{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/ww76t0jr4j/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Jerry Seinfeld Oral History"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eJerry Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer and producer. After graduating from Massapequa High School, Seinfeld pursued his undergraduate studies at SUNY Oswego before transferring to Queens College. While at QC, Seinfeld began to explore the comedy club scene in New York City, preparing him for his standup debut in the fall of 1975. Obsessed with going to the clubs and learning comedy, Seinfeld pitched and completed an independent study in his senior year during which he performed and wrote about standup comedy. By the time he graduated in 1976, Seinfeld was already fully entrenched in the comedy world. After only four years, he became one of the top comedians in New York, motivating him to move to LA in 1980 to further advance his career. Seinfeld’s successful performance on \u003cem\u003eThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson\u003c/em\u003e marked his entrance into professional standup comedy, after which he continued performing at venues across the country. In 1989, he developed his own series, \u003cem\u003eSeinfeld\u003c/em\u003e, which he starred in, casted, wrote, edited and produced. Seinfeld’s success and creativity have only continued to flourish from that point forward, including the production of his original series, \u003cem\u003eComedians in Cars Getting Coffee\u003c/em\u003e, and his recent directorial film debut, \u003cem\u003eUnfrosted\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn this interview, Seinfeld recalls his childhood on Long Island and his college days at QC, including his early performances as a student on the standup comedy scene in Manhattan that laid the foundation for his successful career. He recounts his professional trajectory, touching on key individuals and pivotal experiences – including failures – that propelled him forward and helped him to define his strengths as a comedian and an artist. Seinfeld shares how he approaches his craft both on and off stage, including the importance of writing his own material and managing creative choices so he can stay true to his comedic vision. He reflects on finding a home and his purpose in the world of comedy and always projecting his focus forward to his next creative endeavor. He expresses gratitude for his education and time at QC, which helped him grow significantly as a young adult and in Seinfeld’s words, “marked the beginning of my life.”\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eThis interview recording is the property of Queens College. Please contact Carolyn Liebling at carolyn@columbus81.com for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2023-07-26 (created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Tags"]},"value":{"en":["Queens College Alumni"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Video"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Jerry Seinfeld (Interviewee)","Sara Kahan (Interviewer)","David D'Amato (Interviewer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Coverage"]},"value":{"en":["1954-2023 (temporal)","Queens College, Queens, NY; Massapequa, NY; Manhattan, NY; Borough Park, Brooklyn, NY; Los Angeles, CA (spatial)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eJerry Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer and producer. After graduating from Massapequa High School, Seinfeld pursued his undergraduate studies at SUNY Oswego before transferring to Queens College. While at QC, Seinfeld began to explore the comedy club scene in New York City, preparing him for his standup debut in the fall of 1975. Obsessed with going to the clubs and learning comedy, Seinfeld pitched and completed an independent study in his senior year during which he performed and wrote about standup comedy. By the time he graduated in 1976, Seinfeld was already fully entrenched in the comedy world. After only four years, he became one of the top comedians in New York, motivating him to move to LA in 1980 to further advance his career. Seinfeld\u0026rsquo;s successful performance on \u003cem\u003eThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson\u003c/em\u003e marked his entrance into professional standup comedy, after which he continued performing at venues across the country. In 1989, he developed his own series, \u003cem\u003eSeinfeld\u003c/em\u003e, which he starred in, casted, wrote, edited and produced. Seinfeld\u0026rsquo;s success and creativity have only continued to flourish from that point forward, including the production of his original series, \u003cem\u003eComedians in Cars Getting Coffee\u003c/em\u003e, and his recent directorial film debut, \u003cem\u003eUnfrosted\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn this interview, Seinfeld recalls his childhood on Long Island and his college days at QC, including his early performances as a student on the standup comedy scene in Manhattan that laid the foundation for his successful career. He recounts his professional trajectory, touching on key individuals and pivotal experiences \u0026ndash; including failures \u0026ndash; that propelled him forward and helped him to define his strengths as a comedian and an artist. Seinfeld shares how he approaches his craft both on and off stage, including the importance of writing his own material and managing creative choices so he can stay true to his comedic vision. He reflects on finding a home and his purpose in the world of comedy and always projecting his focus forward to his next creative endeavor. He expresses gratitude for his education and time at QC, which helped him grow significantly as a young adult and in Seinfeld\u0026rsquo;s words, \u0026ldquo;marked the beginning of my life.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eThis interview recording is the property of Queens College. Please contact Carolyn Liebling at carolyn@columbus81.com for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/242/093/small/2022-082_Jerry_Seinfeld_A_0040_08C_crop_aviary.jpg?1717601368","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - seinfeld_jerry_20230726.mp4"]},"duration":2396.992,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/242/093/small/2022-082_Jerry_Seinfeld_A_0040_08C_crop_aviary.jpg?1717601368","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/242/093/original/seinfeld_jerry_20230726.mp4?1717601111","type":"Video","format":"video/mp4","duration":2396.992,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Full Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: My name is Jerry Seinfeld. It's J-E-R-R-Y-S-E-I-N-F-E-L-D.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=0.0,7.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Perfect. It's on the record.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=7.0,8.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Alright.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=8.0,8.