♪ announcer: from our studios in new york city, this is "charlie rose." charlie rose: tell me about "horace and pete". how did you come to this? [laughter] louis c.k.: it just-- i don't know it's weird. it is like i found this family in my head somewhere. i don't know. i got interested in doing a show that was like multicamera the way a sitcom was shot but without the audience, without the laugh track and without the need for the constant jokes, that pumping of jokes that sitcoms have. but -- because what you are left with is that live feeling. it's kind of like a multicamera drama or something.

anyway, i kind of got the idea of that, of a show that felt like that. charlie rose: it is a drama. louis c.k.: i think so, or something. i don't know, it's a show, it's a story. but -- charlie rose: what is the story? two guys in a bar? louis c.k.: it's about a bar run by a guy named horace and a guy named pete and it was opened in 1916 in brooklyn by two brothers, horace and pete. and they each had a son, one named horace and one named pete. and they handed it to their sons, horace and pete. so, the idea is that the bar has been run always by the same family, always owned by the family by a horace and pete, sometimes they have been brothers, sometimes they've been cousins but it's always been one of each. it is a lineage. it's a weird kind of like a royalty thing. and so it has me and steve buscemi playing the current horace and pete. alan alda plays uncle pete who is like from the previous generation. charlie rose: it's a new form for you too, isn't it? louis c.k.: yes, very different

from other things i have done before. charlie rose: why this? why this -- louis c.k.: it just grabbed me. i just believed in it. as soon as i started writing it. to me, i have had a lot of ideas for different kinds of shows but there is this test is -- does it write? like can you actually get out the scripts? and i just -- i started writing it this summer. and it just kept coming. episode after episode. and i realized i'm writing something that is worth shooting. so, i started to get it under works producing it. charlie rose: and what about the actors, when you called up alan alda and steve buscemi and others. louis c.k.: well, steve buscemi called me to do a benefit for a firefighter thing that he does. charlie rose: and you said i will do your benefit, but by the way. [laughter] louis c.k.: yes, i happened to be writing it i wasn't sure where it was going yet. i had him on the phone, we are chatting. we're friends. and i said do you want to do a show. a lot of things are timing in show business. because he had just come off of boardwalk empire. charlie rose: right. louis c.k.: if i had come up this idea a year before it wouldn't have existed. but he had just come off this big show and i said, what are you doing. and he said "nothing, i'm looking for stuff to do." and i said do you want to do a

series with me? and he said, "yes, sure." and i said we'll play brothers. and he goes "yeah, okay." so then once i got that in my head, we're the two brothers, i started writing. and then i saw an article about edie falco saying that she is done with nurse jackie. charlie rose: boom. louis c.k.: she is one of my favorites. so, i wrote her into it. and then i was at the emmy's and she was sitting with nobody next to her. so, i just sat next to her and said i wrote a part for you in my new show. and she said "ok." so, she read it, and she wanted in. the writing is what attracts the people. if you don't write in a way that interests them, then they won't be in it. charlie rose: alan alda? louis c.k.: and then alan, actually, he asked me for the part. because i wrote his part for joe pesci who declined it. and then i was looking for somebody and alan's agent suggested him. and i thought i don't think he is the right part for it and she smartly said you should get somebody who you wouldn't expect to do it. and so, alan really wanted the part. and he's great. so, i thought he'll figure it out. so, that was just a -- that was a faith move. like you know, alan alda will find a way to make this work. charlie rose: so, you didn't

roll this out with a lot of fanfare. louis c.k.: no, no fanfare, yes, the opposite. [laughter] i made it a secret, yes. charlie rose: why is that? louis c.k.: because i found it really interesting the idea of, the way shows are presented to the audience, they tell you as much as possible ahead of time. charlie rose: right. louis c.k.: because they want to -- they just want to get you to look at it. they don't care how you -- how it-- charlie rose: and by looking at it, you assimilate information about it. louis c.k.: yes, and they want you to see how it feels. and the way that -- who is in it. and what it sounds like -- they want to show you as much as they can so if it's the kind of thing you like you'll take a look. but to me that feels backwards. in other words, it's like tasting something before you eat it, you know? it's like, you want to discover a thing and go i don't know what this is. charlie rose: so you want what, you want to the -- louis c.k.: i -- louis c.k.: i want them to know nothing and have no thoughts, and no idea. they just know there's something there. charlie rose: just jump in the river. louis c.k.: yes, just start watching.

