Feeling luck and hilarious

The modern stand-up scene is rife with dim-witted purveyors of obscenity, vulgarity and all things dirty. Yet Louis C.K. manages to stand apart from his comedic peers, in large part by bringing an unusual amount of wit and insight to topics such as hand-jobs and blowjobs, masturbation and - perhaps most importantly - the consumption of duck orifices.

The title of C.K.'s latest comedy tour - coming to Washington's Warner Theatre tomorrow night- is even Louis CK: Hilarious. The comedian does not believe he is being presumptuous with the name.

"No. I mean that. ... You know what, I'm just being a dick," said C.K. in an interview with The Diamondback. "I've been doing this bit about railing against the word hilarious, and it's overused. People come up to me after the show, and then they'll say, 'You're hilarious' - this kind of thing my audience does to torture me."

To further differentiate himself from the comedic world, C.K. resists the impulse to go for the relatively easy political jokes one could make in such a frenzied and strange political season.

"No, zero. I just don't do [political humor]," C.K. explained. "I don't think I have anything to add that someone else can't say better. It's just not my best. It's not my wheelhouse. So I just stay away from it."

Another vital component of C.K.'s success has been his transition from raunchier scatological fare to observations about his family, especially his daughter, whom he has memorably labeled an "asshole" and a "little shit."

"Most shows that I do are about half and half, like half of the show is about the outside world and then the other half is about my family and my personal life, which is my family and, you know, my kids," he said.

Still, C.K. remains unfettered from the familial ramifications of his act.

"They know the difference between just saying something that you mean and joking and, you know, heightening ideas for humor, so I think they'll be OK with it," C.K. said. "I mean, if they were somebody else's kid, I'd worry, but they're [a] comedian's kids, so if anybody is going to be savvy about it, it's going to be these two."

Although C.K.'s show also verges into politically incorrect rants about homosexuals, blacks and the most persecuted group of them all, hipsters, he is equally unconcerned about anyone taking offense.

"It's just - you know, it's comedy," C.K. said. "It's spoken word, it's ideas; I don't know. If people are offended, they're offended."

Even after making movies with Chris Rock, starring in an HBO sitcom and writing for a plethora of late-night comedy shows, C.K. still finds stand-up comedy to be all he is meant for. He has a certain reverence for the art and profession of stand-up comedy.

"Well, [stand-up]'s what I do. That's what I'm successful at," C.K. said. "I mean, I can try other things, but I don't see stand-up as a farm system for other things. ... Being a really good stand-up is a great goal. I'm just continuing to do what I do. You know what I mean?"

Louis C.K. will perform at the Warner Theatre tomorrow. Tickets are $30 and $35. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show begins at 8 p.m.

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