The Uplifting Pessimism of Louie

We all have dark spots in our brains. Dimly lit corners out of which the nastiest, most unseemly, deplorable thoughts emerge. Like vermin, they scuttle back to darkness the second we shine light on them. We prefer them that way. Few of us have the courage to go in after them, even fewer have the courage to invite them into the light.

Louis C.K. has such courage.

At forty-three, Louis C.K. (née Szekely) has lived a more thorough life than most of us ever will. He’s written for The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Dana Carvey Show, won an Emmy in 1999 for his work on The Chris Rock Show, written several screenplays, created a sitcom on HBO, starred in several comedy specials including the Emmy-nominated Chewed Up.

Why call C.K.’s life ‘thorough’? He’s also gotten married, gotten divorced, and shares custody of his two daughters with his ex-wife. He’s been through enough crap to know that every bright sun comes with its own dirty gray lining, and he’s unafraid to share that truth with his audience.

You’d know all this if you watched his FX show Louie, for which C.K. recently received Emmy nominations in acting and writing.

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Stephen Colbert Granted a Super PAC by the FEC, Satire Abounds

There’s more than one Stephen Colbert. One is a real human being. The other is a caricature of other real human beings (Bill O’Reilly, etc.) played by the actual human being on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report.

It’s easy to lose track of which one’s which.

Both were born in South Carolina. Both spent their teenage years playing Dungeons & Dragons. Both hold honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degrees from Knox College (though it may be more accurate to say they both hold the same honorary degree). Both prefer the faux-French version of their last name (/koʊlˈbɛər/) to the actual Irish pronunciation (/koʊlbərt/).

One is a comedian, political satirist, and aspiring musical theatre star. The other is a pundit, journalist, and fearer of bears. One performed extensively with Chicago’s improv troupe Second City. The other performed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where he cracked wise about the Bush administration while standing amidst – who else? – the Bush administration.

That wasn’t the only time the caricature Stephen Colbert poked his nose into (or jammed his foot up the rear of) reality. Just yesterday, the Federal Election Commission granted the latter permission to form a Super PAC capable of raising unlimited campaign funds for whatever/whomever Colbert sees fit.

And this is just the latest episode in Colbert’s quest to satirize politics and bureaucracy with his mere parodical presence.

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Consider The Onion: A Pulitzer Plea

Fake news isn’t new. Satirical jibes at journalism masquerading as journalism date back to at least 1835 when Richard A. Locke created the Great Moon Hoax in the New York Sun. Not only was Locke looking to increase sales of the upstart Sun, he was ridiculing contemporary theories in astronomy – including one Scottish reverend’s assertion that upwards of four billion people (or whatever they were) lived on the Moon.

The Onion isn’t that far removed from Locke and his hoax. Started in 1988 by two University of Wisconsin students, The Onion rose from its clever college rag roots to become an international brand of news-related comedy under the direction of founding Editor-in-Chief Scott Dikkers. Dikkers oversaw the launch of its website in 1996, which proliferated the publication’s classic style of deadpan satire.

Its imitation of actual print journalism – Associated Press formatting, a mix of editorial and on-the-street reporting – is The Onion’s greatest asset. They’ve so mastered the art of the headline that you rarely need read past “U.S. General Jealous That Syrian Army Allowed To Attack Citizens” to have a good ouch-too-true chuckle.

And now The Onion staff would like to be recognized for their efforts. Having just celebrated their 1000th issue yesterday, they’ve contracted serious Pulitzer hunger. They want the Prize, and they’re mobilizing the Internet on their behalf.

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The Funniest Kids in the Class: Podcasters

The first podcast I ever listened to was ours: After the Jump. Seriously. Before I was a writer for this site I was a huge fan of the site. My favorite installment was always the podcast, or as it used to be called, the podshot (what a great name). I didn’t understand what a podcast was back then. Was it free? Did I have to download each one individually? Could I burn it onto a cd? (Yes. Kind of. No.) And this, it seems, is the way it goes with podcasts. You either get it and love it and can’t keep up with all the great podcasts out there or you’ve never listened and the thought of diving into a new form of media seems too taxing.

Well, either way, if you’re a fan of comedy (stand-up and otherwise) you really need to be on the podcast train. Los Angeles has always been in competetion with New York for comedy kingship. But (in my humble opinion) in the world of podcast comedy only the L.A. guys are doing things the strange and experimental and hilarious and new way.

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Laughing at Valentine’s Day: Natasha Leggero Stand-Up Review

I’ve worked for a few long years in the fine dining industry. I’ll let you in on a tip: there are some nights of the year you just shouldn’t go out to eat at a fancy restaurant. These nights, ironically, are the nights everyone wants to go out to eat: New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Weekend, and Valentine’s Day. Trust me, the service will suck, the food you get may (depending on how unscrupulous a joint you visit) be more expensive than it normally is, and you will be looked at like an amateur. For these reasons my girlfriend and I decided to do something different for the day of love. We went to see stand-up comedy. Natasha Leggero, to be more precise, and, quite frankly, she cracked us the hell up!

I’ve talked about comedy several times before, and I truly think it’s an underrated art form. I listen to far too many comedy podcasts, watch far too many online clips, and am beginning to amass an old comedy record collection. My girlfriend is, decidedly, less interested in stand-up (which is why I surprised her with tickets to the show). I’ve been a fan of Natasha for a bit now (through her stand-up comedy generally and her turn as the voice of Callie Maggotbone on Ugly Americans) and we both knew Leggero’s comedy through her regular stints on the hilarious Chelsea Lately, so I figured this would be the perfect way to do something we would both enjoy. Was it selfish? Maybe a little, but come on, it’s not like I gave my girlfriend a vacuum or a bowling ball!

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