Good luck with the medical stuff, and I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a happy new year! Also, thanks for the Spiderman stuff. Next to Iron Man, he was always my favorite Marvel superhero - just this kid who suddenly gets superpowers but still has to deal with all the frustrations and craziness of being a high-school kid in New York. I liked that.
Thanks for the heads-up on the column hiatus. Works for me because I am also on work hiatus and I wouldn't get that dopamine hit for stickin' it to the boss by reading your column on her dime. Louis CK came down on the wrong side of edgy vs. plain spoken to be funny to me.
Louie CK was often too dark for me, but I would still watch some of his stuff because he can still be pretty funny. That clip above is a good example of him being funny while being a bit dark.
Jim makes a fair point about enjoying entertainers regardless of other things they have done. I generally agree with this. I don’t have to like a singer’s politics to enjoy his music.
But—if that singer was caught molesting children, I could not listen to him any more. What about if his politics were more than just to the left of where I’m at. That’s not enough for me to stop listening and enjoying the music. But what if the singer advocates for a “dictatorship of the people,” where my property is to be seized and where I am to be imprisoned for being a capitalist? Every time I heard this type of person sing, I would always come back to his horrible views and what he thinks of me (and all of us other middle-class folks).
At some point, the acts or the views go so far over the bounds of civilized behavior as to become the defining characteristic of that entertainer. At that point, it’s not that I cannot separate the art from the artist, but that the man is no longer primarily an artist in my mind; instead, he’s that child molester, or that (literal) communist calling for my ruin. The art still exists of course but it’s no longer what that person is about.
I, too, paid for and downloaded Louis C.K.'s new comedy special. What he did to the women was awful (not "horrific," awful), but he has repeatedly said he's sorry. He's doing it on his own--sort of like Substack!--because, as you noted, he was "cancelled" by everyone else. Not everything and everyone deserves the "public metaphorical" death penalty. Jay Johnston is one example. Why should he lose his job for being "present"? Hank Azaria did GREAT voice work on the Simpsons as Apu. He's out. If only he were Biden...
I do think that you're mistaken in separating "the Artist from his Art" theory. Some people are justified if they don't want to actively listen to Louis' latest stand-up. But you don't destroy Art.
Thank you for not throwing in spoilers as I haven't seen the new Spidey movie yet.
Good luck on your medical issues and Happy New Year.
It's about time you give us a break from all your hysterical, satirical writings.
Please know that you have given at least 1 person a great deal of laughter, a sense of camaraderie & something to look forward to in the early afternoon. It is greatly appreciated.
Good luck with your medical procedures.
Have a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or whatever you celebrate.
Hope your medical stuff goes routine, and thank you for sticking the Spiderman spoilers in a footnote I can skip.
Good luck with the medical stuff, and I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a happy new year! Also, thanks for the Spiderman stuff. Next to Iron Man, he was always my favorite Marvel superhero - just this kid who suddenly gets superpowers but still has to deal with all the frustrations and craziness of being a high-school kid in New York. I liked that.
Thanks for the heads-up on the column hiatus. Works for me because I am also on work hiatus and I wouldn't get that dopamine hit for stickin' it to the boss by reading your column on her dime. Louis CK came down on the wrong side of edgy vs. plain spoken to be funny to me.
Merry Christmas, Jim and thanks for all you share.
Yak at you next year!
Oh - and good luck with medical stuff!
Good article, thanks!
Louie CK was often too dark for me, but I would still watch some of his stuff because he can still be pretty funny. That clip above is a good example of him being funny while being a bit dark.
Jim makes a fair point about enjoying entertainers regardless of other things they have done. I generally agree with this. I don’t have to like a singer’s politics to enjoy his music.
But—if that singer was caught molesting children, I could not listen to him any more. What about if his politics were more than just to the left of where I’m at. That’s not enough for me to stop listening and enjoying the music. But what if the singer advocates for a “dictatorship of the people,” where my property is to be seized and where I am to be imprisoned for being a capitalist? Every time I heard this type of person sing, I would always come back to his horrible views and what he thinks of me (and all of us other middle-class folks).
At some point, the acts or the views go so far over the bounds of civilized behavior as to become the defining characteristic of that entertainer. At that point, it’s not that I cannot separate the art from the artist, but that the man is no longer primarily an artist in my mind; instead, he’s that child molester, or that (literal) communist calling for my ruin. The art still exists of course but it’s no longer what that person is about.
I, too, paid for and downloaded Louis C.K.'s new comedy special. What he did to the women was awful (not "horrific," awful), but he has repeatedly said he's sorry. He's doing it on his own--sort of like Substack!--because, as you noted, he was "cancelled" by everyone else. Not everything and everyone deserves the "public metaphorical" death penalty. Jay Johnston is one example. Why should he lose his job for being "present"? Hank Azaria did GREAT voice work on the Simpsons as Apu. He's out. If only he were Biden...
I do think that you're mistaken in separating "the Artist from his Art" theory. Some people are justified if they don't want to actively listen to Louis' latest stand-up. But you don't destroy Art.
Thank you for not throwing in spoilers as I haven't seen the new Spidey movie yet.
Good luck on your medical issues and Happy New Year.
Hope you have a Merry Christmas and your medical stuff goes well.
It's about time you give us a break from all your hysterical, satirical writings.
Please know that you have given at least 1 person a great deal of laughter, a sense of camaraderie & something to look forward to in the early afternoon. It is greatly appreciated.
Good luck with your medical procedures.
Have a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or whatever you celebrate.