The Personal Archives of Jerry Seinfeld

It’s old news now that this exists, but it bears repeating that this is a fantastic idea. I’ve been visiting it close to every day, and even though I know almost every single bit, it is still a pleasure to see what today’s selection is.

It is really the perfect set-up for a comic like Jerry. He’s a guy who came up during the peak of comics doing little more than trying to nail their 5 minute Tonight Show set. His style can be so perfectly segmented into these tight well-crafted bits that Jerry can quite easily get away with posting a 27 second clip here and it working perfectly.

Most comedians are scared of putting their material on the web, and rightfully so. If your act that you spent years writing and more years perfectly, can be carelessly thrown on YouTube by a drunk jackass with a poorly aimed camera phone, then the surprise of your show can be ruined. Jerry seems to have found the perfect work around by putting new clips online every day, but only for that day. If you missed it, tough luck. The only way you can catch it is if you’re visiting every day. And if you’re visiting every day, then you’re probably a big enough fan that knowing the jokes wouldn’t make his live show a disappointment.

This wouldn’t work for everyone, but for an icon like Jerry it is perfect. He doesn’t need his website to promote the next show he’s doing at the Funnybone in Des Moines, Iowa. He would sell out theatres with or without a website. This stripped down site with nothing but videos really puts the focus on Jerry’s material.