Larry David has already done his part to encourage social distancing in a very public way, filming a video for the state of California that served as a coronavirus PSA for “idiots.” With that out of the way you might think the notorious homebody would simply hunker down with some good television and wait for things to blow over, but now we know at least one show he’s not watching.
In an interview with the New York Times’ Maureen Dowd that also, improbably, contains good webcam lighting advice, David confessed that he found the one Netflix show everyone’s streaming to be so “disturbing” he couldn’t watch it. That’s right, Larry David hates Tiger King.
The profile features a number of photos taken of David through the window of his home, which is a hilarious touch. And while it features a wide-ranging series of topics, when it came to what the Curb Your Enthusiasm creator was spending his time watching these days it was Netflix heavy and Joe Exotic lite.
Mr. David said he’s watching “Ozark” and “Unorthodox” on Netflix. He tried to watch America’s favorite distraction, “Tiger King,” but couldn’t get past the first episode. “I found it so disturbing,” he said. “The lions and the tigers just really scared the hell out of me. They were going to attack somebody. They were going to kill somebody. I didn’t want to see them attack and those people were just so insane, I couldn’t watch it.”
David’s missing out on quite a ride — one that may not be over just yet — but his excuse is certainly valid. The show does depict some pretty explicit animal abuse and some scary scenes in which the cats look primed to do real harm to those who feel they have things under control. For someone who is particularly not interested in big cats, watching folks get far too comfortable with them in private zoos certainly makes for a tough watch.
The good news is that David is far from bored at home, and the piece serves as a good distraction for the rest of us as well. For example, please enjoy this bon mot about cowboy etiquette, which seemingly came out of nowhere.
“I never could have lived in the Old West,” he added parenthetically. “I would have been completely paranoid about someone stealing my horse. No locks. You tie them to a post! How could you go into a saloon and enjoy yourself knowing your horse could get taken any moment? I would be so distracted. Constantly checking to see if he was still there.”
It’s good to know that Larry is doing well, even if he may not have exactly the same Netflix tastes as you do.