June 27, 2024 • 13 mins
Tracey Caught up with Seinfelds Michael Richards (Kramer) about his new autobiography
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Gold a sides podcast The Stories behind Just Great Rock.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
I'm fine, I'm here in Los Angeles. It's three o'clock.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Well, we love getting to see your face. Honestly, I'll
watching on TV for so many years.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
I'm not overdressed.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Now you look amazing, you look very handsome.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Oh, thank you, Tracy.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
I've just finished your book a couple of nights ago. Honestly,
it must be one of the most unusual things about fame.
Complete strangers who feel like they know you, and when
they meet you, they expect this immediate camaraderie even though
you've never met them. Do you even get used to that?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
I do? You know?
Speaker 4 (00:41):
I stayed away from the public for so many years.
I just haven't been in show business and coming out
and now through the book. Wow, it's quite a reception.
Quite a reception I'm happy to be about.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Yeah, well, congratulations on the book. It is a hugely
enjoyable read. You started out wanting to write it more
as a historical record of comedy, and then you sort
of wound up going in how you became an actor,
and then you went further back into your childhood and suddenly,
before you know it, you had a memoir.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
I did, although it took four years. It was a struggle.
At first. I wasn't quite sure.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
I was just going to explore the sein Felt show,
my time on the Sigin Felt Show for nine years.
And then I started getting into, well, what was going
on before the sign Felt show? What got me up
to this point? What got me up to this point?
With that, I ended up in infancy from the very beginning.
And then it was obvious to me. I'm wow, my goodness,
I'm writing a memoir.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Yeah, and you write so vividly about your childhood and
apart from the very sad and frustrating search for answers
about your dad, I mean, you are just a regular
kid doing regular kid stuff. But it's when you discover
this love of drama class and one day you're swinging
around in a tree and all your friends fall about laughing,
and that is the moment you get hooked on what
you ultimately become famous for. The physical comedy.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
Yes, making my friends laugh, making my mom laugh, Yeah, comedy, laughter, friendship.
I found my calling in life. It was quite a
finding for me.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
And before you sort of get into the crime a character,
you obviously you've got this love of comedy. But once
you're out of school, you're drafted, you serve out in
Germany like Elvis Presley. Did I think people would be
very surprised to learn you are a qualified Army medic?
Speaker 4 (02:26):
Indeed, Wow, I was an ambulance attendant before I went
into the service. My mother was a medical records librarian.
So when I was in my senior year, I was
working as an orderly at the hospital there and from
that experience, I went into being an ambulance attendant just
when I finished high school.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
So when I went into the Army, I had some.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
Experience and they took it and sent me to medical
school for seven months. And yes, indeed I became a
qualified medic. But boy, I was getting ready to go
to the Vietnam War, so I was holy my breath,
but the war was coming to an end, so I was.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Sent to Germany.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
For me, it was necessary to take on the kinds
of responsibilities that the service gave me.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Helped me grow up.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Indeed, yeah, it really resonated with me when you talked
about how you sort of got into the comedy while
you were in the Army, Because my grandpa, he was
in the war, and he served in Japan in the
forties and he started up the theater group and he
ran the comedy as well. So I just thought that
was magnificent that you had done that.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Also, Yeah, that.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
Was available, I saw it within the service, so they
transferred me from my medical duties to directing and starring
in the Vcore Training road Show. Our productions were based
on topics so critical to the Army at that time,
race relations.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
And drug abuse.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
So we built shows on those themes and we went
to all the bases in Germany and presented these productions
to the troops. And it was an effective way of
coming to terms with this kind of topic, which was
very big at the time and in the service of
big concerns. So what a privilege to be operating.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
That kind of unit.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Yeah, and then post army you go down the sort
of road of developing your stand up. But it's when
you start going out for the TV roles and you
land every guest spot you auditioned for, starting with Cheers.
Did you know then that scripted TV was where you
wanted to be.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Yeah, wherever the acting is.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
I think I was more of a performance artist in
the just being creative on a stage, making people laugh,
but going into all kinds of sensations or feelings or moods.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
But then I had a knack for finding comedy within it.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
So I was only doing that for about six and
a half months, and I received the role of a
sketch comedy artist on the show Fridays for three years.