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Thank you. So to start, you touched on this a little bit before, but we'd like to talk a little bit about your early life and to start off, where were you born and raised and what did your parents do for a living?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=8.0,21.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: I was born in Borough Park in 1954. My father was a salesman, my mother was a housewife, and when I was one or two, we moved out to Long Island.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=21.0,39.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Okay. And where is your family originally from in terms of family--","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=39.0,42.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: My father is Austrian Polish and my mother is Syrian. Their parents were immigrants and came over in the early part of the century, the—oh, like 1910 around then. And they met late in life in Brooklyn. And I am the youngest of the two children. My older sister is Carolyn.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=42.0,75.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: And what was your childhood like growing up on Long Island? Could you tell us a little bit about that?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=75.0,80.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: My childhood in Long Island was, I have to say rather idyllic. It was a very nice suburban neighborhood. I lived in two different houses in Massapequa. One very small house that my parents bought in probably '55 or '56 for about $7,000. I remember they used to tell the story of putting $20 down, that was the deposit—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=80.0,109.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: Wow—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=109.0,109.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Broke the bank!—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=109.0,111.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: —for the house and I have pictures of them when the house was being built. And then we moved to Harbor Green, which was a pretty nice neighborhood on the South Shore. It was on the Great South Bay. It was a mostly Jewish/ Italian neighborhood. My father used to play cards with Carlo Gambino, who was—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=111.0,133.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: Wow!—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=133.0,133.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: —the godfather is based on him. And I never knew who he was, but he would come over our house. But I do remember him being different from every other—when you grow up in the sixties, an adult that even paid attention to a child was very unusual and he was very nice and I remember [laughter] how nice he was, but it was very funny later when I found out who he was.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=133.0,166.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: But my life was—I was pretty normal, I would say up till about 13 or 14. And at that age, I felt not comfortable around the other kids. The kind of group mentality was uncomfortable for me and I kind of withdrew and I would have maybe one or two other kind of, let's call them slightly outcast kids, that I would spend time with, but the group dynamic made me uncomfortable. And I think that was the beginning of kind of withdrawing from being an average kid. And I just suddenly felt I had to just be not part of that. And I would spend endless hours watching television in my room, in my house, and of course, not having any idea that I was learning. I was absorbing how dialogue and stories and comedy and how all that was being done. I thought I was just entertaining myself. But that's where I was learning. And I've actually watched my daughter do the same thing.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=166.0,252.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: Wow—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=252.0,252.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: She started when she was 15 or 16 becoming obsessed with movies and television and just inhaling just crazy, crazy amounts of that content. And now she's become a writer.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=252.0,268.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Wow—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=268.0,268.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: Wow—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=268.0,268.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: So it's funny watching her. My other two are not quite like that, but it was funny watching her go through the similar process.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=268.0,281.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: So you credited your father, we read, for developing your love of comedy. Could you tell us a little bit more about that growing up?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=281.0,289.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Well, he was a very funny guy. Also a guy who was not going to fit in with a corporate structure or even a small company. He had to be out on his own. So he eventually started his own company selling signs in Massapequa. He had a sign business called Kal Seinfeld Signs, and he loved what I was doing. And I started doing it at Queens College when I was 20 or 21. That's when some guys at Queens—Jesse Mitchnick [phonetic], Mike Costanza and Joe Pacino were the three guys I fell in with there in the Communications Arts and Sciences program that I was in. And they took me to the clubs in Manhattan on the Upper East Side, which was exploding in the early seventies. It was the beginning of singles bars and they took me to those clubs and I started watching the standup comics and next thing I knew I was one [laughter].","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=289.0,358.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: But we also read that by the time you were eight, you were checking the TV listings for who was going to be on, which comics were going to be on.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=358.0,364.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Yes, yes.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=364.0,365.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Did you have any favorites at that time or some that—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=365.0,369.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Oh, sure. I mean, all the guys that were on TV—Alan King and George Carlin, Robert Klein, Bill Cosby—all the kids in the neighborhood would listen to those Cosby albums. And that was how we first really listened to it. You'd just see small segments on TV and then the comedy albums was really—and then living in New York and then getting to Queens and then getting to Manhattan, it was right there.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=369.0,403.