|  Kenny
Kramer was the real-life inspiration for the "hipster doofus"
character Cosmo Kramer on the hugely popular NBC sitcom, Seinfeld.
Kramer lived across the hallway from writer Larry David in New York
City in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and both were friends with up-and-coming
comedian Jerry Seinfeld. When David and Seinfeld created the show Seinfeld,
they patterned the "wacky neighbor" character of Cosmo Kramer
after Kenny Kramer.
Seinfeld (1989-1998) went on to became a ratings juggernaut
and a pop culture phenomenon, and Cosmo Kramer (played by actor Michael
Richards) became one of the most memorable characters in TV history.
For the real Kramer, the success of Seinfeld was a major career
opportunity -- and he took advantage of it. While he only appeared on
the show once (as an extra in an 1995 episode), he used his connection
to Seinfeld to launch the Kramer Reality Tour. The tour, which
has been operating continuously since 1995, takes visitors on a bus
and video tour of New York City to sights made famous by the show. (In
a case of art imitating life, Seinfeld did an episode spoofing
the tour when Cosmo Kramer started "Peterman's Reality Tour"
in a 1997 episode.) Kramer also offers the Kramer Reality Tour
on DVD and video.
Before Seinfeld and Cosmo Kramer made him semi-famous, Kramer
had worked as a stand-up comedian, the creator of disco jewelry , a
karate coach, and as the manager of a British reggae band.
Post-Seinfeld, Kramer performed the "Road Show" version of
his reality tour at colleges, comedy festivals, and state fairs. He
appeared on A&E's Biography of Jerry Seinfeld, as a defendant
on Judge Judy, and as a celebrity Karaoke judge on MTV. He
has also been a guest on Access Hollywood, Oprah, Dateline NBC,
Inside Edition, the Today Show, and others.
In 2001, Kramer went in a more serious direction when he won the nomination
of the Libertarian Party to run for mayor of New York City. Kramer said
he was campaigning on the solidly libertarian message that "...the
government in NYC needs to be much less oppressive and allow consenting
adults the freedom to do whatever they like, as long as they don't hurt
anyone."
On specific issues, Kramer promised to:
• "Stop the insane Drug War being forced upon New Yorkers!
It has proven to be a disaster for the community and a failure in
tackling the distribution and use of drugs."
• "...Break the monotonous and archaic monopoly of the public
school authoritarian dictatorship sponsored by current government
policies."
• "...Cut the red tape for other entrepreneurs who want
to live their own American dream."
• "...Promote economic justice through reduced spending
and cutting or eliminating taxes whenever and wherever possible."
Alas, Kramer's quasi-fame didn't translate into electoral success; he
won just 2,620 votes (.18%), coming in seventh of nine candidates.
Quotable
"[The Seinfeld character Cosmo] Kramer is based on me,
so if I'm a libertarian, Kramer's a libertarian." -- Kenny
Kramer in the New York Times (April 27, 2001)
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