you should be a little disturbed when you start watching. like i don't know what this is. you should have this tension of like i don't know what's going to happen. and then when it's all done, you go wow, that was really great. charlie rose: and i will come back for the next episode. louis c.k.: yes, and then when it's all done, with all 10 of them, you go i'm really glad i watched it. i think -- i mean, after the first episode you shouldn't think that was great. you should think, i want to keep watching. i don't understand what i am watching yet. that's what i want them to feel. then after two episodes i want them to feel like i still don't understand what i'm watching but i'm curious. and then after the third episode i think my show, specifically this show, you go, okay, i really like this, now i want to be watching it. and then when you get to 10, you go wow, you should say wow. but the thing is, that the tv -- because tv costs so much money to make, they need you -- they want you to say wow, i want to say that before you see it. see, again, i think that is backwards. you just start with nothing and get to wow. charlie rose: and how do they pay for it? louis c.k.: yes, they have to -- i mean, they have to pay for it through an intent to watch. that's what they call that, you know, they track the show. there is an intent to watch.

or they hire people to be in the show that they think will -- charlie rose: i have a sense that you want to own stuff you do. louis c.k.: yes, only because then i -- then i don't have to -- you know, when you ask somebody to fund something, you're asking them to take a risk with you. i knew that "horace and pete" was going to be such a strange road and i would do things so counter intuitively. i didn't want to convince other people, i didn't want to risk someone else's money. i didn't think that was right. i didn't want to go tell someone this is going to be a success and then take it down a road where -- charlie rose: were you convinced it would be a success? louis c.k.: yes, i still am. i think it will be -- charlie rose: you said it's the best thing you have ever done. louis c.k.: it's my favorite thing that i've done. charlie rose: favorite thing. louis c.k.: yes, yes. i think it's the best work i have done, yes, i think so. charlie rose: but did you believe it would be a success? louis c.k.: i didn't know either way. i didn't think of it that way. charlie rose: do you care? louis c.k.: yes, i'd like people to see it. i'd like tons of people to see it, i would. and also i would like to be able

to do a show like this again. so, if we can kind of train the audience into this notion. charlie rose: so what makes it unique, you can only get it through your website? louis c.k.: that's right, yes. you have to go on my website and buy it and download it. charlie rose: i mean, are you creating a whole new model of people to deliver entertainment? louis c.k.: i don't know. i don't know. i don't know if it will work for other people. i know how to make tv from nothing. charlie rose: right. louis c.k.: i know how to do all of it. and then distribute it. charlie rose: how do you know? louis c.k.: well, i know how to produce television. i know how to -- i have a company. obviously it's not just me, i have people that work with me. but i know how to direct and write and produce. and edit. i know how to put the thing out. and then how to make -- my website was really created to sell tickets to my shows. and the stand up specials that i did. charlie rose: but that's a part of you wanting to own stuff and you liking to be in charge of the way you do things. you've cut out the middle man. louis c.k.: yes, yes, for now. charlie rose: you want them to deal with you. louis c.k.: yes, i like that part. i like that part. charlie rose: i do, too. louis c.k.: yes, it's fun. charlie rose: i mean, it's control and it also -- i mean, it's direct. it's a one-to-one thing. louis c.k.: yes, and i think the one thing people liked about -- one of the things they liked about "horace and pete" was that

they got an e-mail from me that i sent to them saying the next episode is ready. and then they went to my website -- it was very bespoke, you know, and they went on my website and they watched it. there is nothing else going on. and then they paid me money for their episode -- their bit of money for each episode. and then i went and made more. charlie rose: so, you self-financed this, too? louis c.k.: yes, i pay for everything, yes. well, what's money for? i mean, that's what money is for -- charlie rose: to spend on things you want to do. louis c.k.: yes, exactly. it's more, to me it's more interesting to do than to have it stored up somewhere, you know, sitting, accruing interest. i could be dead tomorrow, you know. charlie rose: exactly. and if you need money for any reason, you can go out do standup. louis c.k.: i could go on the road. charlie rose: tonight. louis c.k.: yes. so far, you know. someday -- you can always get check mated. you always have to know that at some point one or two things could go wrong and suddenly you're really screwed. charlie rose: it's back to whatever -- louis c.k.: yeah, but everybody lives that way. charlie rose: when you created this what's the creation process for you? i mean, you decided that this bar -- louis c.k.: yes. charlie rose: and you love the idea and the drama.

louis c.k.: so, i thought about a family. and they own a place together which means people work and live in the same place. i mean, in other words, you go, you live with people, and then you work with them. and then you can't escape them which is what family feels like. family is something you can't escape. but this relationship you can't get out of. charlie rose: yes, this is not cheers. louis c.k.: no, no, not at all. not even close. charlie rose: i know. louis c.k.: it looks like it if you have the sound off, for two minutes. and then even with the sound off you would be like, jeez, that's not cheers at all. it's very -- it gets very down. it's funny in moments. it's very surprising and startling in moments. but, yes, so the creative process is like you create the people and the world. and then you see if it writes. if you can sit down and write. and it just flowed. i believed in the people. they felt real to me. charlie rose: so, did it just pour out? louis c.k.: yes. charlie rose: when you start, episode by episode it just pours out. louis c.k.: yes, some things come out that way. and this one did too. every episode i would sit down and i would just be writing. i put the people in the rooms in

