Jerry Seinfeld: I still think about this 1993 heckler

Jerry Seinfeld opens up about his writing process, reflecting on an early experience when somebody from the crowd yelled “heard it” and why he still thinks about that comment to this day. He shares the importance of writing, discussing how he took two years to work on a joke, and compares the art of comedy to martial arts.
#comedy #standupcomedy #interview

Episode debuted nationwide in 2024.

Connect with Graham:

[varrick]

How refreshing the host allows the guest to speak. Good job Graham.

[gp]

I love listening to Seinfeld talk about comedy. There are few people who explain it better

[jq]

I really appreciate how Jerry does the daily work and protects the fresh writing process. I'm an entertainment writer too, and this is so key. Ideas take time to develop - including funny ones. Maybe especially so. Bravo, J. The proof is in your longevity of funny. ☺

[ernestrivers]

Graham literally gets the best guys, and asks legit questions.
Much props!

[thesequelvintage]

I've been watching quality Graham Bensinger interviews with high level stars for what feels like 15 years... how the hell does he not have a million subscribers yet!!??

[jasonbeedon]

“Write or die.” What a profound statement and insight into comedy.

[ElimGarak]

The interesting way he describes comedy makes a lot of sense. Comparing it to song writing where words have a feel to them, what a perfect way to explain it.

[andresmiguel]

George Carlin mentioned that it’s about acoustic timing. Rhythm is important and he mastered it.

[HankMeyer]

If you can, tell Jerry that growing up watching his sitcom, which didn't take any situation seriously at all, helped teach me how to react to bad fortune, tragedy, and even catastrophe, with a sense of humor, and I am very grateful for that.

[stefziggy]

I love him encouraging others to meditate. I describe it to others as feeling like you just came out of a message at an amazing spa, but on another level.

[jameslesnik]

I wonder if Jerry stole a box of raisins after the interview

[hejduke]

Excellent interview. Jerry is a great guest here. Insightful. Thank you for sharing your perspective.

[ironmike]

I love that the poker bit bombed with Graham, too 😂😂

[Shlockrock]

That was so informative. He shared some basic knowledge with everyone on how to succeed in comedy and in music. It;s the writing!

[rangerCG]

A lot of art is slowly and meticulously constructed over a long period of time but then presented in a way that suggests it was spontaneously created. If people don't ever see how the sausage is made they might be disappointed when they see it. Even musicians who improvise are pulling from a catalogue that was created over a really long period of time, and then shaded and pieced and connected together in the moment.

[topsuperseven]

One thing I remember from a Seinfeld talk with him and Chris Rock and Louis CK (on yt somewhere) but it was fascinating that he, for years, had only ONE foul word in his earlier acts. The f-word. He explained that he had a line that never seemed to work then one day added 'f**k' and like magic the joke worked perfectly every single time.

[truthshallsetyoufree]

I have seen some of my favorite comedians old routines on youtube and when you hear one of your favorite jokes in it's infancy, you can see how fine tuning can make all the difference. It's the wording, and the timing, and the cadence, etc... all coming together to nail it correctly.

[stephaniestanley]

An intelligent, insightful interview. Jerry's a good guy.

[jamesnichols]

This is such a great interview, but I wished it kept going on the timing topic. George Carlin talked about timing and the musicality of language and id love to hear more from Jerry about it. Also, timing and interacting with the audience is HUGE. I wonder what he thinks about allowing people to laugh and keep the bit flowing without losing people for example.

[realUlfricStormcloak]

2:16

"It was mean... It was TRUE."

😂