"The Comedy Festival" in Las Vegas
As the moderator explained how to ask questions during the early September teleconference, Seinfeld and Rock — who co-star (voice-wise) in the new animated comedy "Bee Movie" — cackled in the background. You wondered if they could pull it together.
First question, from online 'zine Whats-on.com: Who influenced your comedy?
"Jerry influenced me," Rock began.
"Yeah, we did influence each other," Seinfeld said. "The way we came up, it was like a clubhouse. You would go in the clubhouse, and all your friends are in the clubhouse. Everybody would go on, and everybody would watch everybody. You really did kind of learn from each other."
OK, not so bad.
Next question, from The Hollywood Reporter: What should we expect from you guys in the future?
"I know you guys are all about the future. What are you doing next and what's in the future. . . . This is the future," Seinfeld quipped.
"We talked about doing 'Brian's Song'," said Rock, referring to the 1971 made-for-TV tear-jerker about the interracial friendship between Chicago Bears football players Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers — white and black teammates, respectively.
"I want to play Gale Sayers, which is what's holding that up," Seinfeld joked.
Here we go.
New York Daily News: Rock has been dropping into comedy clubs, road-testing his new material. What is he learning?
Rock: "You learn what's funny. . . . It's more to get your timing back than anything. My fastball's working, but my curve's not going over the plate. I got no curve. The heat's coming, though. Oohh, I got heat."
The Associated Press: Is there anything you can't do on this show, in case it might end up on TV or YouTube?
Rock: "You can't kill dogs. But other than that, everything else. . . . You want to shoot a deer on stage? Legal."
USA Today: What's funny right now? Is Larry Craig? Is Britney Spears?
Seinfeld: "Larry E. Craig. He's the senator from Idaho whose legacy will be, 'I like to spread my legs on the toilet so that my underwear doesn't hit the ground.' I mean that's really funny."
Rock: "I've been in a million airport bathrooms. I've never, ever thought anything was going on. Have you ever been in an airport bathroom and you be like, 'Let me get out of here before somebody touches me.' "
Arizona Daily Star: Do you ever bomb?
Rock: "I bomb all the time. Please. I bomb."
Seinfeld: "No, I don't really do that. Chris goes on stage and tries lots and lots of new things. And he likes to write on stage. I usually have a pretty good idea of what I'm doing before I step up there. I never just completely roll the dice. I think Chris is more of a gambler than I am."
In the background, somewhere in between a philosophical dissertation of comedy's future and the need for a comedy festival like next week's gathering in Vegas, Rock blurted out of nowhere: "Those are not Al Roker's pants!"
All Seinfeld could do was laugh.