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: So you spent your early years on Long Island and attended Massapequa High School, and then you moved on to SUNY Oswego. So, why did you choose to go upstate for college?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=403.0,412.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Again, it was to get away from that world. I don't know why, but I think— Somebody wrote a piece in The Times recently about that my TV series is still relevant and was talking about outsiderism, which is a part of being a comedian or a writer. Most creative people, you just find yourself outside of society and that's where you want to be. You want to observe it, you want to comment on it. And so I went to Oswego just to be away from the world that I grew up in. And after a year or two there it was—I was away but then I felt like I was missing the flow and the intensity of New York and of Queens. I loved Queens. It was the perfect mixture of Manhattan and Long Island for me.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=412.0,482.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: And what were your career goals when you arrived at Queens?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=482.0,489.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: I think I was just drawn to the energy there. I loved—the kids there were so different from the Long Island kids that I grew up with. They were so—they just had that city energy that I loved and I still love to this day. I could never ever leave New York City no matter what. I always say that there's a rhythm, like a tuning fork that you have. Every human being has a tuning fork and every community has a tuning fork. And when your vibration frequency matches the one of the place that you're in, you feel good. And if it doesn't match, you don't feel right.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=489.0,538.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: After you got to Queens College, after your first semester or two, what were your impressions of the school and—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=538.0,545.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/32","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Well, I wanted to be there so badly that—I couldn't get in, I can't even remember why I couldn't get in the day school and I had to go to night school my first semester and to matriculate you needed 12 credits and they would not let you take 12 credits at night school because that was a heavy load for night school. And I just begged them to let me take 12 credits [laughter] and they let me. And I worked in warehouses during the day and then I went to school at night and I took my 12 credits and I passed all my courses and they let me matriculate into the day school.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=545.0,591.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/33","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: [crosstalk]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=591.0,591.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/34","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: —which was '71. What would that be? That would be '72—'73 and 4. No, 4 through 6. '74 through '76. I graduated '76.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=591.0,610.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/35","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: And the majority of your courses were in theater and communications. Were there any that stood out as memorable or—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=610.0,617.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/36","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: It's funny, cause I knew I was going to be talking to you today. I was thinking about some of the courses that I took and I was thinking about how I took costume design—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=617.0,624.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/37","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: Wow—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=624.0,626.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/38","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: —and which was just like, I don't know what I'm doing in this course [laughter] and the ridiculous drawings. I remember designing Shakespearean costumes, just idiotic scrawls on—what is a Shakespearean costume? Just big sleeves and big pants [laughter].","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=626.0,645.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/39","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Maybe that inspired the puffy shirt somewhere!","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=645.0,647.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/40","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: [laughter] I think it did.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=647.0,650.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/41","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Well, you spent your last semester doing an independent study on the world of standup comedy with Professor Greenberg.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=650.0,654.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/42","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Yes.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=654.0,654.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/43","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: What was that experience like and how did it influence your trajectory at the time?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=654.0,662.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/44","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Well, by that point, I was pretty much—it was the fall of '75 that I got the courage to go up on stage for the very first time being pushed by those three guys that I were friends with that I mentioned earlier. They were the ones that—cause we used to go to these clubs and watch these comics and they said, you know, you're funny enough to do that, which I had been wanting to hear my whole life.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=662.0,693.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/45","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: I wanted to hear someone say that cause I couldn't say it myself. I didn't have the confidence to think that, that I could do that. But they—I was waiting for them to say it and once they said it, then I auditioned and I passed the auditions. And so this was like fall of—winter '75, so I really just wanted to get out of school. I didn't want to go to school anymore. I was obsessed with going to these clubs and learning comedy. And so I came up with this idea of this independent study so I could graduate cause no one in my family had ever been to college. So I had to graduate. I wanted my parents to have that experience of raising a kid who graduated college. My father didn't even finish high school. And so I came up with this crazy idea and I went to Dr. Greenberg who was the head of the theater department, and I pitched out this crazy thing that I'm gonna go to these clubs every night and I'm gonna write and study all this standup. And it was just all about standup. I still have the book—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=693.0,763.