Louis C.K. tweaks taboos in Netflix’s ‘2017’
Death, abortion and ‘Magic Mike’ are all in there
“When people die, that means they did their jobs and you can forget about them.”
Louis C.K. has a new Netflix special, 2017, and he’s all dressed up to talk about life’s big topics.
Eschewing his signature black T-shirt for a suit and tie, C.K. took the stage at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington for a Netflix special that covers life, death, love … and Magic Mike.
The Louie and Horace and Pete star wastes no time in his 75-minute set with pleasantries. He has important matters to discuss, such as abortion. “I think that women should be allowed to kill babies,” he says frankly at the top of the show.
Maybe it’s the way C.K.’s pale face gets redder as his jokes get dirtier, or that he shares sweet tidbits about his daughters, but the comedian can open a show on reproductive rights (“I think you should not get an abortion, unless you need one”), transition to suicide (“running away will not solve your problems — but killing yourself will”), veer into religion (“The Christians won everything a long time ago. If you don’t believe me, let me ask you a question: What year is it?”) and manage to not antagonize his audience.
His success lies in his ability to turn seemingly trite topics on their heads, throwing off his audience.
Even when talking about death, he flips the perspective.
“When people die, that means they did their jobs and you can forget about them,” he says. “Leave your mother alone. She’s dead” and shouldn’t be spoken about as if she’s watching your sports games from above. “Let her enjoy heaven.”
Similarly, his take on love is as funny as it is abrasive.
Falling in love “is the best part of life, but don’t be greedy and expect it to last. Don’t be amazed that a butterfly died because you shot it in the face.”
On the topic of transgender people, C.K. takes another unusual approach, saying he’s envious of those who have transitioned, because “they figured out what’s wrong with them and they fixed it. … I would give a million dollars to wake up” and have that clarity.
As for the divorced comedian’s own sexuality, he says it has been in question since he watched scenes from Magic Mike, the 2012 film featuring Channing Tatum as a male stripper. “I’m pretty sure that the end of
Magic Mike is that I’m gay. I don’t wanna see the ending. I wanna stay like me.” He explains: “I’m a 49-year-old. I don’t want to enter the gay community now (and) I have every right to suppress and discriminate against my own budding homosexuality.”
Netflix original Louis CK: 2017 is available Tuesday, the first of two comedy shows to premiere on the streaming service.