Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Door is open for Jerry Seinfeld in Las Vegas, especially if he’s holding it

Jerry Seinfeld

Jeff Daly / Invision / AP

Jerry Seinfeld

Click to enlarge photo

George Wallace, with Jerry Seinfeld and Terry Fator, celebrates his 10th anniversary at the Flamingo on Friday, March 21, 2014, in Las Vegas.

Click to enlarge photo

Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, George Shapiro, Russell Brand and David Lynch arrive at "David Lynch Foundation: A Night of Comedy" honoring Shapiro at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on Saturday, June 30, 2012, in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Jerry Seinfeld is on the other line, and he is explaining how his inventive mind can still open doors to new material.

That is actually how he develops a new joke, sometimes.

“This is absolutely the same experience I’ve had since I was 21 years old. I just have to be aware of everything happening around me,” says the 61-year-old Seinfeld, onstage Friday and Saturday at the Colosseum in Caesars Palace for his latest weekend gig on the Strip.

“I’ll find something funny about this particular situation and keep playing with it until I figure it out.”

An example: Recently, Seinfeld noticed that whenever he holds a door open for a stranger, the person puts his or her own hand on the door to make sure that it remains open.

“When you hold the door for somebody, and you take the time and are holding it for them, it’s a very insulting moment for them to push against the door,” Seinfeld says in dissecting this new bit in his act. “You don’t trust me to hold the door?

“This is a very insulting moment because I am going out of my way, as a stranger, to do this for you, and it doesn’t impress you at all.”

More from our phone chat, as Seinfeld touched on his old sitcom, his affection for the Colosseum and his unconventional, conversational web series, “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee”:

You’ve played in all types of clubs and venues during your career and have been at the Colosseum for a long time. How does it rate compared to the other places you’ve worked?

It’s interesting to be doing comedy in a place that was built for Celine Dion, with this idea that this was to be a theater that was very intimate but holds a lot of people. That is very good for me. It’s tall, but intimate, and I’m really liking it there. I have been playing it now for 10 years, so I must like it pretty well.

You recently said you weren’t going to play college campuses because they are too politically correct, I believe was how you stated that. Is this an issue restricted to college campuses?

I think it is most obvious there, and these well-meaning, well-intentioned people who are on the lookout for anyone hurting other people’s feelings. They can be a little aggressive about it to the point where everyone is afraid to say anything offensive. That makes for kind of an un-fun environment for comedy.

Brad Garrett is a former sitcom star who has gone on to operate a club in Las Vegas at MGM Grand. Have you ever thought of doing that, running a club like he has, or Rodney Dangerfield did back in the day?

I have never thought of that, and I think it’s because I’m really not into the business side of things. I don’t want to get that call at 11:30 at night that there is an issue at my club, you know?

I just like working in pure comedy. I love standup so much, I don’t want any discussion of a corporate nature. It’s strictly writing and performing shows, bits and jokes.

I’m not interested in making deals with actors. I don’t want to talk about money or scheduling. There is a simplicity I like about comedy and how I feel when I have great stuff. That’s what inspires me.

I almost hate to ask you this question, because it is so obvious, but “Seinfeld” aired its final episode 16 years ago. How do you explain, today, its ongoing popularity?

You know, I have not watched an episode of the show since we did the commentary for the DVDs, what, 10 years ago, I think. So I have not really revisited the series lately.

But there was a very high integrity level that we brought to that show. The performances were great, the cast was great, the writing was great. It has stood the test of time for those reasons, I think.

It seems that even the moments that are now dated have become part of the show’s appeal — the old phones, some of the fashions.

Yeah, it’s kind of becoming “The Andy Griffith Show” of its time. It was of its time but can still be enjoyed today.

What was the inspiration for “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee?”

It was that I’ve spent a lot of time with comedians after shows and thought it would be kind of fun for the audience to see what it’s like if you were to give it a little structure. It’s a simple thing, showing that this is what I like to do and who I like to talk to.

Was there ever a thought that you would do something other than have coffee in cars? Like go bowling or shoot pool or something like that?

Funny, but no. It was always coffee. Never anything else. As long as it was the same thing every time, and that just worked.

George Carlin was one of the comics who played Las Vegas a lot but didn’t necessarily like Las Vegas audiences because they were often distracted, talking during the show, maybe drunk and unruly. Have you had those issues at Caesars?

I don’t have that too often anymore, where I’m in front of a crowd that has had too much to drink. At this stage of the game, if you see me at Caesars, you really want to be there. If you have made it to Las Vegas, and you’ve been able to see the show at Caesars, you’re having a pretty great weekend.

It is a refined performance, isn’t it?

Yeah, I love to perform in suit and tie, look nice. It’s appropriate there, it feels right, and it always feels like a special night. That’s always what I’m after.

You’ve listed Abbot & Costello as influences. Why them?

They were definitely inspirations for the TV series. They brought silliness to the screen and tightness to their performances. They were pure, comedically bold and always going for the funny run. But now, my influence is anybody I see who is totally obsessed with comedy and is not as obsessed by anything else.

You’re still obsessed?

Oh, yeah. I just love comedy — and love making audiences laugh.

Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy