Louis CK provided an appropriately terrible capstone to 2018 when a leaked recording from one of his stand-up shows spread around the internet. In it, CK performed a stretch of material filled with shitty old man jokes about not understanding personal pronouns and jabs at the Parkland school shooting survivors. It was, needless to say, bad.
Last Wednesday, Saturday Night Live alumni Sasheer Zamata tried to make something worthwhile out of CK’s astoundingly lousy set during a stand-up appearance at LA’s Dynasty Typewriter. Echoing the thoughts of just about everyone who heard it, Zamata points out that his jokes weren’t even interestingly subversive.
“I used to think he was really thought-provoking, but this wasn’t it,” she says. “And Louis fans should be able to tell the difference.” Zamata compares the new material to ordering chicken at a restaurant and being served pigeon instead. “[T]hen if you try to complain about it to the manager, he takes his dick out and calls you the N-word.”
Zamata goes on to say that no topics should be off limits for comedians, but that not having “a take” makes it lazy.