Louie – Season One
Be advised that any links provided should be considered very NSFW
Louis C.K. reminds me of what punk rock bands used to be. Before
punk became just another counter-culture movement that the mainstream exploited,
it would act as the very representation for the marginalized and
disenfranchised; it was more than just a style of music – it was an attitude,
an ethos. With the commercialization of punk rock, everything punk represented
was now being adopted by the very people it was never intended for. Why bring
this up? I feel like Louis C.K. is the type of comedian that still carried the
flag for the type of person that feels marginalized and disenfranchised. What
sets him apart from the Woody Allen’s and the Larry David’s – other brilliant
misanthropes – is that he isn’t whiny (which is not to say that whiny=unfunny);
he simply observes and doles out the appropriate, often stinging, observations
that come from being an balding, out-of-shape New Yorker (and entertainer). His
writing style isn’t always palatable, but it’s honest (and one of the reasons
why I think he’s maintained, and gained, such an ardent fanbase), and explicates
the dark areas of comedy that nobody else seems to want to touch on. Honesty –
especially honesty that gets really dark – is really damn rare in the
cookie-cutter world of 21st century standup comedy where the Chelsea
Handler’s and Dane Cook’s of the world have confused sophomoric vulgarity for comedy.
C.K. seems to be one of the last remaining standups that doesn’t find his shortcomings
to be an asset – his self-loathing to be charming – who doesn’t rely on
vulgarity for vulgarity sake, and who will allow himself not to come off as the
authority on certain issues or topics – but instead as the dude that simply
puts up with the crap hands life deals him.
