Jerry Stiller dead at 92

I do not remember dates. I was in America when George Carlin - one of my all time fav comic had died. But I found out later.

Today thanks to the stay at home condition and access to internet I read that Ben Stiller had updated us on his father's passing. Apparently Ben did it in the bird kingdom called Twitter. But that twit was picked up by NYT which I read and thusly found out that a close second in terms of comic genius to George Carlin (not Costanza) was now gone. Jerry Stiller dead at 92.

I may have seen him in a cameo here or there in film or television but I only came to know of him as a character and father of another comic (Ben) as I started enjoying Seinfeld. As the eccentric and irascible father of Jason Alexander's character called George Costanza, he was a glue that carried the show about nothing to new highs.

In many ways he was a perfect foil with his advanced age and mental blocks to the fast moving witty banter among the younger four stars.

What a treat it was to watch him then. It still is thanks to the entire Seinfeld collection on DVD that I own. That collection is priceless to me.

I guess officially one could say - Serenity then, Insanity Now!

While I have my doubts about heaven I suspect Jerry is now taking his cue from the 'Maestro' in the 'Place to Be'.

I think May 10 should be Happy Festivus day as a celebration of his life.

Comments

On the go(zay masta) in Japan again

Cool cat the Japanese are Tokyo at dusk My second visit to this land of the rising sun after almost a decade. Back then clearly I was wet behind the ears product manager and likely didn’t pay attention to all (efficient) things Japanese. But today I did and of course continue to be impressed. It is as much the obvious stuff like on time travel that is both clean and comfortable and all that which makes it possible. The impressive landmark and landscapes that these humans have put together despite their cramped (or because of it) surroundings and precarious geological conditions could amaze a novice architect among us. But it’s also the little things that someone had to think about which have a phenomenal impact on day to day lives that make the Japanese stand apart. Below are few random examples- 1. Providing a very fine machined wooden toothpick in every packet of wooden chopsticks. The said chapsticks are simply set on the To Go counter of any food vendor/ convenience store wher...

Presumptive Society

Today's world is hyper connected. I am not so sure what it means but you hear it a lot. It is probably hyper but not sure how connected it is. Sugar (fermented or not) is available in many ways than before and so getting hyper is easy. It is probably more a threat than cocaine since it is sold legally. And what is this connected stuff? Most people I encounter seem disconnected from reality. So going back to this assumption that we are connected there are subtle and no so subtle instances of how brands and companies and middle men try to portray someone - A linkedin profile for somebody working for X years at a place advertises to the connected network that so and so is CELEBRATING X years @ Such and Such Inc. Do we know if (s)he is celebrating or cringing? Perhaps a better way to portray will be - So and So LASTED X years @ such & such inc. Then it exhorts the readership to go ahead and congratulate them for this lasting effe...

The Central State aka MP

Narmada river and site of Omkareshwar Indore Rajwada or palace of the Lady Holkar Somewhat geographically centered in India is the hot landscape of MADHYA PRADESH. A region I had a faint memory of visiting as a young lad eons ago. Now in my (along with my best half) quest to get to know lands far and wide I got an opportunity to visit Indore city and surrounding areas in MP. It begins with an evening visit to a bustling old market selling native snacks both savory and sweet. It is the realm of jewelers who run night time street side restaurants once they close their primary operations at dusk. Think of it as desi style block party that I am told goes into wee hours of the morning. My impression was it is worth one visit. The humid and hot ambience along with crush of humanity doesn’t make for a pleasant dining experience but the sheer variety of foods sort of makes up for it. From piping hot coconut filled fritters to oodles of milk based sweet confections, I gorged on item...

Brown Motion

Search This Blog