On Friday, comedian Kevin Meaney was found dead in his home, prompting an outpouring of condolences and remembrances from those who knew him or enjoyed his work. Louis CK has now shared his own thoughts on Meaney in his latest email newsletter, explaining that Meaney was “the most naturally funny comedian” he ever saw, adding that “every word he said was insanely hilarious.” CK explains what it was like watching Meaney’s career take off, noting that it showed him “what you could accomplish if you worked as hard as he did and were as wonderfully original and great.”
CK’s thoughts on Kevin Meaney are actually part of a larger piece about Barry Crimmins, a fellow comedian who he says was “very close friends” with Meaney when they were kickstarting the Boston comedy scene. Crimmins isn’t really as well-known these days as Meaney was, but his story was told in Bobcat Goldthwait’s recent documentary Call Me Lucky. Crimmins was sexually abused as a kid, and before his comedy career really took off, his frustration with the entertainment industry drove him to essentially reject society and move to a cabin in the woods, occasionally working with the FBI to stop the distribution of child pornography online and standing up for victims of abuse.
As CK explains in the newsletter, both Crimmins and Meaney were instrumental in his formative years as a comedian, and after seeing Call Me Lucky, he was disappointed that more people didn’t know Crimmins’ work. To rectify that, CK called Crimmins and told him that if he went back on the road and put together “a solid hour,” he would film it and put it on his site. Crimmins went through with it, and now CK has produced Crimmins’ first-ever stand-up special. It’s called Whatever Threatens You, and it’s available now on CK’s website for $5.
On the page for the special, CK says Crimmins is “hilarious and brilliant” and that his “comedic voice is essential.” You can download it for yourself at this link.