Larry David on Voting Rights and Going Small

Our new interview: A legend reflects on 'Curb' as the HBO series finale airs

Hi, so should states be allowed to jail someone for handing out water to people waiting in line to vote? What if that person is Larry David?

My new pieces begins there… and thanks for your interest, you can always subscribe to get all my newsletter editions:

Curbing Civil Rights

The final season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” follows a plot “ripped from the headlines”: Larry David is indicted for handing out water to people waiting in line to vote. Suddenly, the annoying curmudgeon is celebrated as a civil rights and “resistance” hero.

It’s one of many political themes over the show’s 12 seasons — the Larry character is a liberal Democrat who once donned a MAGA Hat as repellent to avoid people in L.A.; and once pretended to be a “typical Republican” so he could join a country club (complete with a Hummer and casual climate denialism); he reenacts Trump’s “perfect phone call” shaking down Ukraine; and once declined an enticing romance — because he discovered the woman was displaying a picture of George W. Bush. “Unacceptable!”

Larry is alone on a literal iceberg in the poster for the final season.

For all those storylines, though, the show is not really about politics. Just like it’s not really about etiquette at dinner parties, though that is discussed a lot. It’s not about the Larry character being actually terrible, even though that is a common foil. Just like the massive hit “Seinfeld,” which David co-created, is not really “about nothing.” So as this iconic show ends Sunday, after debuting 24 years ago, what is it all about? Well, I got to ask Larry this weekend…

At HBO on Friday

I interviewed Larry David, later joined by Susie Essman and Tracey Ullman, at an HBO event marking the series finale this weekend. As a longtime viewer of the show, this was a very exciting assignment! (There’s no video or broadcast of the evening.)

We showed some highlights, discussed the “improv” process they use - literally no script or lines, just story outlines - and the show’s wide impact in the culture (from Internet memes to politics to songs).

Pressed on the larger themes, though, Larry largely demurred.

He told me he does not “analyze” his own work, its larger themes, or why it resonates.

People ask “why does it work and all of that,” he said. “I don't put any thought into that whatsoever. I just try and write funny shows. I never analyze it."

When I asked about how his character’s resistance to norms and conformity — even on trifling items — may resonate for people resisting larger societal norms, he said he wasn’t even smart enough to go there: “I’m just an idiot from Brooklyn.”

That made the headline for Variety’s article about the event (lol):

Larry David Has ‘Never Analyzed’ His Own Work: ‘I’m Not an Intellectual. I’m Just an Idiot From Brooklyn’ (Variety)

Joined Susie, Tracey and David after the panel.

Small things

The closest we got to a comedic philosophy came when discussing his jokes about death. That theme runs from the Curb’s first season in 2000, when Larry downgrades his concern for someone “only” grieving a step-father, to this final season, when a similar gag plays out for someone’s father-in-law.

“One of the things I like to do is make the big things small, and the small things big,” David said.

“Death is a big thing. When you make it small, there’s something funny about it,” he continued, “It’s so serious that when you trivialize it, it becomes funny for some reason.”

That makes sense.

Many comic traditions draw on that tension, or how to reckon with sadness, tragedy and oppression. It’s common, to the point of cliched, to observe that many comics have dark or sad streaks in real life… or that comedy often thrives in marginalized communities.

On that point, David’s style is quintessentially Jewish. I asked if he felt any more Jewish coming back home to New York.

“Can I feel more Jewish?! — that’s maxed out,” he quipped, “but I do feel comfortable here.”

So, now you’re basically caught up on that fun evening. If you want to go even deeper, you can read on…

The “Social Contract” and Tech Larry

The truth is that there is something quite special that resonates about Curb, lasting 24 years and spanning so many different types of viewers and fans in our “polarized” culture. Since this event was literally marking the series finale, I tried one more way to explore that with Larry.

Below is one thoroughly interesting take on why Curb resonates. I shared this with Larry on stage — give it a read and I’ll explain more after:

“Larry David’s comedic ethos mixes Jewish humor, self-deprecation, and an almost obsessive preoccupation with the minutiae of daily life. That Jewish humor rooted is in European shtetls, embracing the underdog and a joyous pessimism.

David’s on-screen persona is a man perpetually out of step with societal norms, a modern ‘schlemiel’ whose best intentions often lead to societal faux pas.... kvetching about the unwritten rules of social engagement, David has turned discomfort into an art form -- and humor into a coping mechanism. Dealing with the anxiety that comes from the clash between individual desires and societal expectations, it reflects of a deeper, almost existential discomfort with the social contract.

Psychologically, David’s comedy resonates because it taps into a universal fear of social ostracization. Through his lens, we see the absurdity of social conventions and the often arbitrary nature of politeness. His willingness to breach these norms - to say what we dare not say - is both cathartic and humanizing — a reminder that behind the facades of propriety,
We are all Larry David in some measure: awkward, uncertain, and striving for connection in a world that often makes little sense.”

That is a pretty inspired, passionate and deep take on Curb’s appeal. It was “generated” by the Artificial Intelligence system ChatGPT, based on a prompt I wrote.*

When I began reading it, Larry quipped, “This is stupid.”

By the end, there was some audible agreement from the audience (on “we are all Larry David”). Here’s how one article described the moment after he finished hearing it, and when I followed up with a dash more AI:

After a brief pause, David simply replied “Wow.” Melber pressed David if he thought it was an accurate description of his work, but the comedian said he hadn’t put much thought into it.

“I just try and write funny shows… I never analyze it,” David said.

Melber added he also asked the AI to predict David’s reaction to its description of the work, which he recited:

“With his characteristic blend of incredulity and curmudgeonly charm, Larry David might fein surprise at the idea of AI analyzing his work, quipping: ‘You mean to tell me a machine is watching ‘Curb’? What’s next? Robots laughing at my jokes? I don’t perform for toasters!’ ”

After the laughter from the audience subsided, David answered simply, “Great delivery there,” before the conversation moved on to other topics.

There you have it! (Right now, the AI seems better at summarizing analysis that humans already wrote, rather than writing new jokes. Shoutout to toasters.)

Goodbye

On Curb, Larry famously fears any situation where you have to say goodbye again, after you already said goodbye — like going back into a party you left. The horror.

It’s funny, it’s relatable, and maybe it speaks to an awareness many people feel, just below the surface, that so much of social life is this mutual artifice that could crumble anytime. The original “goodbye,” like the party itself, is something we agree to do, that has no actual independent meaning, let alone definition, and we know that. There are whole sociology books written about these social conventions — Curb just gets there faster and funnier. It’s like that great point from Charles Bukowski: “An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way; an artist says a hard thing in a simple way.” Amen. Curb’s been breaking many things down to their ridiculous, goofy and simple essence -- and now it’s over. Larry is saying goodbye. Don’t expect Curb to come back. Double Goodbyes are not allowed.

P.S. Share your favorite Curb moment in the comments and I’ll respond to some.

*If you’re curious, here is the prompt I wrote for the AI to “generate” that response:

“In the style of a sophisticated New Yorker magazine essay, discuss why Larry David’s comedy is the way it is, and the potential psychological factors that make it distinct. Discuss the history of Jewish and self-deprecating humor in the context of his work on Curb your enthusiasm. Mix in humorous or Jewish phrases without being heavy handed.”