I knew that I’d be having dinner with Louie and friends after the show and eventually interviewing him, so I prepared by reading some of his wonderful, bestselling books about growing up with 11 siblings and an alcoholic father - Dear Dad: Letters From An Adult Child, and The F Word: How to Survive Your Family, and watching his much loved and award winning cartoon series “Life with Louie” on YouTube. I thoroughly expected great comedy from a man who was handpicked out of a Midwest Comedy competition by Henny Youngman himself, but I did not expect him to be to be every bit as loving, compassionate and adorable in person, as he is onstage. What a doll! While some stars are obsessed with the attention they need every minute, Louie’s only concern seemed to be making sure everyone around him felt relaxed and acknowledged.
Louie has lost a lot of weight due to a newfound commitment to his health. He looks really handsome and years younger than when I saw him last. Louie is currently working on a new book, documentary film, and comedy act about his process to get healthy again with a fantastic working title, “Through Thick and Thin”, and it will be a much needed contribution to the world given that more than fifty percent of Americans are now struggling with all of the dangerous and unpleasant effects of obesity.
I especially loved his jokes about his mom eating butter (my mom is a butter stick and ice cream “smoother outer” too) and her habit of lifting little items from restaurants and hotels. As a kid I could not expect to leave a nice restaurant without my mom sticking a little “souvenir” in my purse on the way to the ladies room. Louie also gave us a copy of his book “Good-bye Jumbo...Hello Cruel World”- self-help for those who struggle with self-esteem issues and it is really a great read for people like myself who struggle with losing weight and trying to feel good about yourself on a daily basis at any weight!
Louie also sponsors The Homeless Empowerment Relationship Organization, or “H.E.R.O.”, which empowers people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to attain maximum self-sufficiency. Louie is also a cherished, regular performer at The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, one of my pet causes because of my father and brother’s recent passing to Ataxia. Be sure to check out his website at www.Louieanderson.com and get tickets to his show the next time you are in Vegas. Clean comedy is the most difficult of all to perform well and Louie does it flawlessly!
