louis ck

[Root5]

i totally agree, although i think that in trying to do what he did he failed on every level. The best 'humanizing' of soldiers i've seen are tv shows and movies that portray the way soldiers act realistically like Generation Kill, you could argue that the truth is 'offensive' or as Colbert says 'reality has a heavy liberal bias' but that's the way it actually is. By sanitizing and making the soldiers seem like they have absolutely no personality of any kind i think was a bad move, at least share some vulgar dick stories with the soldiers (because that would be more like the Louie i was expecting) The closest he got was doing standup about his dick while the soldiers laughed, you never saw a single exchange between Louie and a soldier that was not overtly superficial

 

the fact that "the current American left's strong effort to make it absolutely clear that they are not demonizing the soldiers of Iraq and Afghanistan" is a premise that needs to be expressed in this country is saddening. By criticizing wars or actions of our US military you aren't criticizing the individuals themselves, people who are critical thinkers can differentiate the two. It's the ignorant and simple minded populace of America who can't... so why try to appeal to them or make platitudes to those people who are for the most part extremely ignorant (the same people who equate liberalism with communism). This whole game of trying to 'depoliticize' things to make them easier to digest for the masses is absolutely absurd. By depoliticizing things you are actually removing key facts and facets that make it what it is.

 

if the USO tour episode was only 30 minutes i would have been able to forgive it easier, the fact that this was his first 60 minute long epic episode showed me that he cared a lot about it. IT almost makes it worse for me because although i do think Louie is a genius on many levels, sometimes left to his own devices too much (without the input of other writers, etc) it seems like it has the potential to sag under it's own weight and sappiness.

 

edit: i do think we've reached an era in our country though where you would never see a mainstream movie come out of hollywood again like Platoon or Full MEtal Jacket, it's become totally taboo to actually portray war and american soldiers behavior even semi realistically.

 

I agree with you here. I've read your political posts before, and my reaction has been"Wow, that guy is WAAAAAY far left", and I'm assuming that the majority of watmm, being general left-leaning centrist types, react the same way. However, I agree completely with this post. The left shouldn't have to be on the defensive about this. It's absurd.

 

However, I think, if you accept the reality of how warped American political rhetoric has become, then you should be able to see the value of this. It is a big thing for someone like Louie, who has said openly that he opposes war, to make a sickeningly sappy episode about what good chaps the soldiers are. It gives him some kind of immunity from the claim that he doesn't support the troops. And even though he shouldn't have to defend against a ridiculous claim like that, people will still make that claim.

 

And I'm disappointed about the comedic level too. Louie usually portrays everyone is a mocking light, especially his own family and himself, but he didn't once mock the troops. I imagine he was afraid that, if he did mock a soldier, it would be seen as a negative stereotype of a soldier, when in reality it would have just been a realistic portrayal of any human being. Oh well. Hopefully he brings the lols back in the next episode.

[chim]

Maybe I don't get the complex US left/right dynamic and the war, maybe I just don't care about politics, but I really enjoyed the episode. it was a great story.

 

I think you don't realize that the US army won't support and supply any film-maker who wants to make something about the war. They likely had strict control over the portrayal of the soldiers.

[gunnar]

what episode are you talking about? wasn't the halloween the last episode in this series? i haven't seen anything new drop in on isohunt.com

[Guest Blanket Fort Collapse]

what episode are you talking about? wasn't the halloween the last episode in this series? i haven't seen anything new drop in on isohunt.com

[Blir]

I think you don't realize that the US army won't support and supply any film-maker who wants to make something about the war. They likely had strict control over the portrayal of the soldiers.

 

Actually Louis blogged about his USO tour a few years ago and the portrayal of the soliders in the show was basically exactly like he wrote when he met them. Even the bit with the solider saying "Don't mess with Buffalo" is exactly what happened when he performed in a small camp over there.

 

Aside from the duckling plot, this is pretty much exactly what he'd already written about.

 

Incidentally those blog posts are a good read and are well worth checking out.

[Meadows and Labyrinths]

good grief !

 

my girl and i are going to try n' see Louis in either NYC or Bodymore in the next month or so. i've only recently gotten into him, watched Shameless, Chewed Up, every miscellaneous youtube clip i could find. i really dig him.

