Episode 485: Jerry Seinfeld
Short Summary
The Last Laugh, an Esquire magazine in the early 1970s, was an inspiration for Jerry Seinfeld in his pursuit of comedy
Seinfeld has been writing comedy for 45 years and has a daily writing session of about three hours
He writes on yellow notepads and finds ideas by reading and observing life
Seinfeld believes that comedy is about finding the absurdity in everyday situations and is a way to deal with the anxiety of living in a difficult and uncertain world
He believes that comedy is a way to make the most of life's challenges and difficulties
He thinks that comedy is a way to find joy and meaning in life
Seinfeld explains that being irritable and cranky is a source of creativity for him
He believes that failure is valuable and should not be traded in
Seinfeld recommends finding ways to make exercise enjoyable and advises being honest with oneself about what is truly needed in life
He suggests finding small ways to be creative every day and surrounding oneself with creative people.
Long Summary
Jerry Seinfeld found The Last Laugh in high school and was interested in it because it explored the world of comedy, which he was interested in
Esquire magazine in the early 1970s had a character of encouraging male boldness and inventiveness in lifestyle
Seinfeld was interested in learning about the world of comedy and The Last Laugh gave him insight into it
He has been writing comedy for 45 years and has a daily writing session
His writing process involves coming up with a premise and then expanding upon it
He writes on yellow notepads because he likes the way it looks and feels
He writes for about three hours a day, six days a week
He comes up with ideas by reading and observing life and trying to find the absurdity in it
He often starts with a joke or observation and then works backwards to find the premise
He is a big believer in the importance of work ethic and consistency in achieving success.
Jerry Seinfeld stopped doing his TV show Seinfeld because he wanted to end it on a high note and not let it go on for too long
The Beatles were a model for Seinfeld because their career lasted about nine years, and Seinfeld's show also lasted about nine years
Seinfeld believes that comedians have hypersensitive senses and a hair-trigger reaction to irritation
He thinks jokes come from intense visual acuity
He believes that comedy is about finding the absurdity in everyday situations
He thinks that comedy is a way to deal with the anxiety of living in a difficult and uncertain world
He believes that comedy is a way to make the most of life's challenges and difficulties
He thinks that comedy is a way to find joy and meaning in life.
Good writing involves switching between a nurturing, supportive attitude and a critical, hard-ass attitude
Stand-up comedians receive constant, critical feedback from their audience
There is no greater reward than being in the right state of mind while performing
Seinfeld did not have a long-term career plan when he started out in comedy
The feeling of a successful stand-up performance is like math and music coming together and everything clicking
The key to stand-up comedy is to find the structure in the material and make it work every time
Seinfeld believes that comedy is about finding the absurdity in everyday situations
He thinks that comedy is a way to deal with the anxiety of living in a difficult and uncertain world
He believes that comedy is a way to make the most of life's challenges and difficulties
He thinks that comedy is a way to find joy and meaning in life.
Jerry Seinfeld explains that being irritable and cranky is a source of creativity for him, but not depression
Seinfeld describes a failure he experienced when he moved to LA and was not given many opportunities to perform at The Comedy Store, even though he had built up a good reputation in New York
Seinfeld's resentment and hostility towards the owner of The Comedy Store motivated him to increase his writing discipline from 3 days a week to 7 days a week
Seinfeld believes that failure is valuable and should not be traded in
Seinfeld recommends finding ways to make exercise enjoyable, as it helps to improve mood and mental clarity
Seinfeld advises being honest with oneself about what is truly needed in life, and to make sure to get those things
Seinfeld suggests finding small ways to be creative every day, and to surround oneself with creative people.
Jerry Seinfeld talks about how he writes comedy material and the importance of nurturing the creative process
He advises treating oneself like a baby when writing and then being critical the next day
He believes that failure is valuable and describes a time when he was not given opportunities to perform at The Comedy Store in LA, which motivated him to work harder
Seinfeld discusses the importance of discipline in his creative process and how he finds motivation to write every day
He believes that the key to success is putting in the work and not being too hard on oneself
Seinfeld also talks about his experience working on the TV show "Seinfeld" and how the team fostered a positive work environment
He emphasizes the importance of teamwork and creating a positive culture in any endeavor
Seinfeld also talks about how he stays motivated and the role that exercise plays in his life
He believes that having a healthy physical body allows for a healthy mental state, which is essential for creativity.