Web extra: Jerry Seinfeld, host of "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee," describes what comics have in common with one another and what sets them apart from other people. Anthony Mason reports.
I love how passionate Jerry is about comedy, even to a completely obsessive degree. He's made it very clear that it's really the only thing that truly matters to him in life.
That has been a big key to his success. People say he works so darn hard at it. It sounds crazy, but comedy is a serious business. Conan O'Brien is another comic who is very serious and analytical about it.
@@Rob_Kates Seinfeld and O'Brien are not even in the same ballpark Seinfeld has laugh tracks oBrian has real people I challenge anyone to refer to one of Seinfeld's topical moments and point out the funny Seinfeld is a joking and of his self there is nothing funny about the man maybe someone can prove me wrong though there are millions of people go
@@toolguyslayer1 wow. 50 year career in stand up... but no, some dude on RU-vid thinks he isn't funny. You know those laugh tracks are only on his sitcom, right?
@@Stewniverse yeah his shows were packed with laugh tracks he needs some for a stand-ups also LOL now that was funny LOL maybe I need someone to hold up proverbial hand and maybe demonstrate what he is getting at I just don't feel his sense of humor nor his timing nor is delivery it's like he raises his voice a little bit and people think that's funny he's not funny like God forbid creamer yeah no he's a nut he ran the whole show I don't like his attitude about black folks but as far as comedy is concerned that is irrelevant even though it is always relevant in other cases Kramer did way too much but he didn't overcompensate I can't even remember a good joke that Seinfeld did maybe you can give me one that you think is humorous maybe I just need some xplainin
@@toolguyslayer1 Seinfeld is the most successful comedian of all-time. His standup shows always sell out too. It's alright if you don't like it. It doesn't change how great he is. Nobody could accomplish what he has, in the way he has, without being good. Plus other good comedians really love him and appreciate his work. They know comedy better than you do, and they all really respect him.
A comedian friend who visited my home some years back told me a story. Midway through, I started to burst at the seams with laughter. For him, that was his cue to go for the jugular, and he was "brutal", The harder I laughed, the faster the jokes came pouring in. At one point, I fell to the floor and started literally peeing in my pants (no shirt), and while gasping for air, I begged him to stop because I feared I might die from uncontrollable laughter. I am so grateful to this day that my friend had one tiny ounce of mercy in his bones. Otherwise, it would have been RIP for me. This is why I am starting a campaign to have comedians, just like mixed martial artists, register themselves as weapons with the law!
Oh he's being 100% serious. Any interview you see with him, including, and especially, his show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, make it clear comedy is the only thing he actually cares about.
Yeah its intersting how he talks about comedians and non-comedians not quite understanding each other while the Interviewer is laughing at what he is saying despite the fact that he is beibg very serious
@@ohio Hardly. Seinfeld was a successful comedian for years before the show. There would have been no show without Jerry. David played a huge role in the success of the show, but without Jerry, Larry would probably still be playing clubs in The Village.
Laughter is the greatest medication. It’s a give and take art. Feels good to make others laugh and in turn hear something hilarious from another comedian.
So admire the courage of a stand-up - love watching these guys - knowing the five times i TRIED (Improv/Comedy Store) it was completely terrifying - couldn't go back. Only went on for the experience, see what it was like to hear you name called on Open Mike night(s). I bombed everywhere - it was easy.
Drummers. The brotherhood of comedians reminds me of drummers. I've been playing almost 20 years and meeting other drummers for the first time that have been playing for a while is like meeting a long lost friend. Also, the crowd cheering is like a laugh for him. I played a drum solo the other week that made people get off their seats in excitement! I can't compare the feeling to anything else.
I am crying laughing at how uncomfortable the interviewer is when Jerry Seinfeld is telling it RAW and uncut. Comedy is ruthless. It takes a special kind of creature to get up on stage and do it. I am that creature.
