As you know, I am a huge Seinfeld fan. Both the long running sitcom and the comedian himself. I think he's kind of a genius and I know he's a perfectionist in his work. In 2002, after "Seinfeld," he made a documentary called "Comedian," in which he let us see the hard work involved in getting back into stand-up. I've shared with you before that I used to study stand-up comics. As a platform speaker, I learned much from them about how to hold an audience. I learned that, no matter how important my material was, if it wasn't entertaining, I wouldn't get hired.
However, after reading an article on Jerry Seinfeld in the December 23rd issue of the New York Times Magazine, I'm a little nervous about what motivates him.
When does pursuing perfection become an obsession? Seinfeld says, "If I have one weekend off from stand-up ...I completely forget who I am and what I do for a living." He still drops in at small clubs, trying out his material, working at perfecting every little nuance. As he says, "Refining a tiny thing for the sake of it." I do appreciate that, since his material is clean, it's harder. But when is enough enough?
In the article he shared a bit that he doesn't think is quite right. I think it's very funny and insightful. I would say it's ready. Here it is:
Marriage is a bit of a chess game, except the board is made of flowing water and the pieces are made of smoke.
He thinks it still needs tweaking.
Jerry Seinfeld is 58 years old, has a beautiful wife and two children. In 2010 Forbes Magazine estimated his income at 800 million dollars. His response to this is "I like money but it's never been about the money."
What is it about?
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