Entrances and Exits

Entrances and Exits by Michael Richards (Author, Narrator), Jerry Seinfeld - foreword (Author)

Michael Richards will always be "Kramer" from Seinfeld or "the former Seinfeld star that went on a racist rant." In his memoir he paints himself as a more complex character. He was conceived when his mother was sexually assaulted. His mom was going to get an abortion in Mexico. However, her friend died when trying to do that, so she gave birth. She changed her name to Richards and said her spouse died in the war. She wanted to be a good Catholic. From a young age, Richards was driven to acting. He received many school awards for acting (in serious roles.) He ended up adopting comedy had some breaks in stand up and was on some TV shows. Seinfeld made him famous. He actually won more emmys than the other cast members. He was married and divorced. Hid physical hipster doofus comedy was a key part of what made the show good.

Post Seinfeld, he said he took up the offer for the Michael Richards show against his agent's advice. (and dismissed his agent.)  You wonder how much of this was retroactive thought. The show bombed. He retired. He spent time reading and exploring spirituality. He got the urge to do some more acting. He would perform "secret" shows in LA comedy clubs. One of these shows had some hecklers. He went on a tirade against the hecklers and used a racial slur. People recorded it (which was prohibited, but people do it.) He wanted to be "true to himself" in apologizing, but that did not go over well. He retreated more and only gradually opened up. He later got married again and took up photography.

The book spends a lot of time on Seinfeld, but does shuffle back and forth among other key life events. He acknowledges faults but does not spend a lot of time apologizing for them. He does spend a lot of time discussing his philosophy and psychology. There was a lot of healing he needed to do after his tirade brought him down. It feels that society is way to harsh on those with perceived racism rather than working to contain the anger.