a review of

"Guys are so gross" says Louis CK Well, come and get a lesson from the master. I kinda almost feel bad calling myself that when there are levels to it. I think the major difference is that some people will get paid to talk about their grossness on stage and share their vulnerabilities. It's like a form of intellectual exhibitionism? But, I mean, I'm not funny, so... Material existence is gross. Everything that has to do with bodies is gross. This is why perversion is gross because it reduces humans to just their bodies. Despite the fact we inhabit these animalistic organisms, we still recognize something behind them in each other. Even atheists secretly believe in souls. We want to be recognized for the complete being we are, body and soul (and spirit in some cases), but we repeatedly fail to do so towards others. Some become slaves to their animalistic nature, and it's kinda part of what's been fascinating about CK's comedy over the years it that he's always seemed to be very aware. Something broke in him after the cancellation because the material became diluted with shock-value jokes, absurd to the point where you understand that they're jokes from the jump. Which is the worst thing a joke can be. You make a joke, it must sound like truth. I don't know why Louis CK seemed to understand that in the past, but has seemingly forgotten it since. This special still eventually gets past those jokes and get to the "meaty" (excuse the reference to flesh again) parts. But it's still inescapable now, with this new Louis CK, whose sincerity often rubs shoulders with blatant and verifiable lies. I guess that might've also been the case, except for the "blatant and verifiable" part. But his old specials still age so well. Still, I'm here for the distorted Buddhist parables and the jokes where the punchline is just the tragic existence of a 58-year-old man. If Louis CK was a woman and doing an equivalent female-centric comedy, he would've been treated as a feminist messiah, despite his past transgressions. Because it's so hard to be a woman that you just gotta cut them some slack and let them be just a little bit horrible, whereas we men are just so gross by our inherent inescapable nature. We're everything that's wrong with the world and are the living embodiment of the original sin. It starts with us (I don't care what your Bible says, I read different Gospels) and will certainly have to end with us. But that's okay, part of the male experience is gaining the awareness of what you are. Louis CK's works are a good first step in that journey actually. Because no, you're not necessarily as gross as him (at least in terms of the personality), but his grossness allows you to see the grossness within you. So it's a good thing! Thumbs up!