Louie C.K. is a funny comedian.  He has this self-depreciating manner that sometimes makes his (more often than not) bawdy material entertaining.  That being said, his series, “Louie” is a bit of a downer.  I have been watching it on Neflix, and the first five or six episodes started promisingly, but a very moralistic tone has come over the remainder, most obviously in the episodes “Bully,” “Dentist/Tarese,” & “God.”

And I think that I understand what’s he’s trying to do:  He’s letting us know that there’s often some really painful stuff behind humor, and that it sometimes acts as a defense in a very tough world.

The thing is, I know that because I have to get up and go into the larger world every day–like millions of other people–and there are plenty of moments that I am not too crazy about, to put it lightly.

Which is why I watch comedy.

It’s also one reason I drink–another is that I really like the taste of beer–but that’s another matter.

Anyway, I watch comedy, to NOT think about all the stuff I have to deal with on a daily basis.  That’s probably why “Seinfeld” was so brilliant:  You could tell that Jerry, George, Elaine and Cramer were seriously dysfunctional individuals.

But they were funny.  They were willing, for the viewer, to put the reasons for their exceedingly disturbing behavior aside for our entertainment.

The clip above is pretty screwed up.  George was willing to let clowns, old women (with walkers) and children perish in a fire (there wasn’t one, but he didn’t know that) to make us laugh.

If that isn’t comedy, I don’t know what is.