Louis C.K.: The Best Comedian of the 2000s.

I vaguely remember stand-up comedy in 2001 when I was depressed and always yearning for a laugh. I’d always put on Comedy Central Presents, and I remembered two different jokes that had always made me laugh more than anybody else at the time. I did not realize that these two jokes were from the same person. I did not remember his name because he was not well-known at the time. One of his jokes was about bank fees and how they charge you money for not having any money. The joke is so simple, but it is the premise and the perspective that makes it so funny. The delivery is conversational and stream of consciousness at the same time. Here’s a short clip of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjqy2lJ5yoU .

A few years later, I was watching Late Night with Conan ‘O Brien and I heard a bit from the same comedian who understood parents yelling at their kids because his daughter was using the word “why?” in excess to the point where hours later, his answers are so abstract that he no longer knows who he is anymore. He begins saying things in response to “why?” like “well because some things ARE and some things are NOT.” “Why?” “Because things that are NOT can’t BE.” “Why?” “Because then NOTHING wouldn’t BE, you can’t have NOTHING ISN’T, everything IS.” “Why?” “Oh just shut up and eat your fries!” I still didn’t know this guy’s name, much less that it was the same comedian. When I finally heard the “why?” bit on a Comedy Central special (which I later learned was Louis C.K.: One Night Stand from HBO), I was determined to look him up and search for his comedy. I found the DVD of his HBO Special “Shameless” which still stands as my favorite standup special of all-time (inching out Dave Chappelle’s “Killing Them Softly” of 2000). I watched the DVD, laughing at how dark and honest his humor was, mixing neurotic behavior like Woody Allen or Larry David, dark humor like George Carlin, and non-sequitur comedy like (insert comedian here, except Dane Cook). It was such a good special that Ricky Gervais discovered Louis C.K. through YouTube watching clips of this special and cast him as a best friend character in the film The Invention of Lying. Another thing remarkable about the special is that it did NOT contain the “why?” joke that I had been searching for. He later reveals in a DVD Extra of his next Showtime special “Chewed Up” that he does not repeat material; he goes around the country and starts out with brand new material each time until he builds up enough to come up with a new special from scratch. That’s a sign of a true comedian. He does not rely on his star status or past jokes to use as a crutch.

Recently, Louis C.K. has become more of a household name than ever. While appearing on Late Night with Conan ‘O Brien as a guest, he was there to promote his special "Shameless" which was to air a few days after his appearance. Oftentimes, comedians go on the show and promote their special by using jokes from it on the audience, but that’s not what Louis C.K. does here. "Shameless" was taped in March of 2008, and his appearance on Conan was in October, so he had already been working on a new special that will air in 2010 entitled “Hilarious.” He does not use a single joke from "Shameless" during his entire guest spot. He had already moved on from that material and gone on to the next special already. This video of his aforementioned appearance has exploded on the Internet scene. You might’ve seen it. It’s called “everything’s amazing and nobody’s happy.” It made him an overnight sensation. Here’s the clip if you’ve been living under a rock: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r1CZTLk-Gk .

This newfound fame has made him a comedian’s comedian. He has recently played Amy Poehler’s hilarious love interest in the NBC series Parks and Recreation. His new special “Hilarious” will actually be released as a film instead of an HBO or Showtime hour long special. This “Hilarious” special (and I did attend one of the shows on his “Hilarious” tour, and it is the most I’ve ever laughed at a comedy show) does contain a very extended version of the hit YouTube video. Also, it has been selected by the Sundance film festival. He also has a new TV deal for FX. His show debuts in March of 2010. Louis C.K. has been doing standup comedy for about two decades now and it is about time that he gets the recognition he deserves. By the time the 10’s (?) roll around, I predict that his FX show Louie will catch on by word-of-mouth and he will either be a household name or a cult favorite. Either way, Louis C.K., from his observational and honest approach in the early 2000s, to his observational and honest approach after getting married, having children, and then divorced which created a much darker sense of humor in the process, is the best comedian of the decade.

Note: The 2000s was also a huge, huge year for Dave Chappelle who has probably exploded on the scene more than anybody and became more of a household name than almost any celebrity during the peak of his hit series Chappelle's Show. I understand that he is also a strong contender in this and it was a very, very close call.

Dane Cook, as much of a hack as he has become with his sold-out shows in Boston and MSG with thousands of screaming girls and repeated jokes, also made a huge contribution to comedy with his double-disc Retaliation which was undeniably a fantastic album no matter what you think of him today. Bill Burr and Demetri Martin are a couple of other comedians that are very worth looking into.