Kramerica. Cosmo. Hipster Doofus.
Michael Richards created an indelible character in Cosmo Kramer on 9 seasons of Seinfeld, as one of the best physical comedians.
Entrances and Exits is an excellent and in-depth autobiography, in which fans of stand-up comedy, Seinfeld, and (surprisingly) existential thinkers will find a lot to like.
Well rounded, with a strong voice of character, Richards covers his early years and discovery of the love of acting in the late 1960's, in serious stage plays such as Waiting For Godot. Drafted in the early 70's, he managed to create a touring road show for the troops in Germany, before returning to the US and the stage in Greek tragedies and plays by Brecht.
Here he began his spiritual search reading C.G. Jung, kabbalistic phenomenology, alchemical mysteries and symbolism. It is hard to read this and not picture a young Kramer experiencing the same things, as he delves into esoteric religion, Hinduism, Buddhism, the Great Feminine, Sufism, Rumi, Gnosticism, UFO's and Carlos Casteneda.
At L.A. comedy clubs he developed his stream of conciousness stand-up, where anything could happen, and did. These were the days of Richard Pryor and Robin Williams - before cell phones - off the wall and under the radar. He was picked up for the TV sketch show Fridays, and after a few more pilots, hired as 'the neighbor' with few lines and no character for a show called The Seinfeld Chronicles.
Richards gives extensive detail on the creation of the show and building the character into one of the four leads. He won three Emmy Awards for the role of Cosmo Kramer over the 9 seasons of Seinfeld.
He returned to stand-up comedy in 2006, where despite a recording ban cell phones were appearing - a wake up call to any performer that privacy was over - and his wild creative force was widely denounced. He was not cancelled from celebrity culture - he cancelled himself - returning to esoteric studies and travel.
Richards is one of the best autobographies I've read, as it presents the complete person; celebrated for his extensive comedy work, detailing the creation of a beloved character, and offering his knowledge of the great thinkers of the world.
He is a seeker.
"You know Darren, if you would have told me twenty-five years ago that some day I'd be standing here about to solve the worlds energy problems, I would have said you're crazy.
Now let's push this giant ball of oil out the window."
2024 / Hardcover / 440 pages
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