So that was where I really belonged in sketch comedy,
taking material and working with other actors, building scenes, building characters.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Yeah, that's what I really enjoyed doing.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
And famously that's where you met the iconic Larry David.
So when the Seinfould audition came along, you say you
could tell it. NBC didn't want you for that show,
which is amazing in hindsight, but you won them over
with your improvising. More importantly, you say, you get Jerry laughing,
and that's when you decide right then that you are
just going to play to Jerry.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
I did that on the audition. I saw him as
a follow comic. We were both into making people laugh.
So I did go in just performing. I was off script.
I was moving the lines around, I was playing characters,
screwing around in the room, making everybody laugh.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
But you know, NBC was kind of cool on me.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
They weren't sure they wanted me for the show because
I did a show for NBC one year beforehand it
got canceled. They were they don't normally take an actor
from a previous show that's just been canceled and put
you in another show.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
That very rarely happens.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
But I was pretty good on my audition, and of
course Jerry wanted me.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Jerry wanted you, and I like the fact that you
opened the door saw Larry David and slammed it in
his face. That probably sealed me.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
He was We were together on Fridays for three years.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
He knew who I was. He knew I was capable
of developing an eccentric next door character, but to he
thought I would not be so nervous if he was
out of the room just listening through a door. I
happened to get up and I was improvising and moving around.
I opened the door and Larry's there, So I.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Went there the cops and I went into a whole.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Thing with him, And of course the room was laughing,
And all of that led to the casting Michael Richards
for the part of Kessler. It wasn't Kramer at the time,
it was Kesseler. We started out with that, Oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
You definitely created Kramer. I mean the physical comedy immediately
connects with the audience. And you say you'd actually save
a lot of it for shoot day. I mean you'd
make mental notes, but you wouldn't do it until the
camera was rolling to get the beast laugh, so that
nobody sort of saw it and rehearsal.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
I wanted to keep it fresh, particularly with physical comedy.
If I rehearse it, it feels a little stiff, and if
I do it well rehearsal, then I'm trying to copy
what I just did then at rehearsals.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
So I kept it all Okay, I.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
Know, I'm going to do something on the door, or
I'm going to bump into that chair, or I'm going
to go out the door this way. I'll save it
for a camera time. So it's a surprise even for me.
I guess it kept me engaged, and.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
You knew that what you were doing was working. You
knew you had the character down when people would cheer
when you into the seat and they didn't they literally
every episode.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
Yeah, they would applaud, but we had to ask the
audience not to do that because it was holding up
the scene.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
I'd just be standing there bathed, you know, applause. We're waiting,
you know, so we can get on with the dialogue.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
Also, when I come in, you know, I come in
quick and I want to get to things. So the
applause was sort of in the way, but boy, I
appreciated it. It certainly let me know I was on track.
I was doing what's right and bringing the character across
or the public will accept the character, but more importantly,
laugh at the character. The laws was an endorsement that
(08:06):
I was on the right road.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
That's part of the process.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
In working with Kramer. I would do backstories and so
forth of what animates the character, where's the soul to
this character. When I come into Jerry's apartment, I've been
somewhere and I have a backstory. I've got something going on,
like I'm in my apartment, I need some paper towels,
or what's Jerry doing because I'm thinking of going over
(08:30):
to this grocery market and getting some peaches. So I
would enter with things going on in my mind, backstories,
and it just kept the character animated and alive. So
Kramer had to be full of things to think about
that kept him alive and engaged, as we all are
in life.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
And you would never leave Kramer, though. Would you even
talk about how off set when you were at lunch
or out in the parking lot or whatever, you always Kramer.
You never broke Kramer when you were on the lot.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Well, that was rather peculiar.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
I was eccentric, Julie and Jason, and we're always whoo,
he is engaged, isn't he. It's just part of my eccentricity.
