Since I was a toddler, I wanted to be a showbiz superstar. When I grew up, I realized "movie star" was probably never going to be the occupation
I listed on my tax forms. But I never shook that desire to be an industry insider, to rub elbows with the glitterati, to "get" all the in-
jokes.
Well, these days I work a normal, dull job but I feel like a real showbiz
insider, thanks to Kenny Kramer. Oh, okay, I exaggerate a little bit --
I only feel like a *Seinfeld* insider. But that's a great start! :)
I took the Seinfeld tour last weekend -- the weather was perfect and it seemed everyone in town was out. As we cruised through the streets of NYC in a modern tour van (with a highly skilled driver I might add), emblazoned with a "Real Kramer" banner, passers-by pointed, waved and laughed -- *with* us, not *at* us, I'm sure!
I live in NYC but I learned some things about the city that I hadn't known. (The "real" Kramer is an actual tour guide licensed by the city of New York so he threw in tidbits that were non-Seinfeld related, but still interesting.) I think I would have enjoyed it even more if I had been a tourist.
And that's saying a lot, since I had a fantastic time. If you are a true
Seinfeld junkie (and we all are, right?), you will get a lot out of the tour. There are references to obscure Seinfeld jokes and characters, as
well as the ones everyone knows (e.g., the Junior Mint). Kramer and his
sidekick, Bobby A. Brooks (well, it's Allen or Alan or Allan but I'm not
sure how to spell it so for now it's 'A') know just about all there is to
know about Seinfeld minutiae and they keep the audience involved. In fact, if you snooze, you lose... the Jujyfruits that are offered as a prize for answering Sein-trivia correctly.
I felt like a real know-it-all after the van tour, but what really made me feel like the showbiz insider was the blooper tape Kramer showed us at
the end of the tour. This is the same tape that was shown at the end-of-
the-season wrap party, and there are plenty of outtakes that you won't see on TV's Funniest Bloopers. Now I feel like "I know something you don't know...!"
If you love Seinfeld and you're visiting NYC, I recommend rubbing elbows
with Kenny Kramer!