Curb Your Enthusiasm has been a ceaseless source of joy for me the last two decades, and my capacity to revisit certain episodes (in general) and specific scenes (in particular) is seemingly inexhaustible. Like the new drug Huey Lewis once sang (unconvincingly) about, Curb is always just what the doctor ordered, every single time. In short, a miracle.
Of the myriad joys the show offers, the ongoing interactions between Larry David and his lifelong friend / sparring partner Richard Lewis is an endowment of almost indescribable pleasure. Their recurring battles, always full of sound and fury and much ado about very little, are slices of improvised perfection; a gift that somehow keeps giving (even, as my wife would attest, after waaaay too many viewings). Just thinking of the expression “jew squirrel” will make me cry with laughter (and gratitude that a human being could make me laugh so unabashedly).
Some highlights have to include “Ben Laden,” “What are you, Willy Loman?,” “Breast Vision,” “I will be the Edmund Hillary of shitting where you eat,” the mantra,” and so on.
I remember, when the show first aired, thinking –as an old school dude of a certain age, who lived through Lewis’s prime in the mid ’80s– “holy hell, he looks terrible” and he did, based on what he looked like when he paced neurotically across the stage in his occasional HBO specials and on the late night shows as a cranky guest. Of course, when I look at those early seasons, almost a quarter century later, I think “oh my god, look how young and robust he is.” Such is life; such is the sad reality of getting older, and we’re all going in one direction, every second at speed.
Lewis was an icon and genius of comedy pre-Curb; his presence in this series –which we can all savor for all time– made him a cultural treasure; a beloved, eccentric uncle who kvetched so we didn’t have to. I’ll miss him, but he’ll remain a vital part of my world…I’d hate to imagine ever living without him. Finally, I hope he willed the VHS of his colonoscopy to his pal LD.
Rest well, Richie Boy.
Bonus RL/LD bliss:
Whatever mensch took the time to assemble this video should receive a government-funded salary for life. Kudos.