my head and i have them talk to each other. and it's like i'm hearing it and quickly copying it down like a stenographer or a court reporter, is that what a court person -- that's what it feels like. charlie rose: yes, that's right. louis c.k.: and then when it's over i stop and go, oh, my god, that was crazy. and then i read it, and i go, that's pretty good. and then i've got one done. charlie rose: okay, but how much editing do you do? i mean, is it pretty much a stream of consciousness when you do it or do you simply hammer it and -- louis c.k.: a few different things. a lot of that happens ahead of time. that's when i get an episode written, when i sit down and write it. before i write it i walk around, driving myself crazy thinking about it. i carve -- i do all the carving up here. and i know what's going to happen. i think about what it means in each interaction and what direction it's going to go. and i think about all of that for a long time. it's like being pregnant and finally i regurgitate it on to the page. and after that, maybe right before we shoot, like we do a rehearsal for a whole day we rehearse the show over and over again.

and then i will look at it and go maybe there are a few things i could change. i usually keep the dialogue all the same, there is an integrity to that, like how you first wrote it. but i might cut and i might add things. but i don't change the little lines inside. i think that -- it feels like tampering. charlie rose: how is it different than writing standup? louis c.k.: well, standup i don't sit down and write it. i just go on stage-- charlie rose: but you have to think about what you are going to say. louis c.k.: yes. but i just write like a one word on a piece of paper about the subject, just to remind myself that there is an idea there. but i work it out -- it's the spoken word. so, it's better not to prepare with standup. it's better to let the first audience that you tell the story to be the -- they pull it out of you, by the way they listen. charlie rose: so, you listen to them and you may add to it? louis c.k.: yes, they will tell you how interesting it is. charlie rose: is that what you are doing now, working on another standup routine? louis c.k.: yes. charlie rose: and the small clubs teach you, inform you as to what's working and what's not? louis c.k.: that's right. charlie rose: and do you find a lot of stuff you think might work doesn't work? louis c.k.: yes, but you keep trying it. charlie rose: oh, you try with a different audience.

or you add and then polish. louis c.k.: yeah, you have to -- you know, you got to know a little bit more than them. if you are just telling them and showing them what they want to see, there is something very -- a very satisfying and boring about that. an audience will come and see you again and again is because you really surprise them. if you make people like something they didn't expect to like, to me that's real gold. charlie rose: that's a great goal. louis c.k.: that's what you want, yes. charlie rose: have them like something they didn't expect to like. louis c.k.: that they never thought they would like. have them go that's so great. and i never would have expected that to be something i would like. charlie rose: yes. ok. tell me about the episode, episode seven i think it was, about a transgender -- louis c.k.: yes. charlie rose: dialogue, the dialogue is fabulous. louis c.k.: oh, thank you. charlie rose: you know, you wrote it. louis c.k.: yes, well. charlie rose: tell me about it. louis c.k.: well, that -- charlie rose: any reason not to tell me? louis c.k.: no, i'm just trying to think of the -- what to say about it. when i wrote that i didn't expect that to happen in that story. to me that story was about a -- it was about horace confesses

something to her first. charlie rose: right. louis c.k.: about his life, something very shocking. charlie rose: right. louis c.k.: and to me that's what that scene was about, initially. that's why i wrote the scene was that -- charlie rose: because he confesses to this girl. louis c.k.: because they have a one-night stand. charlie rose: right. louis c.k.: so, they have an intimacy, an immediate intimacy. and then the next morning they don't want to look at each other. which is how people sometimes feel in the morning. charlie rose: right, yes. louis c.k.: but he invites her to some eggs. sit down and have some eggs before -- and she says i don't want to be here. and he says i don't want you here. so, they have -- they're safe with each other because they both know that they don't want anything, they don't want to see each other again. charlie rose: right. so, therefore they can be more truthful. louis c.k.: that's what it is. a weird, like more truthful than they are with someone that they have a future with. charlie rose: right. louis c.k.: so, she asks horace about his life and he has a very shocking detail about his life. and he just goes ahead and tells her. because it was easy to tell her. and to me that's what i sat down to write. charlie rose: yes. louis c.k.: and then i had her tell a joke.

he says i mean you're not going to be able to air this but he says you have a nice (beep) and she says yes, i put in myself where my (beep) used to be. and i just have her tell that joke. and you are not going to be able to use that, but she makes -- charlie rose: don't worry about it. louis c.k.: -- she makes this joke and he laughs and then i felt like i was in the room with them. and i felt like -- what if she's not kidding. what if she's kidding but she wants to toy with him more on the subject. and then i just, they just -- and i just started to trade lines down this road. that he finds himself in this situation. and then she's interested in talking about this. charlie rose: and he wants to know who has he slept with. louis c.k.: did he sleep with someone who used to be a man. and she says well, if i was transgender, wouldn't that mean i am a woman? aren't we all saying that when someone becomes trans, transgender, i am told 50/50 by people which one you are supposed to say. charlie rose: right.