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/46","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Wow—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=763.0,763.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/47","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: —my proposal to do this, and he [crosstalk] let me do it and that was it. So I spent the whole spring semester just going to comedy clubs and performing and writing about it.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=763.0,782.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/48","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: Were there any other QC professors or mentors that are memorable to you now or that made some kind of an impact?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=782.0,789.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/49","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: I remember a Dr. Crawford who was the head of—who taught television production, and all I remember is that we used to make fun of him.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=789.0,802.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/50","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: [laughter] Practicing your comedy.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=802.0,804.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/51","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Yeah, practicing comedy [laughter]. And he was an older guy and we just thought he really doesn't know what's going on in television [laughter]. But this was where—and my kids are all in college now, and I remembered so much about—the kids you go to school with, teach you as much as the school itself.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=804.0,829.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/52","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: That it's all about the environment of these colleges and universities that really help you grow. And that's what Queens did for me. And the professors varied, but the student body, you find that group of kids that challenge you or you really connect with and that's how you grow and then you do your schoolwork and that's important too. But it's this whole environment and Queens was just it for me. And I mean, I love the borough itself. I just loved driving around. And in Long Island we never had trouble parking. When you're in Queens, you got to learn how to park, you got to have a strategy, it just sharpened your senses. That was what I needed. I really needed that. And from there, I eyed Manhattan. I go, wow, it looks even harder to live there. How do you live there? [laughs] But I believe in these places to sharpen your wits and your brain to survive in a competitive world.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=829.0,906.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/53","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: Well, at the end of the day, we checked your transcript and you were on the Dean's List.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=906.0,910.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/54","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: I did. I was on the Dean's List. I don't know how I did that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=910.0,914.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/55","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: But there was one interesting course that we saw you took in sailing, so we were wondering—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=914.0,918.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/56","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Yes, sailing. Yes— [laughs]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=918.0,920.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/57","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: —what it was like for Jerry Seinfeld on the high seas? [laughs]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=920.0,923.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/58","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Well, I'll tell you what—it was so much I wanted adventure in my life and I wasn't—before I got to the comedy thing that that's what I was gonna do, if I wasn't gonna do that, I wanted to sail and go on long—I was gonna join some crew somewhere and do some kind of epic sailing journeys because I had this thing that I wanted adventure and risk, and I used to drive a motorcycle everywhere. But once you get into the world of standup comedy, you have all the risk you can handle. [laughter] So that served to fill that need that I had. It was funny, when I look back on my life, it was all headed in that direction. I couldn't see it of course at the time. But yeah, that's how I got there.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=923.0,986.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/59","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: There were also a couple of theater productions, or at least one that we found called \"Friends\" that we located a program for. Do you have any recollections of performing and that experience on campus?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=986.0,999.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/60","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Oh, was \"Friends\" the play by Kobo Abe, the Japanese playwright?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=999.0,1005.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/61","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: It was actually, and you were the reporter.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1005.0,1008.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/62","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: I was the reporter. And I'll tell you what happened on that production is I made the guy really funny. It was about a family being captured and held hostage, and I was the reporter somehow reporting on this story, and the director—it's not a funny play, it's some kind of alternative theater thing. And I made this character sooo funny and it was not that kind of play. And the director did not like what I was doing [laughter] and said, this is not a comedy and you're playing this character very funny and you're kind of messing up what we're doing here. [laughter] And that was when I realized, you know what? I think if I could get a little less help, I think I might be able to do something on stage. I think this idea of acting and having to stick to a story and the script and being directed, this does not feel right to me. And I feel that way to this day. I never did well with other people's material and being directed by other people. It never worked for me.