Jerry Seinfeld was on Howard Stern.
Lefsetz posted about it earlier today too but I just got done listening to the entire thing and I need to chime in.
You need to listen to it. It’s long.
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https://www.howardstern.com/show/2017/9/25/jerry-seinfeld-spills-wholl-be-riding-around-him-comedians-cars-getting-coffee-season-10/
Why aren’t you successful? Why isn’t your show compelling? Why don’t more people in more cities come and see your gig?
Because you don’t pay attention like Jerry.
Paying that close of attention to everything, to how the words sound, to the spaces in between the jokes, to learning how to truly read an audience and adjust accordingly…that’s scary.
That’s putting yourself on the hook, where either YOU fail or YOU succeed.
When I hear Jerry talk about how deep he dives in, it’s equally inspiring and exhausting. He brings to the forefront what it would REALLY take. It sounds completely romantic and absolutely mind numbing. An depressingly thankless process until it’s not.
And don’t think that this level of thought and care and intention doesn’t apply to music, to gigs. It does.
Don’t think that since you’re a musician that you’ll just keep “seeing what happens” when you get up there time after time and expect great steps forward, or even greatness itself.
You have to DIG. You have to really love digging into it.
p.s. And there’s a great bit at the end about The Beatles too that, when you hold yourself next to it, it’s a moment for you to be honest about if you have what it takes.
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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com