I let Kramer be Kramer all throughout the day.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
If I'm going to the.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
Cafeteria on lot at the studio, I usually go as Kramer,
and I'm walking like Kramer.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
I wear the shoes of Kramer.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
Maybe I'll wear a piece of his costume, heaping in character,
and it makes the character fuller because I've got Kramer
in everything, in all the scenes around me. So rather
than just become Kramer in one scene that we're shooting,
I'm Kramer all day long.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
So I know that sounds odd, this kind.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Of commitment, but it just filled me with the proper
intention to bring Kramer as a character through the door
into Jerry's apartment.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Jerry's even seid that the Kramer character is his favorite
character of all time. And I love how, even still
twenty six years post Signfeld, you say, when the two
of you catch up, you are both instantly Jerry and
Kramer again. I mean that just must be amazing for
any bystanders to see.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
Yeah, we were meant to be Jerry and Kramer. Yeah,
it's rather funny. I've taken walks with Jerry and I
just start doing things that Kramer would do, and Jerry's like.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
What are you doing with that? I'd pull something out
of some trash. I'm walking along the streets in New York.
Speaker 4 (10:22):
And I go, look at that, that's a perfectly good
bulletin board.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
And he goes, what what are you going to do
with that? Assignment to take it home? And I'm I'm
going to use it. This would cost forty dollars in
a stationary store. And then he'd look at me, and then.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
We'd suddenly see we just smile and just go that's
a scene walking together.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Oh hell, I'd love to see that. And sadly you
had to say goodbye to that character, because all great
things mustine. Jerry started saying that he was sort of
getting tired around series nine, even when NBC offered him
five million an episode. You all went out in your prime,
which was perfect. Were you ready to go though?
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Was I ready to go?
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Well, the character Kramer could be anywhere you bring the
episodes on.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Kramer will be alive.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
I don't think it would end really, Jerry was looking
at the show from the standpoint of Jerry and the
producing of Seinfeld. We were at the top of the chart.
I don't think we could get really any higher. We like,
I think we were pulling in over thirty five million
people a week. So I was ready for it. I
was open to it. Jerry discussed it with me before
(11:26):
he made the announcement.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
You know, it's such a great show.
Speaker 4 (11:29):
Yeah, but all things, as you say, do pass. It's
an entrance and an exit, it is.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
And I know our time is running out. I just
wanted to obviously touch on because it comes right at
the end of the book, so I wanted to live
it to the end of the interview because it's been
talked already about what happened at the Love Factory. You
were immediately sorry the moment it happened. You took all
the steps to apologize straight away, you know, to try
and find the guy involved, to go on a talk
show to apologize, which wasn't how you wanted to do it.
You thought the best way was to go away for
(11:57):
a while. But you've been gone so long and has
Whoopy Goldberg said recently, you know, welcome back. It is
so good to have you back.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
Yeah, she knew that I'd come around and attended to
what is the nature of anger and rage? And what
am I so uptight about? That took me into a
number of things. But I had to do some deep
personal work which is in the book, and getting to
a much better place in myself so that I'm better
(12:27):
related to my humanity and my follow Man, my god,
I'm I was really off off off that night and
just lost my cool. Still to this day, I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
Well, the book is magnificent. I couldn't put it down.
The stories are great. The photography I know whatch you
display some of your own and new book is incredible.
Congratulations on entrances and exit. It's just such a treat
to talk to you.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
Thanks Tracy, thank you so much. Thank you for having
me on the show. Thank you, my best to New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
Come and visit us.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
I will.
Speaker 4 (13:03):
I'm going to bring my son. We were just talking
about that this morning. I would love to come to
New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
What a beautiful place. I'd love to see the land.
I'm very close to nature.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
Indeed, well I know you know it because everyone's told you.
But Jerry's here in New Zealand next week, so you
need to be next.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Get my best to Jerry. See what he is. He
just performs. He loves making the world laugh. My best
to Jerry and New Zealand. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Gold Asides podcast, The Story's behind Just Great Rock. If
you enjoyed this podcast, click to share with family or friends.
