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Kenny Kramer, Entrepreneur / Wacky Next-Door Neighbor
By
Gothamist Staff
Published Aug 30, 2004
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Gothamist Staff
Published Aug 30, 2004
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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The basics:
Age and occupation; how long have you lived here; where did you come from; and where do you live now?
Age unknown, living well with no visible means of income, I'm from New York, New York, I'm living now in the same place that I was.
Four for you:
You've been a stand up comic, an inventor, a tour guide, a reggae band manager, an off Broadway actor, a news correspondent, a writer, and, twice, a mayoral candidate. Then again, Cosmo Kramer had a coffee table coffee table book and some rickshaw enterprise. Who's the better get rich quick schemer, and how much did fake Kramer's antics reflect your real life misadventures?
My entrepreneurships have all been successful whereas the character Kramer always fails. He was the CK cologne guy, the make your own pizza thing, the balls of oil, he had something with the roll of toilet paper, the coffee table book, everything. I've done a lot better than he has.
Whats the best soup from the Soup Nazi ?
Every soup is a great soup. I like the seafood bisques. The lobster bisque, the shrimp bisque. Anything seafood. In the springtime he's got the cold soups. The strawberry, the cucumber
Of course he closes in May. He's got great soups.
What do you think of Curb Your Enthusiasm?
Its great. Larry Davids great. It's the funniest show in the history of television. Larry David's writing without the constraints of broadcast televisions Standards and Practices. Those people are not good for comedy. Without them you can have subjects like "You like the pussy?"
Can you give us some dirt on Jerry?
Not really. He's a great guy. What you see is what you get. He's smart, he's funny. He made himself a few dollars doing what he loves to do. He makes people laugh. He does standup every week. You can look him up online, he's booked through for months.
Proust-Krucoff-Abraham Questionnaire:
Please share a personal NYC taxi story.
Every time you get in a cab is a crazy time. Anything can happen. I once got in a cab asked the guy to take me to La Guardia. He says "Where's that?"
Best celebrity encounter in New York, or personal experience with one if youre that type.
Oliver North came up to me. It was on Madison Avenue. He approached me and introduced himself and said he enjoys what I do. That was pretty exciting.
What New York location would you declare a landmark?
My apartment, and the apartment across the hall from me.
Just after midnight, Saturday what are you doing?
You never know where I might wind up. I could be at a party I could be at a movie, I could be at the theater. I go to a lot of live theater. I'm definitely awake, that's for sure.
Whats the most expensive thing in your wardrobe?
An RM Williams cashmere sportscoat. It costs $1100. It's gorgeous. Fortunately I didn't have to pay for it.
Who do you consider to be the greatest New Yorker of all time?
Um... that's tough. Joe DiMaggio? I don't know. Babe Ruth? It's probably a Yankee. Yogi? Maybe Yogi. He's a good guy.
What happened the last time you went to LA?
Actually I was there for the taping of the final episode. That was nice. It was fun. I was a fan of the show I loved the show. And so I was sad when it ended. It was great. At least they went out at the top of their game. They were tired. They'd been doing it for nine years.
Where is Kenny Kramer in ten years?
Hopefully I'm alive. I'm still on the planet. Making as much money as I can for as little effort.
The End of the World is finally happening, be it the Rapture, Armageddon, or the Red Sox winning the World Series. What are you going to do with your last 24 hours in NYC?
Can I go to a Yankee game?
Interview by Josh Abraham
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