Look at this man’s face. Look into his eyes. Look into his soul. You are looking into the soul of the funniest man on the face of this planet. Also the soul of one of my favorite things this year.

My dad has always said something like “You have to be smart to be funny.” I don’t know why he says that. I think it’s because he finds himself funny. That way, when he makes someone laugh he can feel ridiculously good about himself. But for the most part, I believe my dad. You do have to be smart to be funny. And if that’s true, then Louis CK is a goddamn genius.

What’s that you say? Being hilarious does not a genius make? That’s fair to say. But there are two big things he did this year that provide irrefutable proof that this man has genius level intelligence and creative ability. 

1. He wrote, directed, starred in, produced, and edited every episode of the second season of his hit TV show Louie. If you haven’t seen his show, go watch it and be as impressed as I am. The show elevates the half hour comedy show to an art form, and he is the sole creative voice behind it. You may notice that I emphasized the fact that he edits the show himself. That’s because he edits the show himself. That level of commitment to the show is staggering to me, because to most editing a television show is an after thought. Not to Louis CK, certified genius.
2. He released his fourth hour-long comedy special by himself, on his own website, for $5. For $5, you could stream it or download it, without any DRM. Meaning you could take that file and give it to your friend to watch, or burn it to a DVD, or upload it to Pirate Bay if you really want to (but that would still be illegal, even though he did make it a lot easier). This experimental distribution method has caused waves in the comedy and television industries unseen since Radiohead did the same thing for music. And it made him a million dollars. Genius.

Hilarious, ridiculously creative, and super hard-working. Louis CK is a genius and an inspiration and I strive to be more like him in every day life. This concludes me giving Louis CK a handjob via tumblr post.