For Just Great Rock, listen to gold FM anytime anywhere
on iHeartRadio
Gold a sides podcast The Stories behind Just Great Rock.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
I'm fine, I'm here in Los Angeles. It's three o'clock.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Well, we love getting to see your face. Honestly, I'll
watching on TV for so many years.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
I'm not overdressed.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Now you look amazing, you look very handsome.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Oh, thank you, Tracy.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
I've just finished your book a couple of nights ago. Honestly,
it must be one of the most unusual things about fame.
Complete strangers who feel like they know you, and when
they meet you, they expect this immediate camaraderie even though
you've never met them. Do you even get used to that?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
I do? You know?
Speaker 4 (00:41):
I stayed away from the public for so many years.
I just haven't been in show business and coming out
and now through the book. Wow, it's quite a reception.
Quite a reception I'm happy to be about.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Yeah, well, congratulations on the book. It is a hugely
enjoyable read. You started out wanting to write it more
as a historical record of comedy, and then you sort
of wound up going in how you became an actor,
and then you went further back into your childhood and suddenly,
before you know it, you had a memoir.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
I did, although it took four years. It was a struggle.
At first. I wasn't quite sure.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
I was just going to explore the sein Felt show,
my time on the Sigin Felt Show for nine years.
And then I started getting into, well, what was going
on before the sign Felt show? What got me up
to this point? What got me up to this point?
With that, I ended up in infancy from the very beginning.
And then it was obvious to me. I'm wow, my goodness,
I'm writing a memoir.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
Yeah, and you write so vividly about your childhood and
apart from the very sad and frustrating search for answers
about your dad, I mean, you are just a regular
kid doing regular kid stuff. But it's when you discover
this love of drama class and one day you're swinging
around in a tree and all your friends fall about laughing,
and that is the moment you get hooked on what
you ultimately become famous for. The physical comedy.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
Yes, making my friends laugh, making my mom laugh, Yeah, comedy, laughter, friendship.
I found my calling in life. It was quite a
finding for me.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
And before you sort of get into the crime a character,
you obviously you've got this love of comedy. But once
you're out of school, you're drafted, you serve out in
Germany like Elvis Presley. Did I think people would be
very surprised to learn you are a qualified Army medic?
Speaker 4 (02:26):
Indeed, Wow, I was an ambulance attendant before I went
into the service. My mother was a medical records librarian.
So when I was in my senior year, I was
working as an orderly at the hospital there and from
that experience, I went into being an ambulance attendant just
when I finished high school.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
So when I went into the Army, I had some.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
Experience and they took it and sent me to medical
school for seven months. And yes, indeed I became a
qualified medic. But boy, I was getting ready to go
to the Vietnam War, so I was holy my breath,
but the war was coming to an end, so I was.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Sent to Germany.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
For me, it was necessary to take on the kinds
of responsibilities that the service gave me.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Helped me grow up.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Indeed, yeah, it really resonated with me when you talked
about how you sort of got into the comedy while
you were in the Army, Because my grandpa, he was
in the war, and he served in Japan in the
forties and he started up the theater group and he
ran the comedy as well. So I just thought that
was magnificent that you had done that.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Also, Yeah, that.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
Was available, I saw it within the service, so they
transferred me from my medical duties to directing and starring
in the Vcore Training road Show. Our productions were based
on topics so critical to the Army at that time,
race relations.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
And drug abuse.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
So we built shows on those themes and we went
to all the bases in Germany and presented these productions
to the troops. And it was an effective way of
coming to terms with this kind of topic, which was
very big at the time and in the service of
big concerns. So what a privilege to be operating.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
That kind of unit.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Yeah, and then post army you go down the sort
of road of developing your stand up. But it's when
you start going out for the TV roles and you
land every guest spot you auditioned for, starting with Cheers.
Did you know then that scripted TV was where you
wanted to be.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Yeah, wherever the acting is.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
I think I was more of a performance artist in
the just being creative on a stage, making people laugh,
but going into all kinds of sensations or feelings or moods.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
But then I had a knack for finding comedy within it.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
So I was only doing that for about six and
a half months, and I received the role of a
sketch comedy artist on the show Fridays for three years.
