Louie, Louie.

I've been "aware" of Louis C.K. for years now. I knew that he did stand-up, was a writer for Chris Rock and Conan and produced some funny stuff. I wouldn't necessarily have called myself a fan, even though I thoroughly enjoyed his controversial HBO show Lucky Louie  back when it aired in 2006. I thought what he did was pretty, pretty good. But recently, I've come to appreciate his comedic and artistic genius because of his current (and now Emmy nominated) show, simply titled Louie -- absolutely brilliant.

**I'll take a step back and explain a bit. I'm going to free associate a bit and try to make sense of this: geekdom covers a wide scope of things. I've blogged about my typical geek passions: comic books, movies, music, tv shows, literature etc. But there are subgenres that if you think about it -- are genres unto themselves. I'd say, I am a bit of a COMEDY geek. (Which is a subgenre of tv, film, literature ..and yet, it expands into it's own genre. Does this make any sense? ) Some of my all time favorites: Arrested Development, Mr. Show, Spaced (see previous post), The Kids in The Hall, The State, The Mighty Boosh, Upright Citizens Brigade, Maria Bamford, Ricky Gervais, David Sedaris, etc.**

Louie -- if you haven't seen it already on FX -- has a loose format. There's bits of Louis C.K. (divorced with two kids, in real life and on the show) doing stand-up and then one or two -- I'd call them short films or vignettes -- that may or may not be related thematically to the bit of stand-up.The rhythm of the show, the way that it is shot, and the fictional vs. nonfictional elements of the show are completely unpredictable and wonderful.

Louie's comedy is filled with the lowbrow/highbrow stuff that I love. (And man, does he get away with a lot of mature themes on FX. Definitely not for kids!) He'll do an entire episode on masturbation that ends up being really thought provoking when he meets (and hits it off) with a woman from a Christian group that is against "self-abuse". He'll have a fight with a comedian who has conservative views and then spends the night in the hospital with him because their friendship is deeper than they can express. He will have a one night stand with a hot young lady who is into weird smelling old dudes. He will spend a night with an old friend who plans to commit suicide because his comedy career has failed. He'll have the absurd moments alongside the emotionally tethered ones -- equal parts pathos, joy, and fart jokes.

The show features some comedians and a guests that Louis has worked with. Ricky Gervais (who Louis worked with in The Invention of Lying) plays his inappropriate joke-spewing doctor. Todd Barry, Nick DiPaolo, Hannibal Burress and others also appear in episodes. Dane Cook was on the show and Louis addressed the controversy of Cook supposedly stealing from him -- in a very even-handed and hilarious episode. There aren't that many recurring characters (and sometimes actors change or play other characters -- there are no rules) other than his two daughters, a single mom character (played by the awesome Pamela Adlon -- who played Louie's wife on the HBO show and is also a consulting producer on the show), and a few others that return for more than one appearance.

 

The bottomline: His divorce and the realization that his kids are the reason for him to keep going is what he credits for his reinvigorated career. A lot of stand-up comedians spend their entire careers perfecting an hour of material and jokes that they can tell over and over. Louis does this every year--creates an hour set and won't repeat them the year after. He comes up with brand new material every year. Crazy.

Another major reason why the show is so appealing to me -- NYC is a featured character. The Comedy Cellar, the Olive Tree Cafe, Bleeker Street, Washington Square Park and other recognizable spots remind me of my days at NYU and working and living in the city. (Oh, wait! I live in Manhattan now! Sometimes, I forget. Always a Queens boy at heart.)


Recently, I listened to the Louis C.K. episodes on Marc Maron's awesome WTF comedy podcast.
The shows were about Louie's career and his (strained) friendship with Maron -- pretty great and revealing. Definitely check it out if you are a fan.

Which brings me to this: I'm a huge fan of Louis C.K. now and I'm hoping for good things for him in the future. I'm happy that he's hit his stride and getting the recognition that he deserves. I'd gladly share a pint of ice cream and some donuts with him. *manhug*

Geekomnivore score: Pizza-rific! (You shoulda finished that whole slice!) **Watch the show.and you'll get it.


*Images sourced from the Web. Gingers!