Rik Mayall

“Crop rotation in the 14th century was considerably more widespread after John?”

— Rik Mayall

You perform for a different audience each night. People who don't understand just think that you go out there every night and…

— Rik Mayall

When I was young, I saw some of my heroes doing it on the telly. We're talking about Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers,…

— Rik Mayall

As I see it, there's mainstream comedy - and then there's me, out in the badlands.

— Rik Mayall

Bring me another bad one, and I shall protect my British people - I brought down Thatcher to protect my people, and…

— Rik Mayall

I don't have moments of weakness. I'm Rik Mayall.

— Rik Mayall

With 1,000-seater venues, rather than 5,000-seaters, there are richer opportunities for sucking the audience in.

— Rik Mayall

I have always tended toward extremism: I'm Motorhead rather than REO Speedwagon.

— Rik Mayall

On stage you can group 200 people together and scare them or embarrass them or whatever. You can't do that on TV.…

— Rik Mayall

I would love to do more on the stage; having actual contact with the audience is great. You can give them a…

— Rik Mayall

I was in a coma for five days - I was dead longer than Jesus before he was raised from the dead.

— Rik Mayall

I had a very happy childhood, happy teenage years and I was famous by the time I was 22. A charmed life.

— Rik Mayall

I've always had live audiences.

— Rik Mayall

Storytelling has always been one of my great pleasures.

— Rik Mayall

I live on the limit, Vyvyan. The limit, because I'm a rider at the gates of dawn and I take no prisoners!

— Rik Mayall

Something that has been important to me is never to repeat myself, never to go back.

— Rik Mayall

I ought to be groovy and be able to say the enemy is this and the enemy is that... but I've never…

— Rik Mayall

Words on the page don't have the same impact as somebody saying the words to you.

— Rik Mayall

I'd love Shakey Bill to tell me a story - I mean, William Shakespeare, he could squeak a nib couldn't he?

— Rik Mayall

Other people get moody in their forties and fifties - men get the male menopause. I missed the whole thing. I was…

— Rik Mayall

It's difficult for me, to look into eyes of a journalist and trust him to present it as you say.

— Rik Mayall

London audiences are the most challenging around - it's a group of such diverse strangers.

— Rik Mayall

I was brought up to be a good boy and proud of myself so I suppress all the things about me that…

— Rik Mayall

I've always had a problem with doing what I'm told.

— Rik Mayall

When you're an experienced celeb - which I am - you sometimes just need a bit of space, when you're not 'on'.…

— Rik Mayall