Crying laughing really? Because someone is explaining the general relativity I'm a social scale you find that so funny that you are a crying while you are laughing. Really? If there are a million people like you no wonder son filled is famous they're going to laugh anyway all you need is a laugh track to let them know when to laugh they are already ready to laugh whether it is funny or not obviously I would assume his fans are like Asian women you must fake a laugh all the time when I say Asian women I mean like 2% not all of them
@@KimberlyisGold no you mean Seinfeld not cheers LOL I am an entertainer also I know some of the things that people say aren't exactly what you want to hear but I am more into what you need to hear instead of what I want to hear when you are doing business of any kind it is good for me to keep it real if you like it mention it if you don't mention it for sure especially while on RU-vid maybe someone can add to the nuance and make it a different world for a guy for now I think Seinfeld is the pits that's my story and I'm sticking to it without a laugh track it would be nothing
I am a historian you are French and American Indian did I get it right a little cool about the American Indian thing if you are not African you did not speak African you have no African background the only thing left for you and America is American Indians what tribe are you
It has a lot to do with how they feel. You can be the best comedian in the world, but if you're trying to make people laugh and they're all hungry in 100-f degree weather, its not going to happen.
Professional wrestlers often relate to comedians. A very similar, brutal, unforgiving profession where you put on a show, have your inside lingo, struggle like no other to make it... Steve Austin has had comedians on his podcasts where they talk about it.
It's the same with great salespeople. It takes a killer instinct...and it can't bother you if you get rejected. Humor is among the most advanced forms of thinking (edited for clarity). It's a purely intellectual exercise. Good comedians are nearly always the brightest person in the room...the fastest thinkers.
@@adfasfuiuiui1056 That's called a "Straw man" argument. You are arguing against something I didn't say. If you are intelligent, you can apply it to studies, or channel it to humor. But every brilliant person I know is also witty.
Jerry had some guts to say that part about the bond/connection between comedians being stronger than family or friends. It's true, and that's hard for some folks to understand or believe.
It always amazes me that whenever I see Jerry on a show and he is with other people or at a coffee ☕ shop/restaurant he is constantly in a gut wrenching easy laughter, this man can laugh 😂 so easily
I think I get it. I had a bad falling out with some friends and still show to the group and now I go out there and go "im gonna show you that I'm a big piece of that laughter whether you like it or not" and not only does the laughter bring your joy its also a sign of your won battle in this war jerry talks about. it really is war and you gotta win as many battles as you can because the enemy will not admit their losses unless you got the numbers on you
Some of you out there (including this writer and vlogger) have the artist aspiration. You have been told by the very few who made it to believe in yourself and never give up. Well the simply fact is the arts are very different than any other profession. Because usually--someone else has to let you in. Now what I would tell you if you are 18 or 40 and feel that your destiny is in the arts? I would not tell you to just stay the "safe route" and give up on your dreams. I would tell you to pursue the artist aspiration smartly. Get another trade that you at least like. So the agents of industry never have you by the throat. You have to go to work anyway so you might as well have the job that pays well. I never went through the starving artist phase. I went through a starving student phase. So when I finally did pursue the artist endeavor I did it with a job I also like that contracts for 100K a year and four month vacations in Europe. That's how you go through being a starving artist. You don't starve at all. Hope this helps someone---Charles
This is my idea of a world class online university. Brilliant, battle tested successful people, with a gift for clear thinking and explaining, teaching about things like stand up comedy that go will beyond comedy. You hear about the brutality of stand up and understand where he's coming from when he rips Larry King appart in that famous interview. "There's a brutality..." People's number one fear is public speaking, for a reason.
Comedy is one of the last bastions of true and protected free speech. Thank god he is confident enough to not tolerate people's crap and help keep comedy alive. I think many people mistake his honesty as conceit, which is inevitable. The success didn't go to his head, he's always been the same guy.
I've never met a comedian who doesn't have tough skin. You have to know how to make fun of yourself, better than anyone on this planet can. That is my tip to being a great comic-writer or comedian lol.
