In the throes of the pandemic, self-described “Larry David historian” Blake J. Harris decided he wanted to write a book about Larry David. Not just any book but the definitive book about the mastermind behind “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” And he wanted to do it only if David agreed to participate, making it the first authorized biography of the comedy legend.
Harris, a journalist who previously wrote books on the video game and tech industries, spent months circling his dream subject, talking to his closest friends and collaborators, before he would finally be introduced to David via email. My parents are dead, so now we’re only left with my kids and my wife to read it. I don’t think three books is making it to the best sellers list.
Surely there are better subjects who would welcome a biography.” After some back and forth, with Harris insisting that his project would be less a traditional biography and more a biography of his work, David relented. After the book was finished, David told Harris that he “regretted” his participation “immediately, and I still do.” He was joking … wasn’t he? Harris isn’t entirely certain.
He’s still grappling with his subject’s feelings on the process. I wanted to write this book about Larry, but I only wanted to do so if I had access to Larry, because I think it’s important for people to have the opportunity to tell their own stories. I had heard Larry didn’t want to talk to me, but his friend Alan Zweibel told me, “That’s nonsense.
I’ll introduce you.” I thought, “I’ve got to make this count,” and I had this great idea. It felt very George Costanza scheme-like. I said to Alan, “I’d love it if you could introduce me to Larry, but tell him that for this first conversation, of which I hope there will be many, we only talk about the New York Yankees.
No ‘Seinfeld,’ no ‘Curb,’ just the Yankees.” And so Larry and I had that first call, and we talked about the Yankees. To answer your question, for the next six months we talked every week over the phone or over FaceTime. It was during COVID, so I had the advantage of Larry not being able to go anywhere.
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