A COUPLE OF GARRY SHANDLING MEMORIES

I was lucky enough to be on two episodes of The Larry Sanders Show. I remember filming a take then Garry walked over. He had a performance note for me. He didn’t preface it with “this is what I want you to do.“ He prefaced it with “only try this if you think it’s funny.” I was floored. I barely had any acting experience and couldn’t believe he trusted me that much. I realized this is what made him the real deal.

Sometime after filming the episodes I planned a trip back to LA. I think Sarah Silverman told him I was coming. Before I left there was a message on my answering machine: “Todd, it’s Garry Shandling. I heard you were coming to LA. Want to stop by the set? I think you should.”

So I went to Garry’s office and hung out for hours. I told him about my girlfriend at the time. After rattling off a list of her good qualities, he said “she sounds great.”

There was pause.

“Do you want to call her?’ I asked.

He smiled. “I was just about to ask.”

I laughed, gave him her number, then watched Garry Shandling call my girlfriend.