I'm an asshole
Denis Leary , compared with Louis C.K.
A comic gleefully owns being an asshole and lists the obnoxious things he does with pride.
Leary turned the premise into a comedy-rock song, a hit single that reached No. 2 in Australia. (paraphrase)
"Asshole" (single from No Cure for Cancer), 1993find on YouTube ↗
C.K. says he had an early bit about people admitting they're assholes, and that Leary expanded it. (paraphrase)
Early stand-up actfind on YouTube ↗
The shared idea is owning being an asshole; Leary turned it into a song, and no shared lines are on record.
- Premise 34/40
- Structure 8/30
- Punchline 6/30
- Premise34/40Both build on a man proudly owning that he is an asshole.
- Structure8/30Leary's is a comedy-rock song listing behaviors; C.K.'s early stand-up bit's shape is not on record.
- Punchline6/30No shared lines on record; C.K. himself says Leary expanded the idea.
Setup
He gleefully declares he is an asshole.
Setup
People admitting they are assholes.
Turn
A song listing the obnoxious things he does with pride.
Turn
Development of the early bit not on record.
Punchline
A hit comedy-rock single; payoff lines not on record.
Punchline
Not on record.
Scores and beats are our editorial reading of the public record, not a ruling.
Context
When and where
Leary released 'Asshole' as the single from No Cure for Cancer in 1993. On The Opie and Anthony Show in 2008, Louis C.K. said it grew out of his early stand-up bit about owning being an asshole.
What followed
C.K. made the claim on The Opie and Anthony Show in 2008. Leary went on the same show and said he co-wrote the song with Chris Phillips.
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Denis Leary by Dominick D, CC BY-SA 2.0; Louis C.K. by YMH Studios, CC BY 3.0