louis c.k.: that's a woman. caitlyn jenner is a woman now. charlie rose: right. louis c.k.: with all the rights of a woman and the yes and hooray, she's a woman. charlie rose: right. louis c.k.: and it's not polite to say that's bruce jenner in a dress or bruce jenner who got an operation. charlie rose: it's caitlyn, a woman. louis c.k.: that's a woman, caitlyn jenner a woman. so, if caitlyn jenner sleeps with a man, does she have to tell him i used to be bruce jenner. i think that's a really interesting, unresolved -- for the average person how doesn't think about this kind of stuff all the time, which is what horace is. charlie rose: yes louis c.k.: in the show, that's who i am playing. a guy who has just got a myopic view, that is a really uncharted wilderness. so, i put him in that wilderness with somebody who had a little bit more -- although she -- i don't know in the end, i don't know if she's transgender or not, the character. i still don't know. i don't know. i don't know. horace doesn't know. charlie rose: but she says to him. louis c.k.: what if i was? charlie rose: yes.

she says to him at the end, you know, i'm a woman. you slept with a woman. louis c.k.: right, and then he goes one more time, who always was one. and she goes -- so still don't know, still don't know. charlie rose: which is great. louis c.k.: yes. and i also think that horace is excited by the ambiguity. charlie rose: really? louis c.k.: yes, he likes it. i think horace is a little bit turned on by not knowing what or who -- what happened. charlie rose: whether he slept with a woman or a man. louis c.k.: i think he is excited about it -- especially by her command of being able to stand on that shaky line, she's exciting him by toying with him. that's what happened in the scene. but i'm telling you all this from having watched it not from having wrote it -- when i wrote it, i didn't know what was going on. charlie rose: see that's amazing to me. you didn't have any idea. louis c.k.: i really didn't have, i was like what -- then what -- what would he say? and then he says it -- and then what would she say, and then she says it. and i'm like oh my god, that's so crazy that she said that. well, then horace would ask this question. and then they just sort of talk, they talked in my head and i wrote it down.

that's what it felt like anyway. it doesn't always feel that way writing. charlie rose: tell me who horace is. louis c.k.: he's, you know, nothing, he's just a nothing guy. he is a guy who can't -- he has no agency. like he doesn't have a thrust in life. charlie rose: yes. louis c.k.: you know, the greatest generation and all those guys. charlie rose: right. louis c.k.: and even the vietnam veterans and the baby boomers, they all have these terrific names to their generations. and they had -- they either had to overcome something or they had to create something. but then our guys, i was called generation x, so that's like a nothing. and so, a lot of us, we didn't want to be cruel like our parents were, or we didn't want to hit our kids so we didn't know what to do, a lot of us. i feel like -- you know, i'm a good parent and i'm an intended parent and i try to -- i have sort of like an idea of what it means to be a citizen or whatever. but i thought it was more interesting to write a guy who

doesn't know what the hell to do and doesn't know even how to care about it. but the show is really about-- charlie rose: you're not writing about yourself, clearly. louis c.k.: no, i don't think -- there are parts of me in horace. charlie rose: which part? louis c.k.: you know, he moves a little bit slow and he's a bit of a shlub. that's always me on some level. charlie rose: do you think of yourself that way at all? louis c.k.: yes, sure. charlie rose: do you really? louis c.k.: yes, in life, you know, my gut is hanging out of my t-shirt half the time. i will put ice cream on my chest like tony soprano and eat and watch, you know, shark tank. charlie rose: this is just fastidiousness. i mean, you know, this is not -- louis c.k.: yes. charlie rose: i mean, a little bit -- louis c.k.: well, that is who everybody is. i'm an ordinary guy, horace is ordinary. charlie rose: do you really think of yourself as an ordinary guy? louis c.k.: sure, yes, hell yes. charlie rose: with all the creativity you've expressed to all of us. louis c.k.: yes, that's my capacity --

