Remembering Louie Anderson

Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

NPR

Society & Culture

4.7 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 1 February 2022

⏱️ ? minutes

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Summary

Louie Anderson passed away last month at the age of 68. He was a veteran stand-up and comic actor who performed in movies and shows like Family Feud, Coming to America, and Life with Louie. When we talked with Louie Anderson in 2017, he had been starring in the FX series Baskets. We remember the life of Louie Anderson by revisiting this conversation with him on the latest episode. He talked with us about his role as Christine Baskets, who was loosely based on his mother, Ora Anderson. Louie shared his perceptions of his own career, including his comedy style and on-screen appearance. This extended interview also features material we never played when it originally aired – including one of his darkest jokes, and what it was like being the opening act for folks like Ray Charles and Dolly Parton in Las Vegas. Plus, he talked about how being able to laugh at some of the difficult moments in his life helped him heal from past struggles.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Bullseye with Jesse Thorn is a production of MaximumFun.org and is distributed by NPR.
0:14.1	It's Bullseye, I'm Jesse Thorn.
0:16.4	Louis Anderson died last month.
0:18.8	He was 68.
0:19.8	Louis was a great stand-up comic.
0:22.5	He did it for over 30 years.
0:24.5	As an actor, he had iconic parts in movies like Coming to America and Ferris Bueller's
0:28.9	Day Off.
0:29.9	He also had his own cartoon show in the 90s, Life with Louis, he hosted Family Feud for
0:35.0	a while.
0:36.0	He had a lot of jobs in show business.
0:38.4	I got to talk to Louis in 2017.
0:41.0	At the time, he'd been starring in the FX show Baskets.
0:44.7	It was a pretty different part for Louis.
0:47.4	The show starred Zach Gallifinakis as Chip Baskets, a sort of mean, sad rodeo clown who
0:53.6	lived in Bakersfield.
0:55.5	Louis played his mom, Christine Baskets.
0:58.8	Louis was funny in the part because, well, for one thing because Louis Anderson was a brilliant
1:04.2	comic actor.
1:05.8	But it wasn't a campy performance.
1:08.0	There was no winking at the camera.
1:10.0	When he played Christine, he did so with deep love and empathy.
	...

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