Emperor of Nothing: The Making of Larry David may be the most reluctant authorized biography ever written. The story of how author Blake J. Harris persuaded the comedy legend to “tolerate” him begins, of all places, at Fox News.
It was 2020, and Harris’s second book, The History of the Future: Oculus, Facebook, and the Revolution That Swept Virtual Reality, had been published the year before. Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus, had been “fired for being a Trump supporter,” and Harris, who was anything but a Trump fan, simply reported the facts. Speaking by phone from his home in Colorado, he explains: “My book ended up doing well because I was all over right-wing media—they loved having me on. I was the liberal journalist who exposed the truth about how conservatives were treated in Silicon Valley.”
Glenn Beck was one of several right-wing commentators who gave Harris a television platform that helped his book succeed. He even asked whether the author would consider writing his biography. Harris politely declined but began to wonder whether there was a public figure he would want to spend years of his life researching and writing about. One day, while taking a shower, he started thinking about how Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm had shaped his sense of humor, his formative years, his entire worldview. Harris had an epiphany—he would write about the man behind them, Larry David.
Harris had written a lengthy piece for ESPN to mark the 2015 finale of The League, a sitcom written and directed by Jeff Schaffer. Schaffer was a Seinfeld writer who would become David’s chief collaborator as Curb Your Enthusiasm went on. Schaffer liked Harris’s proposal because he felt there should be a biography of his mentor, arguably the most significant comedy writer in American television history. He was also aware that his boss would be reluctant, given that David was the man comedy writer Alan Zweibel once described as “the only person I know who has buyer’s remorse before he buys something.”
Emails flew back and forth in August 2020, with the potential subject telling the potential author that this was a bad idea. In one, reproduced in the prologue of Emperor of Nothing, the subtext is clear—curb your enthusiasm: “There are far better ways to spend your time. There’s nothing interesting about me and there’s no interest in me. That’s not being modest. It’s the truth. So why the book? 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 bestsellers’ list. Surely there are better subjects that would welcome a biography.”
Harris was not deterred. He enlisted David’s friends and explained to his hero that this would not be a conventional biography, but rather David as “the protagonist in an ensemble story.” Eventually, to appease his friends in a way his Curb Your Enthusiasm alter ego rarely would, David sent Harris a five-word email: “Oh Jesus. If we must.”
When Harris was eventually introduced to his idol, he had what he considers one of the greatest ideas of his life: a ploy George Costanza (the scheming Seinfeld character modeled on David) could be proud of. He decided to focus on a shared interest: “I really wanted to make a good impression with Larry and show him I’m someone he can just shoot the shit with… I’m not a typical stiff journalist who’s going to make his life difficult… So, I suggested for that first conversation… the only topic I want to talk about is the New York Yankees.” (David is a lifelong fan.)
Steering clear of the work in that initial chat provedIt was an inspired move, even if six years later David told Harris, “I agreed to do the book, but I immediately regretted it.” Those regrets are his alone: what began as a conversation about baseball became a 576-page book that captures the spirit of the comedy great in ways that suggest Harris understands David’s shtick so well that this is the closest we will get to a Larry David memoir. Take the story of David’s birth, which reads as a glorious tribute to the late Richard Lewis, his best friend and collaborator: “On 29 June 1947, at Brooklyn Jewish hospital, a remarkable little boy was brought into the world. This boy – who’d prove to be special in so many ways – would by the age of thirty become one of the most influential comedians of his era. Three days later, at that same hospital, another little boy was born. That boy’s name was Larry David.”
The author spoke to friends, family, colleagues and neighbours as he attempted to forensically trace a journey that began in Brooklyn, encompassed years of struggle on the standup circuit and would ultimately produce two of the greatest television comedies in the history of the medium. Few people manage to produce a work of such quality once; to do it twice is almost unprecedented.
The book is especially compelling when covering David’s lean years (a period that stretched into his early 40s). It explains how he found himself picking out potential spots in the street for when he would inevitably become homeless, despite being viewed as the “comedian’s comedian” by his peers. His talent was never in doubt, only his temperament. Harris is skilled at drawing parallels between the art and the life, just as Seinfeld and Curb were at their best when blending fact and fiction. We learn about our hero giggling uncontrollably at a piano recital when confronted with a Pez dispenser, quitting his job at Saturday Night Live in a fit of pique on a Friday only to walk back in the following Monday as though nothing had happened, and taking part in a masturbation contest. All this would become material during the Seinfeld years: Jerry ruins George’s girlfriend’s recital by making Elaine laugh with Pez; George screams at his boss and storms out, then acts as though nothing has happened when he realises the financial implications; and The Contest, in which the four main actors have a wager to determine who can go the longest without indulging in onanism, won David an Emmy. In 2009, The Contest was No 1 in TV Guide’s Top 100 Episodes of All Time.
