NYT article on Seinfeld
I read this article a long while back, but whilst driving to work today, this came up, amidst lots of other thoughts about current events.
Since his eponymous TV show went off air about 15 years ago, Seinfeld's work has been largely limited to selected projects which haven't really caught the public imagination (think Bee Movie). He's loaded enough that he doesn't have to worry about what he does, but he's been doing stand-up for the last 20 years or so, almost 2 shows every week.
That's amazing dedication to his art form. People dismiss comedy as fluff, or something easy to do, but it's not, as the article clearly show. Seinfeld's approach doesn't differ much from any other method actor, or any professional sportman. Hours and hours go into preparation.
What I also appreciate is that he's chosen to "work clean" in his words. Not that I do not appreciate bawdy language (which often gives immeasurable context), but not using vulgarities actually takes away a lot of options for the comedian, particularly stand-up comics, who are working live, and the easiest way to connect with an audience is usually to speak plainly (ie colourfully).
"There was another big difference between the two, Seinfeld noted:
“Working clean.” Almost from the beginning, Seinfeld has forsworn
graphic language in his bits, dismissing it as a crutch. “Guys that can
use any word they want — if I had that weapon, I’ll give you a new hour
in a week,” he said."
/ac
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