So that was where I really belonged in sketch comedy,
taking material and working with other actors, building scenes, building characters.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Yeah, that's what I really enjoyed doing.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
And famously that's where you met the iconic Larry David.
So when the Seinfould audition came along, you say you
could tell it. NBC didn't want you for that show,
which is amazing in hindsight, but you won them over
with your improvising. More importantly, you say, you get Jerry laughing,
and that's when you decide right then that you are
just going to play to Jerry.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
I did that on the audition. I saw him as
a follow comic. We were both into making people laugh.
So I did go in just performing. I was off script.
I was moving the lines around, I was playing characters,
screwing around in the room, making everybody laugh.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
But you know, NBC was kind of cool on me.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
They weren't sure they wanted me for the show because
I did a show for NBC one year beforehand it
got canceled. They were they don't normally take an actor
from a previous show that's just been canceled and put
you in another show.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
That very rarely happens.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
But I was pretty good on my audition, and of
course Jerry wanted me.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Jerry wanted you, and I like the fact that you
opened the door saw Larry David and slammed it in
his face. That probably sealed me.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
He was We were together on Fridays for three years.
Speaker 4 (06:06):
He knew who I was. He knew I was capable
of developing an eccentric next door character, but to he
thought I would not be so nervous if he was
out of the room just listening through a door. I
happened to get up and I was improvising and moving around.
I opened the door and Larry's there, So I.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Went there the cops and I went into a whole.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Thing with him, And of course the room was laughing,
And all of that led to the casting Michael Richards
for the part of Kessler. It wasn't Kramer at the time,
it was Kesseler. We started out with that, Oh yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
You definitely created Kramer. I mean the physical comedy immediately
connects with the audience. And you say you'd actually save
a lot of it for shoot day. I mean you'd
make mental notes, but you wouldn't do it until the
camera was rolling to get the beast laugh, so that
nobody sort of saw it and rehearsal.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
I wanted to keep it fresh, particularly with physical comedy.
If I rehearse it, it feels a little stiff, and if
I do it well rehearsal, then I'm trying to copy
what I just did then at rehearsals.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
So I kept it all Okay, I.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
Know, I'm going to do something on the door, or
I'm going to bump into that chair, or I'm going
to go out the door this way. I'll save it
for a camera time. So it's a surprise even for me.
I guess it kept me engaged, and.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
You knew that what you were doing was working. You
knew you had the character down when people would cheer
when you into the seat and they didn't they literally
every episode.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
Yeah, they would applaud, but we had to ask the
audience not to do that because it was holding up
the scene.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
I'd just be standing there bathed, you know, applause. We're waiting,
you know, so we can get on with the dialogue.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
Also, when I come in, you know, I come in
quick and I want to get to things. So the
applause was sort of in the way, but boy, I
appreciated it. It certainly let me know I was on track.
I was doing what's right and bringing the character across
or the public will accept the character, but more importantly,
laugh at the character. The laws was an endorsement that
(08:06):
I was on the right road.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
That's part of the process.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
In working with Kramer. I would do backstories and so
forth of what animates the character, where's the soul to
this character. When I come into Jerry's apartment, I've been
somewhere and I have a backstory. I've got something going on,
like I'm in my apartment, I need some paper towels,
or what's Jerry doing because I'm thinking of going over
(08:30):
to this grocery market and getting some peaches. So I
would enter with things going on in my mind, backstories,
and it just kept the character animated and alive. So
Kramer had to be full of things to think about
that kept him alive and engaged, as we all are
in life.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
And you would never leave Kramer, though. Would you even
talk about how off set when you were at lunch
or out in the parking lot or whatever, you always Kramer.
You never broke Kramer when you were on the lot.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Well, that was rather peculiar.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
I was eccentric, Julie and Jason, and we're always whoo,
he is engaged, isn't he. It's just part of my eccentricity.
I let Kramer be Kramer all throughout the day.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
If I'm going to the.
Speaker 4 (09:15):
Cafeteria on lot at the studio, I usually go as Kramer,
and I'm walking like Kramer.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
I wear the shoes of Kramer.
