Product details: - Product group: Music
- Edition: Audio CD
- Publisher: Laugh.Com
- Performed by: Jerry Seinfeld
- Release Date: 2001-07-24
- Number of discs: 1
- Tracks:
- Disc 1
- First Time Funny
- Robert Klein's Influence
- Education
- Comedy Club Training
- Why Comedy?
- First Tonight Show Shot
- Technique
- Observations
- More Technique
- Joke Formats
- Writing
- Persona
- Taboo Topics
- The Art Of Comedy
- Dirty Material
- Confidence
- Motivation & Zen
- Timing
- Health
- Advice
- Studio: Laugh.Com
- Manufacturer: Laugh.Com
- Package Dimensions: 5.55 x 75 x 75 inches
Comedy is a very serious business, and the easy flow of a smooth performance belies the deep digging that goes into the art of creating it. That's the basic message underlying the insights collected on this installment of the Laugh.com on Comedy series. Former comic-turned-motivational-speaker Larry Wilde captured them from America's king of the postmodern standup comedy scene himself, Jerry Seinfeld, early during the latter's meteoric ascent. The actual dates of the interviews aren't given, though the material was recorded on fuzzy analogue tape, and Seinfeld is still clearly in touch with the raw experience of the club circuit. He reveals a strikingly upfront and straightforward demeanor, and his comments come across surprisingly unfiltered by the brand of ironic observation Seinfeld turned into a weekly ritual through his mega-hit TV series. Goaded on by Wilde's sometimes humdrum patter of questions, Seinfeld describes his own evolution as a comic, the role of quasi-musical elements such as pacing and rhythm in a performance, and many points of technique that comic wannabes will find of interest (it takes him at least half a year to hone a routine into a finished project, he observes). Seinfeld closely links successful humor with logical discipline--needed to trick your audience into believing in the setup--and declares that "laughs contain thought." Not given to looking at a psychological angle for what motivates great comics, he does ultimately define the comic's project as "an exploration into the self" that requires a hyper-detailed awareness. More actual examples would lighten the discussion (there's almost nothing funny here), but all you meta-types will have a blast. --Sarah ChinCustomer reviews:  What now, Jerry?, 2008-03-10
I hope no one actually *paid* for this CD. I got it at the public library, and while it's lightly entertaining, and probably even lighter in terms of its worth to aspiring comics, the overall effect is one of superficiality and amateurism.
For one thing, the interviewer, Larry Wilde, is most certainly NOT a good interviewer. As one reviewer pointed out, he talks too much; he answers his own questions; he asks *dopey* questions, questions that lack depth.
What I find interesting about Jerry Seinfeld is that his show, for me, wasn't that great. In many markets, "Seinfeld" reruns are followed by reruns of "Everyone Loves Raymond," and "Everyone Loves Raymond," seems so much better: the acting, the writing, the conception of the characters. "Seinfeld," pales in comparison.
And so Jerry Seinfeld, it seems to me, is trapped. What has he done since "Seinfeld"? A bee movie. Ok, if bees are your thing. ... A documentary he produced about how he reconstructed his comedy act, joke-by-joke, from ground zero. ... Ok, mildly entertaining. But, in many ways, very sad. ("What now, Jerry? What now?")
What can he do, the poor guy? I think he realizes that "Seinfeld" was what it was, to a large extent, because of the particular time it came into being. It was, if you will, "first on the field." Now, in retrospect, it seems, comedically, quite shallow.
As an astute student of comedy, I think that, in his heart of hearts, he himself would have to admit that. The show is several notches below the quality of his stand-up routines, especially his pre-"Seinfled" HBO specials.
In fact, this CD, as much as it didn't strike me as particularly great, was more entertaining that any given "Seinfeld" episode.
And so what's poor Jerry doing? Answer: analyzing his career: again and again and again. Who knows, being a Zen student, it may be a Zen thing with him.
Alas, I think that he himself can't figure out just why his tv program was so successful.
Jerry Seinfeld is a very likeable person. I mean, how can you dislike the guy, he's relaxed, intelligent, ingratiating, tasteful. But how sad that he was so successful -- with a mediocre show -- that he now, I believe, is afraid to try anything new involving a mass audience. Afraid because he knows that the success of "Seinfeld" is way out of proportion to not only the show's comedic value but also his limited talent. He's a damn good stand up comedian, but he's not in the league of "comedy greats," the title of this CD's series notwithstanding.
 Still Full of Gems After 5 Listens, 2007-08-25
As a new and developing comedian, this has been invaluable to me. I also have the book Great Comedians Talk About Comedy, full of print interviews including this one... and that is edited, so it's cool to hear Jerry Seinfeld actually say it here. You catch the nuances and overall meaning a bit better.
As my review title says, I've listened to this thing at least 5 times over the past 3 months and every time I catch something different.
A couple things about the interviewer: he has interviewed many of the greats in comedy going all the way back to Milton Berle, so he has a good basis for the questions he asks, and he chooses questions that, even if his theory (based on all these comedians) may not be perfect, it still stimulates Jerry to clearly explain his own perspective.
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