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1008.0,1086.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/63","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Were there any other activities you participated in on campus?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1086.0,1091.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/64","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: On campus? No, it was really the theater.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1091.0,1096.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/65","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: And that brings us to your graduation in 1976 and that same year you made your standup debut at Catch a Rising Star.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1096.0,1104.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/66","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Well, it was actually the year before '75—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1104.0,1107.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/67","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Okay.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1107.0,1108.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/68","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: I had gone on and that's what pushed me into doing the independent study project with Dr. Greenberg. But the night—the day I graduated, I went to the clubs that night and I was all in by that point.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1108.0,1128.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/69","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: So there wasn't an official debut or I guess that was—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1128.0,1134.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/70","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: There was a new club that opened called the Comic Strip, which still exists on Second Avenue and 82nd. And that place opened in June and I heard about it in June. And then I went there, I passed the audition there, and then I could get on every single night cause the other two clubs in the city Catch a Rising Star and The Improv, the people that went on there were very entrenched and really good, and I was just starting out. And if it wasn't for the Comic Strip, I would not have been able to really learn because it was very hard to get on stage. And there was only two clubs in the city and the Comedy Store in LA. Those were the only three comedy clubs in the entire country.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1134.0,1179.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/71","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: And how did those next couple of years unfold for you in New York after graduation?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1179.0,1185.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/72","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Well then it was—that was kind of—once I walked into those comedy clubs, I felt like I have a home on Earth. Everything else—I was describing that feeling of disaffection in 13, 14, 15, and then 22, I walk into these comedy clubs and I go, oh, well, this is where I belong. So then you're kind of in this aquarium of comedy, which I'm still in to this day and still don't feel comfortable outside it. I have shows this weekend in Las Vegas, and I just can't wait to get there. Once you find that home, it's just you feel like you have a purpose. You feel like that your life had a reason for being.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1185.0,1251.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/73","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: So in 1980 you move out to LA. What was that transition like and what was it that you missed the most about being in Queens and in New York City in general?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1251.0,1263.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/74","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Well, LA seemed good at the beginning because you have the nice weather and it's easier to get around, especially LA in the late seventies and early eighties wasn't nearly as congested as it is now. LA is a tough place to live now. At that time, people from New York City would go out to LA and they'd go, oh my God, it's so easy here. You just drive right up to the restaurant in your car and there's no winter. And it just seemed great.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1263.0,1298.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/75","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: And I was there and it was the right place to be for me at that time because I had quickly moved up in New York. In four years, I went from audition night to being one of the top comedians in the city, and I didn't want to be at the top. I wanted to be at the bottom. So I thought I have to go to the next level. And LA was tougher. There were really, excuse me, there were really bigger acts there and they were stronger. And so I went there to try and get to the next level, try and get on TV. That was the next goal, to try and get on Johnny Carson and Merv Griffin and all the shows that were in LA.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1298.0,1342.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/76","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: So that same year you signed on for a sitcom, \"Benson.\"","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1342.0,1347.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/77","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: That's right.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1347.0,1348.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/78","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: And after three episodes, they let you go, unfortunately. What did you learn from that experience?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1348.0,1354.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/79","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Again, I learned that other people's material doesn't feel right, doesn't come out of my mouth right, and I didn't want to go on TV anymore unless I was doing my own material. And that didn't happen until '89 when I got the chance to do my own show.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1354.0,1375.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/80","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: In the very next year in '81, you end up going to the Johnny Carson Show and the first time, what did it feel like walking onto that stage?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1375.0,1386.