They Used to Call Me Jerry 30 Years Ago

I was looking for something to have on in the background late last night. Generally, I put an NBA game on during this portion of my evening, but nothing was scheduled until Thursday.

After flipping through Netflix for a bit, I found a series I love. One that I hadn’t seen in a couple of years. Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, starring a man very familiar to me. The wonderful Jerry Seinfeld.

Jerry became famous for his incredibly funny observational stand-up comedy routines from the late 70s until the late 80s. He was known for being witty, clever, and family-friendly. His hit TV show Seinfeld became a cultural phenomenon, a show about “nothing”.

The beauty of Seinfeld the series is that you can watch just about any episode in any order. The half-hour stories are hilarious and wrap up perfectly within that time frame. I loved it, like most other people who enjoy comedy.

I used to get called “Jerry” every day at work, back in 1994. This fella Nate never once called me Jason. I looked enough like Seinfeld with my helmet-hairstyle, big eyes, and larger nose that Nate felt justified in nicknaming me “Jerry”. I didn’t care for it.

This was not the same as when we moved to Tennessee during my junior year and I became instantly popular for the first time. Because my cousins were popular and we were the new kids from California, I had a beautiful girl named Melissa sitting on my leg by lunch hour.

“You don’t look like a “Jason”. I’m going to call you, “Bob”, Melissa said, in an adorable Southern accent, with her arm around me.

“Damn, Girl. You can call me “Cletus”, “Joe Dirt”, “Billy-Bob”, or any damn thing you want. Just keep parking it on my lap.” I thought to myself.

But it didn’t work the same for my coworker Nate, a few years later. I preferred he kept his distance from my lap.

I also had a fella run up to me at the college gym around this same time. He couldn’t believe how much I looked like Jerry Seinfeld. He told me that I should drop out of school and move to Hollywood to be his stunt double.

Yeah. Because Jerry is constantly in rough-and-tumble, action-packed scenes. Maybe he needs a stuntman. Perhaps a spotter.

More than resembling one of the kings of television comedy, I felt connected to Jerry’s personality. He noticed everything around him. He could turn damn near anything into a funny thought or a joke. I love to do that, as well.

As Jerry grew older, this hasn’t changed. He keeps noticing things and pokes fun at them. He’s very polite to everyone he comes into contact with, yet often has something snarky to say once he’s a safe distance from them. That’s so relatable.

This is no more evident than in his more recent show, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. The series follows an older Jerry as he picks up famous comedians each episode and takes them out for coffee. They are filmed while driving around in a different classic car each episode and at a restaurant they stop to have coffee.

I love the show because Jerry is still at his finest, being funny while observing a lot of things in the world around him. Pair that with another ridiculously funny comedian and hilarity ensues.

As I was rewatching the series last night, I drew yet another new similarity to previous ones I’d connected between me and Jerry 30 years ago. This made me smile as I realized it.

He tends to gravitate toward other funny people in a social setting.

That is so relatable. Not only do I do the same thing at a social setting or family gathering, but I do it here on Medium. My favorite pages to visit and writing pieces to read are the ones from funny people.

I love to laugh. I also love being silly and using humor in my writing. Sometimes it can get a bit out of control and is usually fairly inappropriate by most people’s standards. Take for instance the piece I wrote yesterday about inviting two Mormon missionaries into my home.

I thought of this humor piece simply by walking my dog. When Libby and I were out and about in our townhome complex, we saw two LDS missionaries walking near our place. It made me instantly think of a scenario in which I invited them in and acted a fool in front of them.

I couldn’t wait to get back into the house to write about it.

90 minutes later, I had a humor piece ready to publish and I hoped everyone who read it would enjoy it. It’s taken off quickly and I’m happy that so many people enjoy the laughter.

I’m certain that’s what stand-up comedians and people on comedy shows are hoping for, too. To connect with an audience. To make them laugh. It’s all part of the Writer’s High I get after I publish any piece. I want my humor to shine through and brighten up someone’s day.

I want them to become a fan. I hope that they’ll tune in for the next episode of The Provencio Show. I want them to stick around for all of Seasons 2, 3, 4, and beyond.

Season 1 was fun as hell. Two months into Season 2 has also been a gas. As my viewership is growing and the writing is getting better, I see great things on the horizon, and tons more laughs.

Take it from Jerry Provencio. You’ll want to stick around for this. &:^)