The zen of Jerry Seinfeld

Originally published October 01, 2016

• Comedians are supposed to be tortured souls, forever battling inner demons. Only, nobody told Jerry Seinfeld. He is the most infuriatingly content person you're ever likely to encounter.
• Spending years working with noted misanthrope Larry David on arguably the greatest sitcom ever clearly had no impact on his own sense of personal happiness. He was somehow able to observe that David's outlook is hilarious, extract it and apply it within the pressures of the world of TV production, but, vitally, not be personally swayed by it in any way. When you think about it, the amount of self-possession that requires is remarkable, especially given the fact that his comedy since this time has continued to draw on observations, annoyances and irritations. Even more remarkable is that he wouldn't even see this dichotomy as any kind of achievement.
• I started thinking about this while reading Judd Apatow's book Sick In The Head, a collection of interviews between Apatow and his celebrity pals. During this time the title of this edition of the newsletter came to me. Only, it already existed - The Zen of Jerry Seinfeld is also the name of an episode of Alec Baldwin's podcast, a similarly enlightening glimpse into Seinfeld's outlook.
• So how come he's existed in the world of comedy and TV for decades, and hasn't become burned out or bitter? Well, it sounds like his devotion to transcendental meditation has had a considerable impact on his life.
• But interestingly, as conversations about autism become more prominent, Seinfeld has wondered aloud how far along the spectrum he may be. Could this be the key to his lack of worry and cynicism? (I'd be tempted to speculate that the millions in the bank help, except that by all accounts he's been the same way his whole life.)

Otherlings

Some podcasts I've enjoyed over the last couple of months:

• Journalist spends four months undercover as a prison guard; does not have time of life.
• Outlandish tales of snake oil salesmen down the years in various U.S. locales
• Hey! Discussing new book Seinfeldia - a history of the show - with its author
• How modernism blew people's tiny minds in 1913, put in the context of the world at the time
• Unpleasant design & hostile urban architecture intended to make people uncomfortable
• The man who became obsessed with recording audio from every moment of his life
• Jonathan Goldstein returns to audio with Gimlet Media's already-marvellous Heavyweight