Louis CK made Saturday Night Live funny again last night!
The comedian, actor, writer, director, producer, editor – you get the idea – took the perennial Saturday Night Live’s stage for the second time, doing his magic in a way only he can, perhaps making Lorne Michaels wonder if he should make CK a more frequent host.
Though the L.A. Times called the episode “weird and a little bit gross” it was much better than the usual, not-very-funny and difficult to watch.
From the start, Louis CK brought his hardest comedic wood, the calmness and intangible elegance of his comedic talents glowing from the otherwise normal looking, non-spectacular, 40-something, bearded, balding, one and only, Louis CK.
And perhaps it’s that contrast – Louis CK’s normalcy with his hilarious and seemingly simple worldy observations – that have placed him atop the comedic world. Well, that and a lot of hard work.
Whether working on a show with Zach Galifianakis , or doing what’s required to make a show like his Louie a success, for Louis CK it has been all about hard work. CK’s abortive start in comedy, in 1984 in Boston, was a discouraging disaster. But battling through his failures, CK earned his way to paying gigs, headlining, literally creating his own opportunities, and ultimately up onto the Saturday Night Live stage.
If the 10,000 Hour Rule is true, Louis CK is an excellent example, and surely his hours of grit made this most recent hosting of SNL a hit.
CK’s monologue displayed his genius, SNL allowing Louis to do his thing – some priceless standup – instead of their thing – some hit-or-miss, hope the host can execute our jokes and make it stick, etc.
First CK pointed out how irritating it was when “first world” people say they are “starving”. Really? When children around the world really are?
Next it was Atheists taking some Louis CK daggers: “I haven’t seen 12 Years A Slave, yet (but) that doesn’t mean it (God) doesn’t exist.”
If God is our Father then to have us, didn’t he require a Mother? Did she leave him? Is God a single dad? Are our lives just a weekend at God’s and next we spend at Mother’s? Or is it worse? Just some of the questions raised by Louis CK.
The audience hooked throughout, Louis asks, “What did he do to our Mom?”
While Louis CK’s monologue could’ve just continued on and resulted in a resounding SNL success, the success came anyway, Louis CK and the talented SNL cast combining for some hilarious skits.
Be it Obamacare or Black Jeopardy, or a pie in the face, Louis CK kept viewers tuned in to Saturday Night Live – for once.