A Taste of His Medicine

If laughter really is the cure for what ails you, then stand-up comic Louis C.K. should consider changing his surname to Pasteur. The Emmy-winning writer of The Chris Rock Show, the films I Think I Love My Wife and Pootie Tang, and HBO’s Lucky Louie draws deeply from his personal life, transforming uncomfortable or taboo subjects into comedy. In his routine, Louis (whose last name is actually Szekely) explores everyday issues such as the troubles of parenting and dealing with divorce. The result, he says, is something like therapy. “I think humor is a great way to go places that are scary or upsetting and find laughs there,” Louis says while on a tour stop in Indianapolis. “And to find laughter in the truly horrible places ... to me that’s the point of doing comedy.”

For Louis, there’s no shortage of material in that arena, either. This past March, Louis shot his second hourlong special, Louis C.K.: Chewed Up, which premiered just this month on Showtime. Then, without even hitting the surface for air, he set to work on all-new material for his third concert tour and soon-to-be special Louis C.K.: Hilarious. To some, that pace would seem grueling, but Louis finds it comes naturally. “[On this tour] I still talk about having kids, about being 41 and white and fat,” he says with a self-deprecating chuckle. “I just open my mouth and diarrhea comes out. And people tend to laugh, so I guess that means they went to a good place.” Wade through Louis’s “good place” yourself when his Hilarious tour makes a pit stop this Friday at 8 p.m. at the Parker Playhouse. Tickets cost $32.
Fri., Oct. 24, 8 p.m., 2008