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To me, he is one of the greatest writers in standup there ever was. Like Eudora Welty, his finished product is devoid of fat and gristle. You can’t really remov
by tomcam 4y ago
To me, he is one of the greatest writers in standup there ever was. Like Eudora Welty, his finished product is devoid of fat and gristle. You can’t really remove a word without losing the meaning of the text.
Virtually no one understands these days that he was quite wealthy before he had the TV show. He called himself “the most popular unknown comedian in America“ because he was absolutely killing it with corporate gigs and selling out his shows while absolutely not being a household name.
- labrador 4y agoI've seen his act. It's just so much fluff
- tomcam 4y agoTry writing one that bad and report back with a YouTube link to your performance. EDIT: answers below prove I am an ignorant doofus
- Guest9081239812 4y agoIt's a Seinfeld reference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3kTYCLSgsg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3kTYCLSgsg
- labrador 4y agoI suspect you aren't as much of a Seinfeld fan as you think you are when you didn't recognize that line from the show.
- ipaddr 4y agoAt what stage? An act isn't a single performance and developing a routine means a different set each night nevermind the different routine has used throughout his career. It's like someone saying to a programmer. I know your work I saw one commit.
- shafyy 4y ago(Not OP) It's a line from Seinfeld (the TV show). Yes, this is not Reddit, but it's funny!
- lqet 4y agoI think Sally Weaver's new show could be for you. Finally a show about something!
- unmole 4y agoAre you a cashier?
- manmal 4y agoHe called his show the “show about nothing”, and Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee would pretty much also qualify for that title. It’s all 100% fluff. (I love his stuff for exactly that quality)
- ClassyJacket 4y agoI'm pretty sure this is a misconception. He never called Seinfeld a show about nothing. That was the show that his character and George pitched to the TV execs in Seinfeld.
- hunterb123 4y agoYeah but the entire episode was meta and breaking the 4th wall. He even references scenes that they do in Seinfeld when pitching it. And I wouldn't call it fluff, its observational humor and his style is to do 95% detailed setup and a quick punchline connecting it altogether.
- latexr 4y ago> He called his show the “show about nothing” He most certainly did not, he specifically called it the opposite (see point 4): https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/10-facts-about-nothing-from-jerry-seinfelds-ama-chat-171274/ https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/10-facts-a... Calling it “about nothing” is a meme with no basis in reality. That misconception even came from an episode which is about pitching a show. Seinfeld episodes are so clearly about something; they hit you on the head with the theme right at the start of each episode.
- manmal 4y agoI admit I meant this slightly tongue in cheek. I think „nothing“ works well as a description in terms of „no agenda“ and maybe „no philosophy“ (not sure about the latter, maybe it just escaped me; cynicism?).
- lqet 4y agoJohnny Carson knew it the first time he walked up on the stage of the Tonight Show in 1983. Seinfeld got the O.K. sign [0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_4ds9BtQEI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_4ds9BtQEI [0] https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/arts/television/carsons-code.html https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/30/arts/television/carsons-c...
- canadianfella 4y ago
- cookie_monsta 4y ago> You can’t really remove a word without losing the meaning of the text. Hmmm... Once you see his jokes in text form this seems a little hyperbolic. Removing words would definitely change the rhythm, but Seinfeld is not a name that springs to mind when talking about taut writing. https://bouncemojo.com/jerry-seinfeld-jokes/ https://bouncemojo.com/jerry-seinfeld-jokes/
- tomcam 4y agoInteresting. I believe the link proves my thesis.
- cookie_monsta 4y agoI would encourage you to experiment a little. You can remove entire sentences while keeping the meaning, like this (the first joke on that page): Original: According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy. Could be: According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy. I just removed 20% of the words and the meaning is intact. The rhythm and emphasis for spoken delivery maybe not, but one of the things that bored me about Seinfeld eventually was the way he spoon fed everything to you, like he didn't quite trust you to be smart enough to get it the first time around. Compare that to Steven Wright's work - there really isn't a word out of place there. You either get it or you miss it, he just keeps moving
- tomcam 4y agoI love your experiment, I concede instantly, and provisionally agree about Steven Wright[1]. Thank you for calling me out. [1] Provisionally b/c maybe someone will bust in like you did and disprove you… I’m gunshy now