Seinophilia

Jerry Seinfeld is not a genius. Yet people seldom think so, when landing up in 1000s, paying $70 for an hour of his standup routine. It seems outrageous that a man in a suit, telling jokes about public restrooms and mobile phones, is priced at the same value as an entire production, with cast, crew, music, lighting, glitz and grandeur. How does he compare with the Phantom of the Opera? Has he put in as much money into putting up his show? Clearly not. Has he spent months choreographing, coordinating and reharsing? No. He's probably taken a good, hard look at all the animate and inanimate objects around him and identified their most annoying traits, in preparation for the show. And probably read the newspapers.
Whether it is a musical concert, a dance performance, shows on ice, circus acrobats, or even theater, the principal reason why people would go, is to get inspired by the talents or skills possessed and trained for, by other men and women. Stand-up comedy, due to its fragmented and quotidian nature is not inspiring. It has traditionally been a filler in variety entertainment shows, done by funny men outside of their day jobs. It comes nowhere close to an art form, or a honed skill that can wow other human beings. It is decidedly a lesser form of entertainment than theater, and a much less deep than humorous writing.

So how is Seinfeld able to justify the whopping ticket prices to his audiences?

An easy answer is that he is the title star of a stupendously successful television blockbuster. However, one wonders if Jennifer Anniston or Matt Le Blanc, both stars of a similarly successful TV show would have garnered 7000 people at $70 each for an evening. Maybe not. Seinfeld's appeal is not just that he starred in a top TV show. He has, somehow, managed to win America's trust and indulgence, enough to get them to laugh at their raisin bran bowl and their own toddlers. For some reason, it feels like Jerry really understands. Even though he may not have been the principal writer of those shows, he has earned credibility as a cerebral, insightful man. Probably some of this has to do with the fact that he is a standup comedian in the show too. In an expert stroke, he has managed to ensconce himself in the American psyche over the past 10 years, as the guy who has the right to laugh at them. One wonders if his character was intended as a mega brand imaging ploy to guarantee the rest of his standup comedy career, or that events have played out to his advantage.

His jokes, themselves, are wry, observational and have a repeat value due to their universal relatability. Whether it is mobile phones, household garbage, weather reports or his mom's paranoia, everyone in the audience can relate to his topics. There are no cultural or background references, no know-what and know-how of concepts, or anything that can make one feel left out. For instance, if one translated his jokes to a native Indian tongue, they would still be as funny, and one's parents would laugh at them. That means he his humor is beyond language and culture. That also means it is way more native than sophisticated. After his show yesterday i overheard a man on the road tell his wife "Why are you asking me to go to our son's best friend's party? Didnt you hear Seinfeld yesterday? 4 year olds dont have best friends! Put a sock on your hand, call it a puppet and that is their new best friend!".
Perhaps that is why people pay to listen to him. He teaches them when and how to laugh.