_1414327.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/al-yankovic-3837_decision_i-m-always-a-little-leery-about-doing-sh_1414327.jpg) > “I'm always a little leery about doing shows where I'm not the headliner because when I first started playing in 1982 I opened for Missing Persons and got pelted for 45 minutes. After that, I made the decision to headline no matter what, even if I was playing to seven people. I wanted people to be there to see me.” [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He prefers headlining shows to avoid being ignored or mocked, based on a negative early experience opening for another act. **In simple terms:** He wants to be the main attraction to ensure audience attention. Key Takeaway Choose roles that give you control over audience focus. Themes career confidence performance audience control Mood determined defensive Type advice personal narrative When to use this quote - concert planning - career decisions - booking shows - personal branding Key Concepts stage presence self‑esteem branding Questions to Reflect On - Do you ever miss opportunities by insisting on headlining? - How can you balance confidence with collaboration? A Different Perspective Risk of limiting growth by refusing supporting roles that could broaden exposure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Doing Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-shows-298247/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Headliner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/headliner-1565597/) [Headliner Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/headliner-started-4992010/) [Headlines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/headlines/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes/) [Missing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missing/) [Missing a person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missing-a-person/) [Missing Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missing-person/) [No matter what](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-matter-what/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Seven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seven/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Shows Headliner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows-headliner-4962727/) [Started Playing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-playing-257076/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) ## Related quotes > [You gonna take the case?" It's not a case. It's a missing person. Sort of." You're gonna have a devil of a time finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/you-gonna-take-the-case-it-s-not-a-case-it-s-a-missing-person-sort-of/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [statistic: the us bureau of missing persons reports that in 1968 over 100,000 people disappeared leaving no solid clues nor traceonly a space in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/statistic-the-us-bureau-of-missing-persons-reports-that-in-1968-over/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [I was lingering out on the pavement. There was a missing person inside of myself and I needed to find him . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/i-was-lingering-out-on-the-pavement-there-was-a-missing-person-inside/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Are there any other missing persons living under your roof? Elvis? Jimmy Hoffa? Amelia Earhart? I'd just like full disclosure now, before we go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/are-there-any-other-missing-persons-living-under-your-roof-elvis/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [I can't find my car keys in the morning. Trying to get out of my house is a nightmare. "Where's my wallet? Where are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lapaglia/i-can-t-find-my-car-keys-in-the-morning-trying-to-get-out-of-my-house/) [Anthony LaPaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lapaglia/) > [“She supposed she missed him, but it was not easy to go on missing a person when life had been lived without him for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosamunde-pilcher/she-supposed-she-missed-him-but-it-was-not-easy-to-go-on-missing-a/) [Rosamunde Pilcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosamunde-pilcher/) > [ Senator \[Tom Cotton\] got a ton of blowback. He became the star of fake missing person's signs, encouraging folks to call if they saw… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/senator-tom-cotton-got-a-ton-of-blowback-he-became-the-star-of-fake/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [Missing a person who isn't Alive ...is normal . . Missing a person who is far away from you ... is normal . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/missing-a-person-who-isn-t-alive-is-normal-missing-a-person-who-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's a darkness under 'The Hangover' because ultimately there's a missing person and it's not really that funny. There's a sort of darkness under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-phillips/there-s-a-darkness-under-the-hangover-because-ultimately-there-s-a/) [Todd Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-phillips/) > [I went to the Missing Persons Bureau but no one was there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-went-to-the-missing-persons-bureau-but-no-one-was-there/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Missing a person who isn't Alive , , , is normal . . . Missing a person who is far away from u ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/missing-a-person-who-isn-t-alive-is-normal-missing-a-person-who-is-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We've gotten to play shows where I'm the headliner, so people are buying tickets to come see me, and that's when you really learn,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-young/we-ve-gotten-to-play-shows-where-i-m-the-headliner-so-people-are/) [Brett Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-young/) > [When you start doing comedy, you think to yourself, "I want to be a headliner." And you become a headliner, and you're like, "Oh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-kasher/when-you-start-doing-comedy-you-think-to-yourself-i-want-to-be-a/) [Moshe Kasher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-kasher/) > [Being the headliner is only more pressure if you're not very good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-lock/being-the-headliner-is-only-more-pressure-if-you-re-not-very-good/) [Sean Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-lock/) > [Ive been an opening act for pretty much as long as Ive been out here doing this, so to be able to go out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colter-wall/ive-been-an-opening-act-for-pretty-much-as-long-as-ive-been-out-here/) [Colter Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colter-wall/) ## More by Al Yankovic > [If I could find the right kind of property, get tied in with the right movie, I'd love to be involved, but I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/if-i-could-find-the-right-kind-of-property-get-tied-in-with-the-right/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) > [My personal taste doesn't enter into it a lot when I make my decisions as to what to parody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/my-personal-taste-doesn-t-enter-into-it-a-lot-when-i-make-my/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) > [So I'm one of the few celebrities that got to do a repeat performance on 'The Simpsons,' which I'm very flattered by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/so-i-m-one-of-the-few-celebrities-that-got-to-do-a-repeat-performance/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) > [Somebody will come up to me after a show and have me sign their arm, and the next time I see them my autograph…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/somebody-will-come-up-to-me-after-a-show-and-have-me-sign-their-arm/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) > [People say releasing an album is like giving birth, but it’s more like having a gallbladder operation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/people-say-releasing-an-album-is-like-giving-birth-but-it-s-more-like/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) > [So that's why one of my rules of parody writing is that it's gotta be funny regardless of whether you know the source material.