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/81","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: That was—next to getting the very first laughs of my life, which was while I was still at Queens, which I—somebody, I always take questions at the end of my shows and somebody asked me, \"What was the most significant moment of your life?\" And I said, well, family stuff aside, the first time I got a laugh. And so that was the most significant and then I would say walking out on the Tonight Show and doing well on that show, then you were a professional. If you could do that, that was considered the real step into professional standup comedy.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1386.0,1431.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/82","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: And I guess your career took off from that point forward.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1431.0,1435.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/83","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Yeah, things went really well from there. And then I got the series about, I guess it was eight years after that. I just did those shows for eight years and comedy was exploding around the country and there were clubs in every town around the country. And so I was able to make a living. I mean, I really had no money until—for the first eight or 10 years, really absolutely no money at all. And then suddenly there was a way to make money.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1435.0,1471.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/84","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: At what point did you start thinking about developing a sitcom?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1471.0,1474.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/85","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: I never thought about it. I never thought I could do it, and I wasn't too sure the show we were doing was gonna work either, but I thought it might be interesting, and I wanted to do something interesting and original, but popular I never thought it would be, and really came as a surprise when that happened. We thought we'd be kind of a weird offbeat kind of sitcom that might survive in the right time slot. So yeah, the success of that show was a complete surprise to me.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1474.0,1515.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/86","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Nice to be proven wrong sometimes I guess.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1515.0,1516.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/87","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Yeah [laughs].","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1516.0,1518.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/88","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: You mentioned in a previous interview that the success of \"Seinfeld\" lies in the fact that the writing is tight, and we know you played a big part in that. I'm just curious, is writing something that comes naturally to you or is that something you really had to work at?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1518.0,1534.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/89","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: That's a tough question. You have to work at learning the discipline of writing, but once you're writing, it will come naturally. So it's kind of like exercising. Nobody really wants to do it, but somewhere in the middle of it, it kind of starts to flow and you feel glad that you're doing it, but you never want to do it. [laughter]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1534.0,1565.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/90","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Love that analogy. That's great. And as you mentioned earlier, you wore QC gear on the show several times and again in your recent KITH photoshoot. It seems like you're very proud of being a Queens College alum.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1565.0,1579.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/91","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: I am very, very proud of my Queens College—I tell my kids about it all the time that a Queens College graduate—it's a very special school to come from. If you went to Queens, you know what's going on in the world. [laughter]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1579.0,1603.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/92","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: We were curious, were there any storylines on \"Seinfeld\" or the show that you got from your time at Queens College?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1603.0,1611.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/93","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Well, we did an episode one time where there were two cars fighting for one parking spot [laughter]. One was pulling nose in and one was pulling back in—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1611.0,1620.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/94","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: Yes, I remember—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1620.0,1621.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/95","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: —and who was entitled to that spot? And that is absolutely—came from my Queens College years.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1621.0,1627.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/96","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Wow, I love that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1627.0,1628.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/97","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Parallel parking etiquette [laughter].","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1628.0,1634.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/98","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: So during \"Seinfeld,\" you were starring in it, producing it, writing it, casting, editing. How did you manage to wear all those hats and remain passionate year after year with the show?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1634.0,1645.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/99","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Passion is never the problem. It's exhaustion. And I have a movie coming out—I think I just heard yesterday Netflix is gonna release it next year—that I made about the invention of the Pop-Tart. And I also wrote and produced, and I directed it and I act in it and it's kind of too much, but it's transferring the way I do standup—is the same way. I've never had any writers help me in standup. I've never had any direction. I just kind of like a one man thing. I like feeling like a little artist working in a little studio by themself. I would love to be a shoemaker or a woodworker or those kinds of individual crafts is what I like. But that doesn't really work too well—it doesn't work really well doing a sitcom, and it really is hard to do in a feature film, but it's the only way I know how to make something work.