"In this sticky web that we're all in, behaving decently is no small task." -- Novelist Stacey D'Erasmo

Monday, May 16, 2011

A New Seinfeld Sighting

      If you're a Seinfeld fan, you know that the comedian hasn't really come up with any new material in this millennium. Not that there's anything wrong with that. The humor he produced in the 1980s and 1990s will last a lifetime.

     Last week Jerry Seinfeld unveiled a website -- jerryseinfeld.com -- that features the best of short Seinfeld takes from over the years. Clips with Johnny Carson and David Letterman. Parts of his old standup gigs. Bits from more recent routines. The idea of the website is to offer three different items a day from the Seinfeld archive. So you check it out every day, and you can get a different dose of Jerry Seinfeld.

     On the website, if you click on the bottom right, you'll also find his current tour dates:  in Las Vegas this coming weekend, then going to Europe; and later in Texas, California and a few other locations, finishing up in Indianapolis on July 23.

      Of course, Seinfeld's career peaked with his TV show. (It doesn't seem as though there are any clips from the show featured on the website.) And all of us Seinfeld fans have our favorite episodes, our favorite clips, our favorite quotes:

      "No soup for you!"

     "That must've been one magic loogie."

     "I'm gonna hire you as my latex salesman? I don't think so."

     "It was a million to one shot, doc, a million to one!"

     "I'm not a lesbian. I hate men, but I'm not a lesbian."

     I tried to copy one of my favorite Seinfeld TV show clips here, but the youtube gods wouldn't let me. But you can follow this link to see some Seinfeld bloopers, which offer a few of the funniest moments of all.

     It seems that Seinfeld appeals more to men than women. Almost every one of my friends loves the comedian, and the show, whereas many women seem to be able to take him or leave him. Am I wrong about that?

     I understand that Jerry Seinfeld is male and looks at the world from a male point of view. But Elaine is a strong female voice on the show. Here's another link, this time to the best of Elaine Benes.

     Plus, Jerry Seinfeld's act is pretty clean, as far as comics go. He doesn't do toilet jokes or reflexively resort to the F word. His TV show does deal with sex -- actually, pretty much all the time -- and includes topics such as gay sex, masturbation, one-night stands, large breasts, etc. But the show handles these topics in a tasteful and reasonably intelligent way. (At least I think so. Maybe I'm wrong about that, too? I dunno. I assume that women not not as keen on dirty jokes as men are.)

     Anyway, I for one am setting up the Seinfeld site on my Bookmark list. From now on, it's gonna give me my laugh of the day.

6 comments:

Mac n' Janet said...

Got to see him year before last when he did a one night show in Savannah, he was great!

Sydney said...

My husband and I both love Seinfeld. But you're right about the new material. We saw him about 5 years ago (it was great) and then again a few years later. It was almost the EXACT same show!

June said...

I HEART Seinfeld. The show, I mean. I've never seen him in person.
SO MANY lines from that show!
It's the best, Jerry. The best.
Pray tell, what did the dooooorman say?
You are a bad man. You are a veddy veddy bad man.

I guess maybe I really love Larry David...

schmidleysscribblins.wordpress.com said...

I must be one of the few people on earth who just didn't get Seinfeld. Hence I almost never watched it. Dianne

Tom said...

Dianne, my B is with you ... well, actually, she watches Seinfeld with me every once in a while and does sometimes laugh, but she can easily do without it. She just doesn't love it, the way she loves her own shows, like "Say Yes to the Dress."

In my case, everyone I know likes "The Office." But I don't get it. I know it's supposed to be funny; but it just doesn't make me laugh. What are ya gonna do? There's no accounting for taste.

Robert the Skeptic said...

I was never a big Seinfeld fan but I am a huge follower of his writer and mentor, Larry David. I love "Curb Your Enthusiasm", probably because I identify with the character so much.