charlie rose: your capacity to reach inside of the human experience and, you know, tell a story. louis c.k.: but it's because i'm an ordinary guy that i think i can tell a story about an ordinary guy. you have to be one. you can't -- charlie rose: but you love language too. louis c.k.: yes, i do, i really do. charlie rose: i know you do. louis c.k.: yes. charlie rose: yes i was laughing out loud reading the whole thing about amazing. louis c.k.: yes, yes. charlie rose: the use of the word amazing. so, what are you going to do when somebody has a really amazing experience. louis c.k.: you have to have some sense of turning the volume up and down. charlie rose: see, that's a perfect way to express it. louis c.k.: yes. you can't -- you can't just go for the top every time. charlie rose: there's a quote from garry shandling. "the world is just too noisy and distracted to probably ultimately survive. everyone needs to shut the (beep) up. the answers are in the silence. monks set themselves on fire to make this point. just consider it." what does that quote mean to you? louis c.k.: well, garry wrote that to me in an e-mail. charlie rose: i know. louis c.k.: and it was -- he wrote that to me a few weeks before he died. charlie rose: just a few weeks. louis c.k.: yes, maybe a couple of weeks before he died. charlie rose: unexpectedly. louis c.k.: he was a great friend. and he was the kind of guy i could talk to him for hours and then we never had enough time.

like we talked for four hours and my mouth would get all dry talking to garry and i would get like a headache because i wouldn't want to drink water or do anything to stop talking to him. and then it would be over, you know. and we would have to part company. charlie rose: i always thought about him. he came to my show. i always thought about him as god, i just wish, i wish he was doing something right now. louis c.k.: yes, yes. charlie rose: you know? louis c.k.: yes, i know what you mean. charlie rose: he was that good and you just -- louis c.k.: he was one of the best ever. charlie rose: i know. louis c.k.: yes. one of the greats. charlie rose: and why the hell is he, you would ask yourself. louis c.k.: yes. well, he gave a lot. he gave a lot of great standup. and his series, a lot of tv has been built on the back of that series. charlie rose: exactly right. louis c.k.: yes. a lot of people don't remember that. charlie rose: and he was terrific even when he substituted for carson. louis c.k.: that's right. i showed the first episode of larry sanders to my 14 year old daughter after he died, and she loved it. and it was fresh, you know. and she watches like 30 rock and new shows. and this show -- it's right up against them. and it begat them, you know. ♪

♪ charlie rose: your role in this is very much of a guy who listens. he is a listener. louis c.k.: yes, yes. i mean, horace is very quiet. and he doesn't talk much. and part of that is because i wanted to be able to effectively direct the show and do it without --

charlie rose: you didn't want to have many lines? louis c.k.: i didn't want to have a lot of lines. and also look at the cast, edie falco and steve and alan and jessica lange, these are all better -- these people are all better than me, they are all better actors than me. charlie rose: you are right about that. louis c.k.: so, you know, yes, for sure. so i wanted to just give them a platform and just be there as a sounding board. charlie rose: but you've been doing some acting. are you surprised, you seem like a natural? louis c.k.: i mean, i try -- hope i am. i know i own a lot of terrible moments on screen that i can't take back, including on this show. because i'm a little -- i'm a bit of a -- i'm stiff. i'm not really -- you know, towards the end of "horace and pete" the feelings about the show were so real to me, i really felt like pete was my brother. and so, when hard things happen to pete, i got very upset. and -- charlie rose: you feel it because you created him. louis c.k.: oh, god, yes. charlie rose: see that's the amazing thing. i mean, you created horace, you created pete. louis c.k.: yes. charlie rose: and you created the other characters. louis c.k.: and then i got involved like i was in the family.

charlie rose: yes, like you were there. louis c.k.: yes, when the show, when we shot the last episode, i was very -- i couldn't -- it took me awhile to recover from it. i never had an experience like that. because i didn't have to act, i didn't have to conjure something from my past or figure out how to get there. i was just very upset for real. and all of us, we traded e-mails me and alan and edie and steve, , traded e-mails. charlie rose: saying what? louis c.k.: saying that we are in withdrawal and that we were upset. that it was hard to walk away from the show. and it was hard how it ended. charlie rose: does it have to end? louis c.k.: no, not necessarily, no. but i mean, the season is over. charlie rose: i know the season is. louis c.k.: the story that we told is over. it is a 10 part -- it's like a 10-act play, that is what "horace and pete" is. it's more like a 10 act play than it's like a series. the thing with a series, when you write series television, you have to keep everything in tact all the time. you have to keep all the balls in the air. so, you can't really have anything big happen or big be said, because then you can't take that back. every show has to reset, you

know. tv has this thing where it kind of shows up at your house like a vacuum cleaner salesman and it makes a mess on the floor. but they got to clean it up before they leave. charlie rose: yes. louis c.k.: tv is supposed to leave you the way it found you, you know what i mean. and in that way you will want to watch it the next week forever. it's a perpetuity thing. but so, the idea was this show was to write something where every week it will take a piece out of you. it's going to leave you a little bit broken. and you will go like how the hell are they going to keep doing this? well, we don't have to keep doing it. well, we don't have to -- i didn't have to make more than three if i didn't want to. charlie rose: what's the level of satisfaction from this, level of satisfaction from this compared to the other stuff you do? i mean, can you even judge it, weigh it? louis c.k.: no, i can't. because this was - this was so personal and it felt so real to me and it was so satisfying. charlie rose: and a new direction too. louis c.k.: yes, brand new thing. that's the thing that is so fun is to learn a thing you've never done before and then do it really well. i've never done a show like this. none of us had. nobody had. i mean, nobody had made a show. it was closer to saturday night live than it was to a sitcom because we had to throw it