Speaker 4 (09:22):
Maybe I'll wear a piece of his costume, heaping in character,
and it makes the character fuller because I've got Kramer
in everything, in all the scenes around me. So rather
than just become Kramer in one scene that we're shooting,
I'm Kramer all day long.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
So I know that sounds odd, this kind.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Of commitment, but it just filled me with the proper
intention to bring Kramer as a character through the door
into Jerry's apartment.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Jerry's even seid that the Kramer character is his favorite
character of all time. And I love how, even still
twenty six years post Signfeld, you say, when the two
of you catch up, you are both instantly Jerry and
Kramer again. I mean that just must be amazing for
any bystanders to see.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
Yeah, we were meant to be Jerry and Kramer. Yeah,
it's rather funny. I've taken walks with Jerry and I
just start doing things that Kramer would do, and Jerry's like.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
What are you doing with that? I'd pull something out
of some trash. I'm walking along the streets in New York.
Speaker 4 (10:22):
And I go, look at that, that's a perfectly good
bulletin board.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
And he goes, what what are you going to do
with that? Assignment to take it home? And I'm I'm
going to use it. This would cost forty dollars in
a stationary store. And then he'd look at me, and then.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
We'd suddenly see we just smile and just go that's
a scene walking together.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Oh hell, I'd love to see that. And sadly you
had to say goodbye to that character, because all great
things mustine. Jerry started saying that he was sort of
getting tired around series nine, even when NBC offered him
five million an episode. You all went out in your prime,
which was perfect. Were you ready to go though?
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Was I ready to go?
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Well, the character Kramer could be anywhere you bring the
episodes on.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Kramer will be alive.
Speaker 4 (11:04):
I don't think it would end really, Jerry was looking
at the show from the standpoint of Jerry and the
producing of Seinfeld. We were at the top of the chart.
I don't think we could get really any higher. We like,
I think we were pulling in over thirty five million
people a week. So I was ready for it. I
was open to it. Jerry discussed it with me before
(11:26):
he made the announcement.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
You know, it's such a great show.
Speaker 4 (11:29):
Yeah, but all things, as you say, do pass. It's
an entrance and an exit, it is.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
And I know our time is running out. I just
wanted to obviously touch on because it comes right at
the end of the book, so I wanted to live
it to the end of the interview because it's been
talked already about what happened at the Love Factory. You
were immediately sorry the moment it happened. You took all
the steps to apologize straight away, you know, to try
and find the guy involved, to go on a talk
show to apologize, which wasn't how you wanted to do it.
You thought the best way was to go away for
(11:57):
a while. But you've been gone so long and has
Whoopy Goldberg said recently, you know, welcome back. It is
so good to have you back.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
Yeah, she knew that I'd come around and attended to
what is the nature of anger and rage? And what
am I so uptight about? That took me into a
number of things. But I had to do some deep
personal work which is in the book, and getting to
a much better place in myself so that I'm better
(12:27):
related to my humanity and my follow Man, my god,
I'm I was really off off off that night and
just lost my cool. Still to this day, I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
Well, the book is magnificent. I couldn't put it down.
The stories are great. The photography I know whatch you
display some of your own and new book is incredible.
Congratulations on entrances and exit. It's just such a treat
to talk to you.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
Thanks Tracy, thank you so much. Thank you for having
me on the show. Thank you, my best to New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
Come and visit us.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
I will.
Speaker 4 (13:03):
I'm going to bring my son. We were just talking
about that this morning. I would love to come to
New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
What a beautiful place. I'd love to see the land.
I'm very close to nature.
Speaker 3 (13:13):
Indeed, well I know you know it because everyone's told you.
But Jerry's here in New Zealand next week, so you
need to be next.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Get my best to Jerry. See what he is. He
just performs. He loves making the world laugh. My best
to Jerry and New Zealand. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
Gold Asides podcast, The Story's behind Just Great Rock. If
you enjoyed this podcast, click to share with family or friends.
For Just Great Rock, listen to gold FM anytime anywhere
on iHeartRadio
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!