 

also a big fan of Patton Oswalt, Maria Bamford, Eddy Izzard and Jim Gaffigan. anyone have any recommendations to go from here? before i started really getting into stand up, the only person i ever listened to for years and years was Hicks. Patton is obviously a fan of Bill Hicks and is a big reason i like his stuff.

 

this seems like a really good era for comedy, in my opinion.

[eugene]

Maria Bamford

literally the first time i see her mentioned on whatmms, her "maria bafmord show" is amazing, like louie's "not quite comedy" but even more surreal.

[murve33]

Maria Bamford

literally the first time i see her mentioned on whatmms, her "maria bafmord show" is amazing, like louie's "not quite comedy" but even more surreal.

Christ, she has a show? She's so left of field, but I'd love to see her comedy in a "show" setting.

[essines]

Maria Bamford

literally the first time i see her mentioned on whatmms, her "maria bafmord show" is amazing, like louie's "not quite comedy" but even more surreal.

i've seen her mentioned here plenty.

[awepittance]

I think you don't realize that the US army won't support and supply any film-maker who wants to make something about the war. They likely had strict control over the portrayal of the soldiers.

 

Actually Louis blogged about his USO tour a few years ago and the portrayal of the soliders in the show was basically exactly like he wrote when he met them. Even the bit with the solider saying "Don't mess with Buffalo" is exactly what happened when he performed in a small camp over there.

 

Aside from the duckling plot, this is pretty much exactly what he'd already written about.

 

Incidentally those blog posts are a good read and are well worth checking out.

 

that's really odd, so his blog posts about the soldiers showed that they were automatons with no personality and that he had no interesting interactions with any of them,

[Root5]

I think you don't realize that the US army won't support and supply any film-maker who wants to make something about the war. They likely had strict control over the portrayal of the soldiers.

 

Actually Louis blogged about his USO tour a few years ago and the portrayal of the soliders in the show was basically exactly like he wrote when he met them. Even the bit with the solider saying "Don't mess with Buffalo" is exactly what happened when he performed in a small camp over there.

 

Aside from the duckling plot, this is pretty much exactly what he'd already written about.

 

Incidentally those blog posts are a good read and are well worth checking out.

 

that's really odd, so his blog posts about the soldiers showed that they were automatons with no personality and that he had no interesting interactions with any of them,

 

Well, let's be a bit realistic here. It's perfectly conceivable that the soldiers didn't reveal a whole lot about themselves to Louis. A lot of the time, when you meet people, it's boring. What odd is that he thought it would make for an interesting show.

[essines]

A lot of the time, when you meet people, it's boring.

BAM

[chenGOD]

I think you don't realize that the US army won't support and supply any film-maker who wants to make something about the war. They likely had strict control over the portrayal of the soldiers.

 

Actually Louis blogged about his USO tour a few years ago and the portrayal of the soliders in the show was basically exactly like he wrote when he met them. Even the bit with the solider saying "Don't mess with Buffalo" is exactly what happened when he performed in a small camp over there.

 

Aside from the duckling plot, this is pretty much exactly what he'd already written about.

 

Incidentally those blog posts are a good read and are well worth checking out.

 

that's really odd, so his blog posts about the soldiers showed that they were automatons with no personality and that he had no interesting interactions with any of them,

 

They're just people. They're probably bored out of their head most of the time. One thing to remember of course is that they've all been through basic training where they tend to wipe away a lot of your individualism, because they need them to function as a unit, not a collective of individuals.

What did you expect to see, a bunch of GIs sitting around carving up Afghan babies? ;) I kid , I kid

[Blir]

I think you don't realize that the US army won't support and supply any film-maker who wants to make something about the war. They likely had strict control over the portrayal of the soldiers.

 

Actually Louis blogged about his USO tour a few years ago and the portrayal of the soliders in the show was basically exactly like he wrote when he met them. Even the bit with the solider saying "Don't mess with Buffalo" is exactly what happened when he performed in a small camp over there.

 

Aside from the duckling plot, this is pretty much exactly what he'd already written about.

 

Incidentally those blog posts are a good read and are well worth checking out.