together and have it up on the site. we shot it wednesday and thursday and had it up on the site saturday morning. so, it was a very quick -- charlie rose: but all the episodes had been written by the time you started shooting. louis c.k.: yes, we really except we did things about current events because it was a bar and i thought people at bars talk about what's going on in the news. so, if they could talk about what was actually in the news. that's why we shot it so close to the air date. but the satisfying -- nobody had figured out how to do that. and we -- i invented a way to direct the show that we could get it up quicker. charlie rose: what was that? louis c.k.: it was this color coding with the cameras and stuff. it was a thing that was tricky to figure out. but it was also fun, you know. charlie rose: here is what i hear. i mean, you know, write standup the best. acting and getting -- not only good reviews but also more and more roles. you're now a director. louis c.k.: yes. charlie rose: you are now a producer. louis c.k.: yes. charlie rose: you manage this whole thing. louis c.k.: yes. charlie rose: i mean, do you come to some sense, i can pretty much do whatever i want? louis c.k.: well, there are a

million things i can't do yet, but thank god, you know. you -- you know. you want to be able -- you want to keep trying -- you want to get -- it's like if you are in the army, a friend of mine was in the army back in the '80s. charlie rose: yes. louis c.k.: late '80s. and so, he'd just go to like, he took his little platoon, he's sergeant, he'd go like, let's go to jump school. let's all just go to jump school. and they go for, he was a, what do you call it, reserve. charlie rose: right. louis c.k.: so, on his weekends, instead of sitting around playing ping pong, let's go to jump school. and then they have a patch for jumping. and then they go hey, let's go to medic school. so, they all got rated as medics. and they got this big bunch of patches all these things skills that he's packing his head with. unfortunately, then a war broke out and he was sent right to the front. look at all these skills you have. charlie rose: and we need you. louis c.k.: yes, exactly. so, he had to do all this stuff. but anyway -- charlie rose: but, i mean, the war like -- louis c.k.: i like being patches, it's like being a boy scout. and then all of a sudden you can do that. you know, like what's the movie, "matrix." charlie rose: "matrix," yes. louis c.k.: when there is a helicopter and he says to her,

do you know how to fly a helicopter. and she goes wait a minute and she loads the program. now i do. well, anyone can do that. it just takes longer. you can just load a program. so, now i know how to create a multicamera drama and mount it the same week that i shot it. and how to direct many great actors which i had never done before. charlie rose: exactly, i rest my case. louis c.k.: yes. charlie rose: you never did it. louis c.k.: never did it. charlie rose: and you are doing it with people who know what is good and bad. louis c.k.: yes. so, yes, you just open yourself to the thing and you go i've done other things. charlie rose: you say i'm going to go do this. let's go. louis c.k.: right. well, you start to get at this, instead of being able to say i've done this before. charlie rose: yes. louis c.k.: you say to yourself, i haven't done this before. charlie rose: but have i seen it done. louis c.k.: but i've done other things i haven't done before, before. and it came out ok. so, i'm not afraid of this. and also if this doesn't go well, what's the big deal? charlie rose: the worst thing can happen. louis c.k.: yes, exactly. charlie rose: some will say it didn't work. louis c.k.: the thing that you learn the most that will help you do things you can't do yet is how to recover from failure.

if you can recover from things not going well, then the worst that happens is this is going to be a total wreck but i know how to recover. charlie rose: yes. louis c.k.: i know how to be ok after i wasn't. charlie rose: somebody once said to me don't worry about it because you always have your talent. you can do something else. louis c.k.: yes. that's right, yes. you always find something else to do. that is another thing about getting all these different skills. charlie rose: yes. louis c.k.: if i wash out in every possible way, i can go write for somebody's sitcom, you know. quietly i could just write. charlie rose: but let's look at the other side. you're doing everything and you are doing all of them well. what is it building to? louis c.k.: in the end it's really -- charlie rose: what journey is it? louis c.k.: it's one show at a time and one-story at a time. so, i'm not trying to be some like guy who can do all of these things. i really wanted to tell this story about horace and pete and his family, and this is how to do it, so let's learn how to do it. charlie rose: this is learning on the job. louis c.k.: that's right. so, the thing what's building towards and whatever story i come up with that i want to