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1645.0,1720.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/100","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: I don't like delegating creative choices. It's like if the person who wrote the joke—that should be the person telling the actor how to do the joke. That's your best chance of success. Unfortunately, most writers don't want to talk to actors and actors don't want to hear from writers. And that's where the idea of a director came in. He's kind of the go-between those two creative sides. But I try and eliminate that. It's kind of like the game of telephone, how the message gets twisted as it moves along. Same thing happens creatively. When I was doing the TV series, anytime the actors would get confused and they would go, \"I don't understand what this dialogue means,\" I would say, well, I was there when we wrote it. I know exactly how to answer that question. So I do think that was one of the reasons we succeeded—is the intention of the writers was always directly given to the actors cause I was one of the writers.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1720.0,1791.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/101","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Speaking of another one of your creative ideas, if we can jump from \"Seinfeld\" to \"Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,\" it seems like you merged three of your passions: comedy, cars and coffee. What was that experience like for you on the whole?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1791.0,1805.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/102","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Oh, I love that show because I had done so many talk shows at that point in my life. I mean, I've done hundreds and hundreds of talk shows and I was just so—I thought, what is the best part of these shows? And I go, it's when the two funny people are talking and there's no audience and no couch and no lights and no makeup. I go, let's just get to the two funny people talking [laughter]. And I go, let's just take 'em out to a coffee shop. And so that was the idea of the show. But I loved doing that show cause I wanted to show the world this—the world of standup comedians, which is a whole world. It's not like actors. They're not like writers. They're not like producers. They're a completely unique species, standup comedians.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1805.0,1853.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/103","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Well you are considered one of the greatest comedic talents of our time.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1853.0,1857.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/104","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Oh, thank you. That's amazing.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1857.0,1860.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/105","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Well it's amazing for us to be here with you, trust me [laughter]. And I can't help but ask, do you still get a little bit nervous when you perform and if so, how do you manage those nerves?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1860.0,1873.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/106","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: That's another good question, Sara. I do get a—I don't call it nerves. I call it—I get extremely interested in what's about to happen. [laughs]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1873.0,1886.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/107","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Anticipation. [laughter]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1886.0,1888.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/108","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Yeah, I'm like, and it's kind of like—there's a mental thing. If you ever see a fighter pilot when he gets in that little cockpit and they pull that glass canopy down. So when that happens to me and it's time to perform, I like to pull that canopy down around me psychologically. It's like, I'm not—I don't want to chat. I don't want to—I just want to be thinking about what I'm gonna do. And they used to say, I took a few acting classes, and I remember they used to say, \"get the butterflies to fly in formation.\" [laughter]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1888.0,1934.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/109","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: And that's a good analogy for what—how you want to feel when you're walking out on stage, that you're in a forward, slightly aggressive mindset. You're not thinking about yourself, you're focusing on them. You're not thinking about the other acts that they saw before you came on. You're not thinking about anything but these ideas that you want to convey. So that's what I do when I feel nervous, is I think about what is my attitude in this idea that I want the audience to get. I do this thing about poker, how I don't like playing poker. I don't like the idea, why am I trying to trick my friends and get their money? Why am I doing this? [laughter] I thought we were all—why would I lie to you and trick you? I mean, what kind of social interaction is this? So that's the kind of thing where it's like—you go on stage and you think, how can I make people understand why I hate this game? [laughs] And it took me a long time to get to the thing of, I'm lying to my friends to get their money. This is horrible. [laughs] So that's the game of it, trying to figure that out. [laughs]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=1934.0,2024.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/110","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: So looking back on that big game, how does it feel knowing you've made so many people throughout your life, all across the world, laugh and smile because of your humor?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2024.0,2036.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/111","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Well, that's a lovely thought, and—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2036.0,2039.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/112","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: David gets the credit for that. [laughter]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2039.0,2043.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/113","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: I honestly have to say I don't really ever think about it.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2043.0,2046.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/114","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: Wow.