How ya livin? What? How ya livin?

Pretty much everyone I talk to has made a Seinfeld reference (or two (or 500)) at one point in a conversation. Like I said, I’m good with pop culture, and I understand that they are references to a legendary TV show, buuuuut, I never watched it.  Don’t be hatin’ tho. I’ve seen occasional reruns and the last episode of course, but when it was new, I wasn’t into it.

You can memorize all of these references and add it to a conversation; but I definitely had more of a connection with another show that somehow managed to influence many parts of my life.

I would sit in my bedroom with my 19” TV I got for Christmas many many years ago (being an only child has its perks.) When Seinfeld was on downstairs in the living room while my parents watched, I would watch In Living Color. At the time if you would have asked me which one of those two shows would have been eventually named the ‘greatest television show ever’ I would have been wrong. I would have said In Living Color, hands down.

Sure, at 10 years old, I didn’t get all of the jokes and references, but the characters in the sketches were so great I didn’t have to. And sure, it dealt with a lot of subject matter that I am completely ignorant about, but it didn’t stop me from laughing.  Their style of comedy is still my favorite.
Homey D. Clown, Fire Marshall Bill, Funky Finger Productions, Men on Film, and Wanda are characters that I still remember vividly. Holy shit…they were ALL funny.

Not only did this show make me laugh, it actually influenced me musically. The rare times that my parents would actually choose this show over a new episode of Seinfeld, as soon as the musical guest would come on, the channel would be changed. I would run up to my room to get my first real taste of the hip-hop music community. Heavy D, MC Lyte, Tupac. Amazing stuff and it was a [recorded] live performance!!

Speaking of influences on my life, I’d like to thank Jennifer Lopez and the rest of the fly girls for another. What can I say? I am a guy who’s into asses and hips and curves. Was it because of them and their dancing? Who knows…but I can say that I was definitely mesmerized by those girls.

So I don’t have the ability to spout out random Seinfeld references; I have no regrets. “Let me show ya somethin!” and “Three snaps…in a Z formation” will always ring in my head as great television comedy. And who would have thought a sketch comedy show could steer me into the directions that it has.
And for those of you who are asking why I didn’t start watching Seinfeld after In Living Color ended. I was 15. I found a new hobby. Women…with big booties of course.