Fastidiously casual in black blazer, untucked slate-colored shirt, and jeans, the comedian exudes composure rather than ease. Is there a component in the Seinfeld hard-wiring that accounts for his Zenlike equilibrium?

"Any actor, writer or comedian is a close observer of human behavior," he says, more amused than appalled. "I am so offended by so much I see that I try not to do it."

To his professional answer he appends a personal one: "I've been practicing Transcendental Meditation most of my life. I think that does something to your nervous system," the eternal observer observes. "It has given me a calmness I don't think I had at 19."