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/so-that-s-why-one-of-my-rules-of-parody-writing-is-that-it-s-gotta-be/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) > [I write and write and write, and then I edit it down to the parts that I think are amusing, or that help the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/i-write-and-write-and-write-and-then-i-edit-it-down-to-the-parts-that/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) > [I have very mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I’m concerned that the rampant downloading of my copyright-protected material over the Internet is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/i-have-very-mixed-feelings-about-it-on-one-hand-i-m-concerned-that/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) > [I can bend paper clips into the shapes of small animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/i-can-bend-paper-clips-into-the-shapes-of-small-animals/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) > [There are probably a few library fines I haven't paid yet, but I'm a pretty clean-cut guy overall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/there-are-probably-a-few-library-fines-i-haven-t-paid-yet-but-i-m-a/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) > [In the '80s, I was putting out an album virtually every year, I think mostly based on fear - that if I didn't, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/in-the-80s-i-was-putting-out-an-album-virtually-every-year-i-think/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) > [One of the hardest things I've had to deal with in my career is keeping my material topical even though I only release albums…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/one-of-the-hardest-things-i-ve-had-to-deal-with-in-my-career-is/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) > [I can't say enough good things about my band. I feel very fortunate that I found them when I did, very early in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/i-can-t-say-enough-good-things-about-my-band-i-feel-very-fortunate/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) > [Right now I'm listening to a lot of Top 40 music, because THAT'S MY JOB.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/right-now-i-m-listening-to-a-lot-of-top-40-music-because-that-s-my-job/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) > [Sometimes I get, "Have you ever thought about doing real music?" I like to think the music I do is real, it just happens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-yankovic/sometimes-i-get-have-you-ever-thought-about-doing-real-music-i-like/) [Al Yankovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) [Explore all 121 Al Yankovic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-yankovic/) ## More Decision quotes > [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [“How can you make an informed decision about whether to save the world if you never leave your tiny part of it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-david-hutchinson/how-can-you-make-an-informed-decision-about-whether-to-save-the-world/) [Shaun David Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-david-hutchinson/) > [Love is the foundation from which your decisions about your life should be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-the-foundation-from-which-your-decisions-about-your-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Indecision becomes decision with time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/indecision-becomes-decision-with-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you think of people as making decisions actively, every time we think about the cup of coffee, we say, "How much will I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-think-of-people-as-making-decisions-actively-every-time-we/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [It was a conscious decision on my part to take up fewer films. And if you're not seen that often on screen, nobody calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-lever/it-was-a-conscious-decision-on-my-part-to-take-up-fewer-films-and-if/) [Johnny Lever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-lever/) > [Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/decision-is-a-risk-rooted-in-the-courage-of-being-free/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [I never think of things rationally or intellectually. I swear, every single decision I make is just instinct and my instincts tend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/i-never-think-of-things-rationally-or-intellectually-i-swear-every/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [“it is either you happen to life or life happens to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sesan-kareem/it-is-either-you-happen-to-life-or-life-happens-to-you/) [Sesan Kareem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sesan-kareem/) > [How strange that something so simple could have been instrumental in my decision to ruin one of my most relationships and friendships, and damage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/how-strange-that-something-so-simple-could-have-been-instrumental-in/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I am encouraged President Obama now says he will fulfill his constitutional obligation to seek authorization for any potential military action in Syria. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-am-encouraged-president-obama-now-says-he-will-fulfill-his/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [In New York, you are constantly faced with this very urgent decision that you have to make, about every twenty minutes...you have to decide,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cross/in-new-york-you-are-constantly-faced-with-this-very-urgent-decision/) [David Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cross/) [Browse all 9,145 Decision quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm always a little leery about doing shows where I'm not the headliner because when I first started playing in 1982 I opened for Missing Persons and got pelted for 45 minutes. After that, I made the decision to headline no matter what, even if I was playing to seven people. 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