“Since work makes up such a big part of life, I hope for [people’s] sake that their `work’ isn’t work but a passion and something that, if they didn’t do, would forevermore leave them feeling empty.”
–Richard Lewis, comic and professional neurotic, e-mailed Q about what motivates him.
Lewis, a stand-up for more than 30 years who plays himself on HBO’s improvised sitcom “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (8:30 p.m. Sundays), wrote that throwing himself into comedy stems from inspirations Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon and especially comics Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor, who Lewis wrote became “total instruments for their craft.”
Indeed, Lewis, 56, constantly sets the bar high for himself so he can try to match his heroes, all in an effort to be as true to his art as possible.
“The only thing that matters is that I am expressing in the moment,” he wrote, “and hopefully become one [and] the same with my existence, while still being an entertainer.”
Richard Lewis and Jeff Garlin of HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” perform Saturday at the Park West. Call Ticketmaster at 312-559-1212 for tickets.
