INTERVIEW: Emmy winner Louie Anderson keeps it all in the family
Louie Anderson is having a year of magical moments.
The successful comedian has been a common presence on standup stages and TV screens for decades, but this past year has seen his notoriety skyrocket thanks to an Emmy-winning turn on the FX comedy series Baskets. On the successful series, he plays Christine, mother to Zack Galifanakis’ character, and his touching portrayal has been met with unanimous praise.
Anderson is up for a second Emmy Award in a couple of weeks, and yet there’s no rest for the weary. In between his Baskets commitments and red-carpet arrivals, he hits the pavement and does what he does best: make people laugh.
Anderson’s standup schedule takes him from Bonkerz Comedy Club in Pahrump, Nevada (Friday, Aug. 4 at 5 p.m.), to the Blue Note in Honolulu, Hawaii (Aug. 18-19), and back again. When on the road, Anderson, also remembered for Life With Louie and Family Feud, will bring his unique style of clean comedy that focuses on his many obstacles with family and fitness.
Audiences “can expect the ‘F’ word,” Anderson said in a recent phone interview. “All the ‘F’ words: family, fun, fat, over 50, food. Did I say over 50? I do the mom, dad, sister, brother stuff. I do a lot of my stuff about food and how it has affected my life. I’m working on a lot of new material. So the great thing is I’m doing my old material, but I’m also doing my new material. And I have to tell you, I feel like I’m young again.”
Anderson called the stories involving his family (he’s one of 11 children) like a bottomless pit of creativity. Like all families in the world, Anderson’s family is “one thing after another,” and that makes for some hilarious jokes.
“I just keep mining it,” he said. “Almost like where you found some diamonds once, and you go back to see if there were more diamonds there. Also, as I got older, I’ve turned into a bit of my parents, and so I have all that stuff. You know, because that’s really an eye-opening thing when you turn into your parents.”
The constant traveling from gig to gig doesn’t get old for Anderson. He said what keeps him going is the love he has for his fans. Plus, he’s driven and focused on improving his routine because, when on stage, he wants to be engaged and 100-percent present.
“I really want this show to be great, and so I really work hard on that idea,” he said. “This is a crazy time right now. People want relief, and I’m the luckiest guy in the world because I know how to do comedy. And it seems to make people happier, so not only hopefully do they get what they need out of it, they also afford me a great amount of satisfaction because hey, there’s nothing purer than just doing standup. It’s me. It’s a microphone. It’s a light. It’s the audience. I pour out my heart for them. They pour out their laughter to me, and we have a wonderful time. At the end of it, no one gets hurt, and I hope that maybe people think about their mom, dad, sister, brother and the stuff they went through in their family. With Life With Louie, I tried to make a show that people could watch with their kids because I was robbed of that to some degree with my father, and so I try to make up for that. … I want to bring joy to people. I want to make people’s lives better.”
His role as Christine on Baskets has been a “dream come true,” and to play this mother figure, he decided to look toward his own mom. “I feel like I’m channeling my mom, that she is there, and we are sharing a lot of fun,” he said. “I just did Family Feud, the celebrity edition, with my family, and I have to tell you, man, that was full circle for me. That was really, really super full circle because I watched it as a kid with my family. I hosted it, and then I get to go on there with my family. And let me tell you, that is full circle. I couldn’t be happier than that. That was a beautiful thing, I have to say. That was a really, really beautiful thing.”
The Baskets role came after fellow comedian Louis C.K. called Anderson and asked whether he wanted a part in a new series with Zach Galifianakis. Anderson immediately said yes. Then C.K. told him the part was playing Galifianakis’ mother.
“I go, ‘Yes,'” he remembers saying. “I was thrilled. I knew right away. It was almost like a destiny thing. I can’t explain it even. I was just like, ‘Yes, I’m in. There’s no discussion. I’m with you all the way.'”
After agreeing to the role, the success and the awards soon came. “Honestly, I’m a little humbled by it and so grateful,” he said. “This is what I would call a part of a lifetime, and I didn’t know it was coming. I had hoped for it and prayed for it, and it just showed up. If I didn’t know better, I’d think my mom was in on it somehow.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Louie Anderson, an Emmy Award nominee this year, continues performing his stand-up routine around the country. Click here for more information and tickets. He will play Friday, Aug. 4 at 5 p.m. at the Bonkerz Comedy Club at the Pahrump Nugget Event Center in Pahrump, Nevada. Tickets are free.
