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Louis CK: Oh My God
Louis CK knocks it out of the park with a fall on the floor funny HBO special from 2013 called Louis CK: Oh My God that put into focus for this reviewer what sets this guy apart from other stand-ups.
Performing in the round from a theater in Phoenix, Arizona, Louis covers a myriad of topics, some expected and some not, and without a lot of worrying about seguing from one topic to the next. His opening piece where he talks about an old woman who lives in his neighborhood who he sees walking her dog every day seemed to be sort of an odd topic to which to open the show, but once he has completed his very detailed physical description of this old lady and her dog, we are all in and cant wait to hear about whatever sordid adventures that Louis had with this old lady.
The closest thing to a segue that I experienced during the concert was when Louis was talking about what it's like to live in Manhattan to what it was like to be aging. Louis analysis as to why life at age 45 was so much better than life when he was younger was pretty much on the money.
There are two things that I noticed during this special that set Louis apart from a lot of other comics. In previous reviews, I have referred to Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Maher, and Ali Wong as polished wordsmiths...comics with the ability to always pick out just the right word for just the right joke. What I noticed in this special is that Louis CK is the master of the comic analogy...no matter what twisted or sorted or initially confusing things he might be talking about, Louis has an uncanny ability to follow the subject with the perfect analogy that clears up for the audience what he's talking about and has them doubled over in laughter. I was also doubled over in laughter as he talked about why men love breasts and his tirade against parents filming their kids' dance recitals on the phone and then posting them on You Tube.
The other thing that Louis is fearless about is treading into edgy and dangerous comic territory where other comics fear to tread. His impassioned debate about why murder should be legalized and his final discourse on the state of the world entitled "Of Course...but really..." venture into unexplored comic waters but provide laughs where we're not sure we should be laughing or not...but we are.
Louis is also to be commended for never forgetting that he is performing in the round. I watched a Kevin Hart special last year where Hart was performing in the round and had his back to an entire section of the audience for the whole show. Louis never forgot that he was performing in the round and the camera followed him appropriately. I appreciated this and I'm sure the audience did too.
Louis CK knocks it out of the park with a fall on the floor funny HBO special from 2013 called Louis CK: Oh My God that put into focus for this reviewer what sets this guy apart from other stand-ups.
Performing in the round from a theater in Phoenix, Arizona, Louis covers a myriad of topics, some expected and some not, and without a lot of worrying about seguing from one topic to the next. His opening piece where he talks about an old woman who lives in his neighborhood who he sees walking her dog every day seemed to be sort of an odd topic to which to open the show, but once he has completed his very detailed physical description of this old lady and her dog, we are all in and cant wait to hear about whatever sordid adventures that Louis had with this old lady.
The closest thing to a segue that I experienced during the concert was when Louis was talking about what it's like to live in Manhattan to what it was like to be aging. Louis analysis as to why life at age 45 was so much better than life when he was younger was pretty much on the money.
There are two things that I noticed during this special that set Louis apart from a lot of other comics. In previous reviews, I have referred to Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Maher, and Ali Wong as polished wordsmiths...comics with the ability to always pick out just the right word for just the right joke. What I noticed in this special is that Louis CK is the master of the comic analogy...no matter what twisted or sorted or initially confusing things he might be talking about, Louis has an uncanny ability to follow the subject with the perfect analogy that clears up for the audience what he's talking about and has them doubled over in laughter. I was also doubled over in laughter as he talked about why men love breasts and his tirade against parents filming their kids' dance recitals on the phone and then posting them on You Tube.
The other thing that Louis is fearless about is treading into edgy and dangerous comic territory where other comics fear to tread. His impassioned debate about why murder should be legalized and his final discourse on the state of the world entitled "Of Course...but really..." venture into unexplored comic waters but provide laughs where we're not sure we should be laughing or not...but we are.
Louis is also to be commended for never forgetting that he is performing in the round. I watched a Kevin Hart special last year where Hart was performing in the round and had his back to an entire section of the audience for the whole show. Louis never forgot that he was performing in the round and the camera followed him appropriately. I appreciated this and I'm sure the audience did too.