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2046.0,2048.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/115","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Because I'm thinking about what else can I do to make people happy? That's what I think about. I don't think about that I've done it. I think about—I have these shows in Las Vegas this weekend, and I'm thinking about the new things I want to do there and what can I do new for them, what can I do to make sure that—I'm just always thinking about my next [crosstalk]. That's what I really think about. I never look back and think about, oh I've accomplished this. I don't think about those things.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2048.0,2090.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/116","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: On that note, we actually have a quote from a previous interview. You said, \"I'm never not working on material, ever. Every second of my existence, I'm thinking, 'could I do something with that?'\" So I'm tempted to ask, are you working right now? [laughs]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2090.0,2108.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/117","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: I am. I don't like the real world. [laughter] I find it very boring and kind of depressing. The comedy world is where I live. And so most of the people I talk to are comedians, and all we do is make fun of the worst things that are happening all over the world. And we all know them, and we're just trying to make light, bring light, make light and bring light.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2108.0,2139.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/118","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: Right.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2139.0,2139.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/119","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: That's the way I like to live. I'm not really interested in regular life. [laughter]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2139.0,2147.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/120","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: What advice would you give to Queens College students and aspiring artists who have a creative dream like you had?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2147.0,2154.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/121","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Oh, I would say have confidence in yourself. Where you're coming from, you can do anything. You know—you're around—you're in a great environment to learn and grow. It's not some secluded little campus in the woods somewhere, these idyllic type environments. I'm much more a fan of a harsher environment to grow in. I think you grow stronger in a little bit of a difficult environment. And Queens is difficult from—because it's in the city and living in the city's difficult. But I think that's a great place for a creative person.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2154.0,2202.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/122","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"David D'Amato: And what would you have told \"college Jerry\" if you could give him advice now? [laughter]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2202.0,2215.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/123","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: I don't believe—I don't think you need any advice cause I don't think—there's nothing wrong with making mistakes. I was talking to somebody about their personal life the other day, and they were trying to make a big decision about their personal life, a person to be with or not be with. We all face these decisions in life, and I said to them, whatever your instinct tells you to do, that's the right thing, even if it's a mistake.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2215.0,2255.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/124","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Just follow that instinct cause that's gonna lead you—most of the success I've had, I can trace very quickly back to something that went wrong. For example, I mean, you mentioned \"Benson\" earlier. So here I am on this sitcom and they're giving me these lines to say that I don't like, and then I get fired. And at the time, I was making $4,000 a week. That was what you made, even having a small part on a medium show. So it was the biggest thing that—it was unbelievable. And then they fired me, and that was pretty depressing. But that's where I learned, do your own material, don't do other people's material and look at where that led. So that was the worst thing that had happened to me at that time. That was a huge failure, and that's what led to me making the TV series the way I did. I wouldn't go on another show unless I wrote the material. So I don't think it's important to always make the right decision or to have things go well. Things not going well can be just as good if not better.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2255.0,2337.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/125","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Sure. I'm conscious of the time. If it's okay, we have two more questions?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2337.0,2341.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/126","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Sure.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2341.0,2342.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/127","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Okay, thank you so much. What's next for Jerry Seinfeld?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2342.0,2346.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/128","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Well, the next thing is this movie I have coming out called \"Unfrosted,\" which is about how they invented the Poptart, which—it's not how they actually did it. It's a comedy. It's very silly. It's all tons of standup comedians in it, and it's a very wild, silly comedy.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2346.0,2365.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/129","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Sara Kahan: Terrific. And is there anything else you'd like to add for the record for your oral history at Queens College?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2365.0,2377.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093/transcript/67520/annotation/130","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jerry Seinfeld: Nothing, I just have nothing but the fondest, happiest memories of being there, and I'm just glad that they let me take those 12 credits at night school so I could get into day school, which was better. And I'm just so glad I went there. It was the beginning of my life.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/129246/file/242093#t=2377.0,2396.992"}]}]}]}