That getting advantage of momentum can be applied multiple scenarios of daily life. Getting ahead, early bird gets worm. Ultimate prep for an inevitable win
Rather a serial comedian. Jerry seems to have a troubled soul. His intelligence makes him feel separated from all of humanity, save his own family and fellow comedians. I even think he's borderline suicidal.
You can really see the fire in Jerry's eyes as he dives into the brutality. The element of fighting against all the odds and still coming out the victor would be very addictive I imagine. I actually get what Jerry is saying. The exchange between audience and perforner is a silent battle on one level. The audience gives the performer permission to lead them through known and unknown territory whilst maintaing familiarity and relatability. As soon as those elements are over stretched fuels the potetial for audience disengagement.
So funny Jerry, making the comparison to a boxer, I'm doing an open mic tonight nearby and plan on doing a bit about the oscars impersonating Howard Cosell, it's gonna be Epic !
Seinfeld is smiling, but what he says isn't funny. Humor is a purely intellectual pursuit. And being a comic is ruthless to your self esteem. The best comics survive, not because they crave the audience's approval...but because they don't need it. Yeah, like a different species. I suspect that many of the best comics are partly psychopathic.
I agree. I saw an opening act comedian who was a beginner and not funny. He tried. The audience was ruthless. They stared. No courtesy laugh. I heard groans. He got the loudest applause when he left. 10 minutes earlier, before he came one, we were all talking, having our 'two drink minimum" and appetizers. They were all nice people one-on-one, but as a group, something happened, and we were very cruel to that young comedian. Jerry is right, the audience isnt evil, but it wont hesitate to evicerate you . The host was irritating with his nervous laughter- he couldnt read the room.
Yes, I just posted that Jerry's intelligence and superiority complex could make him feel isolated and depressed. If it weren't for his wife and kids, he could be suicidal. I sense deep depression, which his comedy relieves.
The laughs drive comedians.... but the laughs are just an indication of control over the audience. A comedian is like a Svengali. A charismatic cult leader. A Pied Piper. He pulls them this way, then pushes them that way, and they are loving it, wanting to be pushed more. Of course, the anticipation is lost the moment it becomes predictable. Only a few have the quick wit to keep up with this wave of anticipation. If you wipe-out once and seem lost or scared, the show is over, the hypnotic trance you had over the audience is gone. This is why you never want to see two comedians go head to head, only one usually can be alpha and in control, the other wimpers home with his tail between his legs. At least that is the audience's perception.
i dont know abou tthat, i think if doctors meet up or mechanics or any profession i think theres an instant bond between 2 professionals in any industry. Listen to 2 guys talk abotu doing up a car? they have an instant bond or people that love guitars. Its a connection between professions and its in every profession.
There's an old saying in show biz. A comic can become a good actor, but an actor can never be a good comic. There is something all comics are born with which can't be measure or taught. Either you have it or you don't.
The interviewer had no idea what Jerry was talking about, but I can relate. With other people that just always become the center of attention, they're easy to communicate with, they seem like they have life understood, and they're very very funny and can make someone laugh if they want to, those people are another species. Comedy makes life more full, and it's a necessity for those that do it, either regularly in life or as a profession comedian, to push boundaries. If a comedian gets offended by a subject that's "too touchy" then they're not a real comedian. Being able to laugh at anything is the best joy in life. Others try to convince themselves this is not so, but just look at 9/11. The day of, nobody would laugh at a 9/11 joke, but today anyone will because it's almost like it never happened. Now there are Sandy Hook and Boston Marathon jokes people are laughing at. And it's not laughing at tragedies, but understanding and realizing that you can laugh and nothing bad will happen if you do. Which is why so many comedians are atheists; it's because religion has taught people there are imaginary boundaries, when really there isn't.
@@MrParkerman6 You do realize Seinfeld is a comedian who would not give a crap about a Seinfeld bobble head toy joke being insensitive if it was funny, right?
No, he was just somewhat uncomfortable at Jerry's descriptive of what his clean, corny comedy means to him. It caught him off-guard so he just laughs it off. That's the laughter of discomfort.
