Susan Braudy: Jerry Seinfeld'sHeart

Read Jerry Seinfeld's essay on the passing of George Carlin. It appears on June 24 as an oped piece in the New York Times. People keep telling me how great it is. It's better writing than anything else in that newspaper. Seinfeld says that for comics even death is just a premise to make jokes about. He reports having called Carlin nine days before his death to compliment him on his recent HBO special and Carlin began making death jokes. They remarked on the deaths of Tim Russert and Bo Diddley. Carlin said that he felt safe for a while. He always liked to fly an airplane after a crash, figuring there'd be a break before they come after the next one. Seinfeld writes that Carlin invented stand up comedy in many ways. He says that when talking to other comedians, he can't even count the number of times he's heard somebody say, Carlin does it. Carlin already did it. Carlin did that eight years ago. Seinfeld ends the piece saying that it makes him sadder that as he ... [link]