tell, that's all. charlie rose: is directing this different from directing "louis?" louis c.k.: so different, yes. because it was indoors in a studio, all day. charlie rose: it's working with actors, that's what directing is. louis c.k.: that's right. louis was a -- louis was single camera which means that you shoot little pieces. charlie rose: right. louis c.k.: and then you sew them together through the magic of editing. this thing we shot like 20 pages without stopping. we did it like a play. we let people feel like they were at a play performance. so, we didn't -- so it was about rehearsing and preparing and then just letting it happen. it's a completely different kind of directing. charlie rose: i will bet you all of these experiences have somehow said to you why don't i try a broadway play. louis c.k.: yes, i would love to do that. i will. i have to write it though. if i write a play, then i will definitely try to go make it, yes. charlie rose: so, is writing in the end what you are, a writer? louis c.k.: i think that's probably what i'm best at,

besides the standup. i mean, i'm a comedian since i was 18. and i never stopped being one, and it's -- charlie rose: but you said i didn't get good until i was in my 40s. louis c.k.: that's right. that is how long it takes. it is -- it takes a good 30 years to get good at it. so yeah, i only got good at it recently. charlie rose: well you said you just got good at 42 and you're now 47, so you have been good for five years? louis c.k.: been about five years that i have been worth watching, yeah, i think so. [laughter] and that's the thing i can claim i put in my years with stand-up and i put in the work and i made the sacrifice, a lot of hard years. and that's why i can do it now. writing would be second. i've been writing for about -- charlie rose: ok, stand-up, then writing, then acting. louis c.k.: yes, directing, i think acting is the last. if i had to drop one, it would be acting. charlie rose: why? louis c.k.: because it's not what i'm -- i'm not the best at it. there's -- you know, and i'm not great at it, i can do it. i can do it. i know how to do it. i love doing it, it's super fun. charlie rose: you're good, you know how to do it but you're not

the best at it. louis c.k.: i'm not the best at it and i haven't put as much of a commitment into it, you know. you got to do one thing all the time to be great at it. that's why i'm going on the road now for a year. i'm clearing the decks. i'm not doing any productions because i -- to be good, i haven't been as good at stand-up as i was in like 2008 to 2010. charlie rose: and does that eat at you? louis c.k.: yeah, it bothers me because. charlie rose: i would be bothered if i knew how good i was and knew i wasn't performing that well. louis c.k.: it's an awful feeling, yes. it feels like i'm betraying the audience and also i'm betraying the thing i'm doing. i did three years or four years where all i did was stand-up and i would go and tour and make a special and i did -- i wasn't doing anything else. and i think that's the best i ever was, between like 2011 and now, i would put out a few specials that i'm very proud of. and i did my best but i could -- i would have been better if i wasn't making television while i did those specials. charlie rose: did you get to the point where you knew you were the best at stand-up anywhere period? louis c.k.: no, i mean that's

subjective. some people hate what i do. they don't like it, it's not their thing, you know? plenty of people -- it depends on your favorite comedian is, you know? i'm some people's favorite comedian and i think i'm as good at doing it like in terms of like, i'm as good as anybody in terms of -- charlie rose: so you really can't compare stand-up, can you? louis c.k.: i don't think so. i think it's just as hard as comparing people, you know? certainly artwork isn't really qualitative. i know a ton about stand-up and i know how to do it as well as anybody that exists. charlie rose: did you study it? louis c.k.: yes, by watching it and doing it over and over and over again. i have been on stage i don't know, some millions of times probably in my life. it's a constant, constant thing. and if i don't do it for like two weeks, when i go back i'm not as good again. i have to - you got to gear up. charlie rose: other than being a father. louis c.k.: yes? charlie rose: are you happiest on stage? louis c.k.: it is hard to say. i do love -- i love being on stage.

i love shooting things. i love being on a set and shooting. i love the feeling of exhaustion at the end of a long, a lot of work and feeling like walking away. there are days where i walked away from "horace and pete". i walk -- used to walk home every day. and i would go damn, i was a homerun today. like i feel like i hit a homerun. that was a good feeling. i like -- i'm happiest sometimes when i'm -- i don't know, on a beach or in the water, you know, or out in nature. i don't know, it's -- those are hard to compare. those are all big happies, but being a dad is the best. charlie rose: i think it was new yorker that said comedians are populists. louis c.k.: yes, maybe yes. charlie rose: does that say anything to you? louis c.k.: no. yes, i guess we talk like other people, you know? we don't talk like the new yorker. charlie rose: you don't talk down to them, no? louis c.k.: no, we talk like other people talk. charlie rose: and that is part it of it, so they identify with you. louis c.k.: i think so, yes. yes, that's where i learned, just from talking. and that's when i'm best when i'm being able to be a little more social. i come up with more material.