Indeed, every funny life experience in those early years would invariably find its way into a David sitcom. The urgency of the writing and our awareness of the greatness to come ensures Harris’s biography rattles along like a thriller, but one which, rather than heading inexorably towards a crime scene, instead leads to some of the greatest art of the past century. Harris reassured David, who was afraid of looking egotistical, that he “could hide in his own biography”, due to it including interviews with people other than himself. When he heard Harris was talking to friends and collaborators, David urged him not to “bother them”. Sarah Silverman allayed the biographer’s fears: “That’s so Larry. What he doesn’t realise is what a joy it is for us to speak to you about him.”
Harris describes his subject as the “idealised version of the artist we all wish we were”, a man far more concerned with artistic integrity than financial gain. In the 1980s, long before the fame and fortune, Larry wrote a screenplay entitled Prognosis: Negative. His manager sold the script and was thrilled when she secured a hefty payday for a rewrite. In an unprecedented move, the struggling comic asked for the fee to be negotiated down fromHe dropped his price from $35,000 to $5,000 because he thought the material was good and didn’t want to make major changes. Through Harris’s biography, we learn that this strange mix of unwavering belief in his own ability and low self-esteem has shaped the career of the comic genius. During his standup days, he would routinely open with this obscure bit: “You seem like a very good audience tonight. I’m wondering, may I use the tu form with you people? Because I feel very close to you. Do you mind if I jump into the tu form?” By David’s own admission, it got nothing “60 to 70% of the time.” When Seinfeld asked his future collaborator why he kept opening with a routine that rarely worked, the answer was clear: “I think that’s funny! And if that’s not funny, why am I even doing standup? What’s the point?” Typically defiant, he added: “You know, Caesar used the tu form even after Brutus stabbed him.” So Seinfeld got an early glimpse of a man who would not be intimidated by outside interference.
Harris was grateful that David largely chose not to interfere with his manuscript. His only real notes were asking for sections to be toned down where he appeared “too nice,” especially in relation to his daughters (“What father doesn’t love his daughters?”). He did, however, witness one trademark David rant when he was invited to appear as a background actor in the Curb finale, a story he is delighted to relay over the phone.
View image in fullscreen Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm season nine. Photograph: HBO
Harris and Ken David, Larry’s older brother, were sitting at a table in the background while Larry and Richard Lewis improvised an argument. The two extras were told to mouth their words but not speak audibly. Larry’s brother, however, seemed not to have gotten the memo and audibly started trying to talk sports with Harris. Harris tells me: “In the middle of the take, Larry seamlessly turned from yelling at Richard Lewis to yelling at his brother and telling him he was supposed to be quiet and that he was ruining the take.”
As an early Curb tagline made clear: “Just because he’s made it, doesn’t mean he’s got it made.” David, it seems, will never stop shouting. Emperor of Nothing perfectly captures the evolution of an artist—even as the man steadfastly refuses to change. Emperor of Nothing: The Making of Larry David by Blake J Harris is published by HarperCollins (£22). To support the Guardian, buy a copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs Theres nothing interesting about me and no interest in me How Larry Davids New Biography Almost Didnt Happen
1 What is this biography about
Its a book about Larry David the comedian behind Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm The title comes from Davids own selfdeprecating view of himself
2 Who wrote it
It was written by journalist and author Alan Light based on extensive interviews with David and people around him
3 Why did the book almost not happen
Larry David was reluctant to cooperate He didnt think his life was interesting enough for a biography and doubted anyone would want to read it
4 What does the title mean
Its a quote reflecting Davids selfimage he claims theres nothing interesting about him and no public interest in himwhich the books existence proves wrong
5 Did Larry David eventually cooperate
Yes After initial hesitation he agreed to sit for interviews though he remained skeptical about the project throughout
6 Why would a famous comedian think nobody cares about him
Davids humor and public persona are built on selfdeprecation and awkwardness His claim fits his comic character even if it isnt literally true
7 What can readers learn from the book
How David developed his comedic voice the origins of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm and how his real life fed into his shows
8 Is the book authorized
Yesits an authorized biography meaning David participated even if reluctantly
9 Who would enjoy this book
Fans of Seinfeld Curb Your Enthusiasm comedy writing and behindthescenes stories about how hit shows get made
10 Whats the biggest takeaway
Even people who dismiss their own lives as uninteresting can have stories worth tellingand selfdoubt doesnt prevent success
11 What practical tip does this story offer
Dont assume your life or work isnt worth sharing Other people often see value in what you take for granted
12 Whats a common misconception about the book
That its a tellall exposé Its more a portrait of a comedians creative process and personality than a scandalfilled memoir
