Seinfeld: Grumpy, old stand-up
Jerry's 'Letterman' routine suggests he's better on the couch
By Kenny Herzog Feb 15, 2013 9:35AM
We only chide the ones we love, and it's generally for their own benefit (unless you're just mean). That's why it needs to be said that Jerry Seinfeld kind of stunk Thursday night on the "Late Show with David Letterman."
There to promote his online/Crackle-distributed series of vignettes, "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee," Jerome first treated the live audience and those watching at home to some classic Sein-man stand-up. After accepting a hearty ovation, the 58-year-old Long Island native reached out his arms and inquired to no one in particular, "So, what's annoying now, besides everything?" which may as well have been his, "Take my wife, please."
The ensuing five minutes was out of touch, acerbic and exhausting to watch. Strung-together diatribes bemoaning our cultural obsessions over everything from Gatorade to one-click shopping sounded like the easily burdened rantings of a senior citizen, lacking the calm insouciance of his vintage stage persona. "Just try and catch the pieces of your face as they dry up and crack onto the floor," he suggestively sneered, sounding akin to his comrade Larry David without the all-important air of rightness.
Seinfeld closed his act with a particularly baffling treatise on the figurative concept of one's death bed, asking, "Why would you even buy a bed like that? How are you going to start feeling better sleeping in a death bed? Where is that section of the furniture store?" When his rhetorical questions have obvious answers, that's a good indication that Seinfeld's going through the motions.
Rapping with his pal Letterman on the couch, Jerry was a different personality altogether, sending up his fame and wealth and essentially playing the "Jerry Seinfeld" character he'd created for "30 Rock." It's the same reason "Comedians in Cars" feels right in his current wheelhouse. Much as it's hard to swallow Bruce Springsteen still earnestly writing songs from a blue-collar perspective, Seinfeld's no longer a quintessentially dry, incisive voice for the mundanely disaffected. He's a rich guy with lots of cars and interesting friends, and he's much more endearing when exploring what's so funny about that.
"The Late Show With David Letterman" airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
29Comments
Feb 15, 2013 3:00PM
Feb 15, 2013 2:58PM
Feb 15, 2013 2:28PM
I guess it is easy to be a critic, at least it gets your name (Kenny Herzog) on the byline. Reading this article showed your personal bias toward a stand-up comedian that had more than just his day on the small screen (but years). His TV reruns are still entertaining to watch, and I might say they are much better than the supposedly funny 'crap' they have on present day TV. Actually, I became a fan of Jerry's about a year after his 'Seinfeld' program began. This was when my four young adult children told me, "He was the greatest comedian of their day". As for being on Letterman's program, Dave has just the opposite comic stand-up delivery. His style is not so funny (unless you love his snide political liberal views), which is not to my liking. So, my preference lies with another TV funnyman (Leno) on another network at the same time. And, he can knock both political parties during the same stand-up gig.
Feb 15, 2013 2:26PM
Feb 15, 2013 2:25PM
Feb 15, 2013 2:11PM
Feb 15, 2013 2:09PM
Feb 15, 2013 1:35PM
I SAW HIM LIVE IN ORANGE COUNTY IN 87 AROUND THE TIME HIS SHOW WAS JUST GETTING
STARTED HE WAS HALARIOUS. THE FIRST 4 SEASON OF SEINFELD GREAT THEN WENT WAY
DOWN LAST 5 BUT STILL BETTER THAN ANY CRAP ON TV NOW! 2 BROKE GIRLS? THOSE
HORRIBLE NBC SO CALLED 'COMEDIES' WHITNEY? BUT THAT'S NOT AS BAD AS TYLER
PERRY'S TBS CRAP! THEY LAUGHTER IS EVEN FAKE! I DON'T CARE TOO MUCH FOR JERRY
OR ANY OF THE SEINFELD CAST SINCE THEY ALL CAME OUT OF THE LIBERAL CLOSET!
MORE HYPOCRITE RICH LIBERALS WHO HAVE NO IDEA WHAT OBAMA AND DEMOS LIBERAL
CRAP IS DOING TO HARD WORKING AMERICANS CAUSE THEY LIVE IN RICH FANTASY LAND!
LETTERMAN HASN'T BEEN FUNNY SINCE HIS MORNING SHOW ON NBC NOTHING BUT CRAP!
Feb 15, 2013 1:34PM
I've never thought Seinfeld was all that funny, but I agreed to go see him in a town about 2 hours away and in a beautiful venue. The night before the show I was talking to one of my favorite bartenders who happens to be from the town where Seinfeld was performing. We bet on whether Seinfeld would dis the town or not. Sure enough, he asked for questions at the end of the show and when a woman asked what it was about their town that brought him back, his reply was "I can leave and you have to stay." I figured then that the reason he goes to small auditoriums (I'd say 5 to 6 thousand) is he can't fill larger venues. Any comedian that has to put down his audience (Letterman, too) is arrogant and not funny. The only redeeming quality of his show is that he doesn't feel the need to be vulgar to be funny. But, he still isn't all that funny.
Feb 15, 2013 1:30PM
Feb 15, 2013 12:48PM
Feb 15, 2013 12:36PM
Do you bloggers have degree's or even an editor that might proof read the article(s) that are published? I have problems with grammar sometimes myself, but that's not how I make my living. If you read the article about the death bed act you have a misspelled word. I quote, "Why would you even by a bed like that?" Notice, 'BY' and not 'BUY'. I then read other articles on this page and found more misspelled or misplaced words, or even words left out which makes some sentences not make any sense. Unless of course, you have sense and can plug in the words we think may go in that place. Anyway, it's bad enough that MSN is getting so terrible at reporting news that matters and lowering its standards to bad reporting, but if your going to report on nonsense make an effort at professionalism.
Many of you may ask yourself, 'why are you replying with this?' Well, I just thought they might need some constructive criticism like they dish out everyday to everyone else. It's almost hypocritical for them to blast someone for a job they do and not do a good job themselves. Don't you think?
Feb 15, 2013 12:02PM
Feb 15, 2013 11:51AM
Feb 15, 2013 11:48AM
This is what Jerry Seinfeld's comedy has always been like. It has always been slightly amusing observations of human behavior. Some people like it, others don't. I don't particularly like it, and when I record his old sitcom I usually skip through the stand up bits. He sounded exactly the same on Letterman as what he sounded in the 90s.
Feb 15, 2013 11:47AM
Feb 15, 2013 11:35AM
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