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How Louis C.K. tells a joke

posted by Jason Kottke   Jan 18, 2017

Evan Puschak looks at a single joke Louis C.K. tells about playing Monopoly with his daughters and takes it apart to see how Louis builds and delivers his material. By the end, you'll likely have a new appreciation of the efficiency and power of Louis' performance...every word he utters is doing work.

You know, more than anything else I think I'm obsessed with articulation, with the magic of putting things just the right way. There are 207 words in this joke and not a single one is wasted. They're used either in meaning or in rhythm to contribute to the overall effect, an effect that lets us see the world from a different angle, and more importantly, makes us laugh.

Good phrase, "the magic of putting things just the right way".