Ever wonder where Dane Cook gets all the material for his stand-up routines? Easy. He steals most of it from talented guys like Louis C.K.
Louis C.K.’s last name is actually Szekely, a Hungarian name, but he began using the initials when he was in grade school so people would pronounce it correctly. He’s been a stand-up comedian for nearly 25 years, with multiple appearances on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Late Night with David Letterman,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and scores of others.
He began his stand-up career in Boston in 1984, and in 1989 moved to New York City and began making the rounds on numerous comedy shows, trying to make a name for himself. He appeared on anything that would have him, including “Evening at the Improv” and even “Star Search.” Around the same time, he began writing and directing his own movies. His short films, “Ceasar’s Salad” and “Ice Cream,” were well received around the festival circuit, and got him enough notice that Conan O’Brien hired him as he was putting together the writing staff for his new late night talk show. He had a hand in creating some of the running bits that O’Brien still uses, and as a gesture of thanks, C.K. was the first stand-up comedian to be featured on the new show.
After that, he started getting hired more to do stand-up. He appeared on David Letterman’s show a few times, and Letterman liked his style so much that he was hired as a staff writer. Shortly after, “The Dana Carvey Show” offered him a job as head writer and producer. When that show went belly-up, C.K. moved on to “The Chris Rock Show,” for which he won an Emmy Award in 1999.
C.K. flew under the radar for most of his career until 2007, when he launched “Lucky Louie” on HBO. It was the cable network’s first multi-camera sitcom and filmed live each week. It was a great show while it lasted, and the ratings grew every week, but ultimately HBO felt it didn’t fit in with the rest of its programming and pulled the plug.
Since then, C.K. has been hard at work, out on the road doing stand-up as often as possible. His latest tour includes a stop at Wiseguys Comedy Cafe in Ogden. His cynical humor, while still family-oriented, is much different than the family-friendly comedy made famous by Tim Allen or Ray Romano. It’s much, much dirtier too. That’s probably why his show was such a great fit for HBO instead of one of the other major networks. His new DVD, “Louis C.K.: Chewed Up” is out now and is chock-full of all the uncomfortable observations and situations that a man in his 40s could get into. It’s hilarious.
If you’ve never been to a stand-up comedy club before, C.K. is a great way to get started. For more information, check out www.wiseguyscomedy.com. The show is Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $19.25.
