Listen to every podcast, every roundtable, every whisper in the wind: Louis CK is loved by all. Despite being one of the highest grossing comedians in the world, he is, undoubtedly, a man of the people. It’s a mystery how he’s managed to win the hearts of comedians, critics and civilians alike, but here we are. It’s 2014, and we have a man that can do no wrong, surely a dangerous position for anyone. Louis balances fatherhood and crippling cynicism in everything he does, and its absolute magic.
I know what you’re thinking, and yes, loving Louis CK is in no way a truth you can’t handle. (See above: everyone knows he’s great.) I’m saying, in the most hyperbolic way possible, he’s the best thing to happen to entertainment since Steve Martin went grey. The whole TV watching world should count their Lucky Louie stars that this man bestows upon us his creative output. I’m a mind reader; I know you’re wondering how significant one man can be, he’s just a comedian. Correct again! As much as other comedians can pontificate about the importance of comedy in today’s crazy messed up world, they all are, essentially, telling dick jokes. Louis CK the stand-up comedian is good — no argument. But Louis CK the story teller is on a whole other level.
I have nothing other than gushing admiration for the TV show Louie. It’s funny, not ha ha funny, more cosmically funny. A humour that makes you cry, not laugh. A humour that makes you examine every facet of your psyche. What does a 20 year-old English girl have in common with a 47 year-old divorced man with two children? Nothing, but — more importantly — everything. Are the rambunctious adventures of Lena Dunham and her rag-tag team of ‘friends’ supposed to resonate with me? Because I feel I have a lot more in common with a pasty, past-his-prime semi-sociopath than I do with them. Let’s take Louie the character out of the equation. The show itself is constructed with such subtlety and finesse; it’s enough to grip you. The casting, the infrequency, the digression; everything about this show screams pretension, but it’s so beautifully sincere you can’t help but be entranced. This element is what’s missing in a lot of shows right now, and is why it’s difficult to make comparisons between Louie and anything else. Louis, the man, is a poet unlike any other.