 

that's really odd, so his blog posts about the soldiers showed that they were automatons with no personality and that he had no interesting interactions with any of them,

 

Well... Pretty much yeah. They called him sir all the time and the majority of his interaction was playing football and maybe asking where they're from, doing autographs, taking pictures and whatnot. Does that make for interesting viewing?

 

I didn't really think the episode was great anyway.

[eugene]

Maria Bamford

literally the first time i see her mentioned on whatmms, her "maria bafmord show" is amazing, like louie's "not quite comedy" but even more surreal.

Christ, she has a show? She's so left of field, but I'd love to see her comedy in a "show" setting.

not really a show show, it's an internet thing, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFHmNrxkuFU

[awepittance]

i just don't believe the reasoning that because Louie's interactions with American soldiers were extremely boring and uneventful that he decided to put pen to paper so to speak and document 'realistically' his experience there. I think he overtly wanted to make some kind of 'feel good' episode about the US military and the result was poor

[chenGOD]

Did you feel good about that episode? i thought the country singer singing vietnam protest songs without the soldiers understanding was a good little dig.

And then with him stumbling at the end resulting in humour, not the military, saving the situation.

[Root5]

It was undoubtedly a feel-good episode. The day was saved by a fucking duckling, because the fucking duckling was cute.

[baph]

I think the point is the fucking duckling.

 

The whole point is the fucking duckling.

 

This wasn't a Louie Goes to War episode, it was a FUCKING DUCKLING Episode.

 

And if you don't love ducklings, you probably don't even love Amerrka.

[chenGOD]

I think the point is the fucking duckling.

 

The whole point is the fucking duckling.

 

This wasn't a Louie Goes to War episode, it was a FUCKING DUCKLING Episode.

 

And if you don't love ducklings, you probably don't even love Amerrka.

I'll pray for you.

[baph]

To whom?

 

Can I request Ishtar?

[baph]

Did you feel good about that episode? i thought the country singer singing vietnam protest songs without the soldiers understanding was a good little dig. And then with him stumbling at the end resulting in humour, not the military, saving the situation.

 

But this, basically. If that last scene wasn't the most adorable illustration of the general stupidity of this particular war, I'll eat a bag of dicks.

 

I don't think the episode was particularly cloying. Louie comically insults a few soldiers, but shows them goofing off and maybe feeling a bit of the old wartime ennui; he also fails to portray them as abject bloodthirsty babykillers, and indicates that they're probably significantly braver than Louie without approving of the reason why they're "over there." I don't think any of those should be controversial points.*

 

Were it not for the country bits (aside from the Vietnam song mentioned by chen), the tone of this episode, I think, would have read as a bit more ambivalent in the traditional Louie-way. Honestly, most of it was centered around Louie's creepy interactions with a 19 year old cheerleader.

 

 

*[probably unnecessary aside:] My sister joined the Air Force a few months prior to 9/11 (lol, oops), and got shipped off to multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and while there's certainly some sketchy ideologue assholes in the military, come on, most of them are just kids who didn't have their shit together enough to go to college right out of high school. Which is basically how Louie portrayed them.

[Bubba69]

his new standup video, that he is releasing independently on his website is now up: https://buy.louisck.net/

[YO303]

 

To those who might wish to "torrent" this video: look, I don't really get the whole "torrent" thing. I don't know enough about it to judge either way. But I'd just like you to consider this: I made this video extremely easy to use against well-informed advice. I was told that it would be easier to torrent the way I made it, but I chose to do it this way anyway, because I want it to be easy for people to watch and enjoy this video in any way they want without "corporate" restrictions.

Please bear in mind that I am not a company or a corporation. I'm just some guy. I paid for the production and posting of this video with my own money. I would like to be able to post more material to the fans in this way, which makes it cheaper for the buyer and more pleasant for me. So, please help me keep this being a good idea. I can't stop you from torrenting; all I can do is politely ask you to pay your five little dollars, enjoy the video, and let other people find it in the same way.

Sincerely,

Louis C.K.

 

That's how you handle things in the "new age of media".

 

I will buy it just because i respect his attitude towards his art and how to sell it.

[eugene]

i'm buying this shit.