Louis C.K. is done with the past
Which works well for him. . . . .
I used to tell my “Comedic Fiction” class that if I did my job as a professor well, by the end of the semester they’d never laugh un-self-consciously again. Our analysis of jokes and their contexts would obviate the joy those jokes bring.
That craggy dictum crossed my mind as I watched Louis C.K.’s new Netflix special “Ridiculous.” In this open-access piece for MS NOW (edited by Clarissa Pharr), I reflect on the un-“cancelled” comedian and repeat an argument I have made for years. Namely, it’s very difficult to truly “cancel” an artist with a large following and a track record of commercial success.
But what about the jokes? In “Ridiculous” the jokes were usually funny and apiece with C.K.’s dark absurdo-nihilistic aesthetic (his riff on those who read the magazine Barely Legal is an example of this).
But then there’s the unfunny part. By which I mean the scandal surrounding C.K.’s sexual misconduct and the widespread sentiment that he has never properly made amends.
I focus on a short confessional moment in the special where he reflects on the past. In truth, I don’t fully know what to make of it. All I know is that C.K. is doing great for an artist who was allegedly silenced and deprived of his free speech platform. That’s the contradiction that needs to be pondered
Special thanks to research assistants Catherine Hughes and Youngsung Sim