charlie rose: is what makes you laugh, what makes the audience laugh? louis c.k.: yes, sometimes but i'm working really hard for their laughs so i'm usually not laughing. charlie rose: are you -- is that it you're working at? i mean, this is -- louis c.k.: yes, it's hard work. charlie rose: this is hard work -- louis c.k.: it's fun as hell, but it's hard work. charlie rose: but when they laugh and when you know it is so genuine, it's payoff time. louis c.k.: oh yes, i love that feeling, sure. charlie rose: and it makes you better? louis c.k.: sure. charlie rose: to feel it? louis c.k.: yes. charlie rose: what is cringeworthy mean? louis c.k.: i don't know, it's a new word so. charlie rose: what does it mean? louis c.k.: i don't know. i guess that people that are talking about things that make you go, "oh my god, that's cringing", right? charlie rose: yes, i think that's what they mean. but are there places you won't go. will not go? louis c.k.: only if it's not funny or if it's boring. charlie rose: but that's it. louis c.k.: yes, or somebody else has been there heavily, then i won't go there usually because it's boring. yes, and it's only if it's boring. but i don't -- i remember saying one time that saying that a joke is too awful -- saying that something is too terrible to joke about --

charlie rose: right. louis c.k.: -- is like saying that a disease is too terrible to try to cure it. i mean that's what you do with awful things. you joke about them. that's how you get through it. it's how you survive life. charlie rose: that's the only way you can talk about? louis c.k.: yes, sort to say, that's so terrible, i can't joke about it. that is totally counterintuitive to me. it's like if it's that awful, you better start joking about it. ♪

♪ charlie rose: and where is truth in comedy?

louis c.k.: it's not always there. i think lying is an effective way to get laughs. charlie rose: oh, do you really? louis c.k.: yes, sure. lying is like magic. there are so many lies. charlie rose: if it takes lying, then let's lie. louis c.k.: that's right. there are so many lies in my act. i have so many stories that i really convinced them that it's true and that's why they're laughing. like this really happened, man and that makes them laugh because i'm sharing something but it's riddled with lies. and in the details, in the -- where i say it happened, how many of each thing, i lie all the time just to make stories interesting, you know, up all the numbers, all the stats in a joke. charlie rose: yes. [laughter] louis c.k.: usually forget it, man. charlie rose: i'm not sure if i'm disappointed in this or not. louis c.k.: you wouldn't want to hear an honest version of my act, it would be really bland. charlie rose: because it makes it more powerful, more interesting, more compelling, more surprising, more exciting. louis c.k.: that's right. yes, more funnier. charlie rose: but i'm still surprised at jokes, i mean,

where does it start? is it just an idea, i wonder if? louis c.k.: yes, or like a moment like you live -- you know, jokes on different forms, there's observations, like i have this thing that happened or this is what people are like, or an absurd story. so sometimes a thing will happen and i will go that's a bit. sometimes stuff is in my head for years before i recognize why have i never talked about this on stage. charlie rose: give me an example of that. louis c.k.: well, like there's a new bit i've been doing about when you're in an e-mail fight and you write an e-mail -- you know, when you are e- mailing back and forth which is really those long e-mails where you say in june when i told you that i had this issue and you promised to be sensitive -- charlie rose: yes. louis c.k.: you know and you work on the e-mail for a long time like you're beethoven and going deaf and you just do it and then you send it to a friend and you say, what do you think? and this is a new phenomenon, they write, then they do a draft

at the e-mail and they tell you, "i would take this out because it seems a little excessive." so then you send it to somebody else who lets you put that back in and you work on it for a long time with all this collaboration. and then you send it, and then you realize you left the sentence at the top that says, "this is the latest draft, what do you think?" i've done that before and i have had that humiliation. charlie rose: yes. [laughter] louis c.k.: of letting the person that you are in a real fight with know that you have writers, you have a team of people working on the e-mail. anyway, that has happened to me a number of times and i thought about it only a week ago, i thought, "jeez, i don't know why i haven't told that story on stage." charlie rose: and now you will? louis c.k.: yes. i have been, i have been doing it on stage and it's killing -- charlie rose: and you are doing it on stage and people love it and they just -- louis c.k.: yes. charlie rose: they does it, they can identify with it, they can feel it. louis c.k.: i found out that they have by telling the story. charlie rose: ok, but now, take that, just that episode, that told story, how were you shaping it and changing it and refining it and sculpting it? louis c.k.: okay, is so there are a bunch of places in there that work on it, right?

like there's a thing about you know, why i say e-mail fight. charlie rose: right. louis c.k.: there's a difference between a text fight. a text fight is like screw you, screw you, i hate you. i hate you too, that's texting. an e-mail fight, the first laugh is always when they say, "when i wrote you in june" and somehow people just know what that means and i describe all of that stuff. so all the little details will get bigger and bigger and i will find more and more little things in it. charlie rose: you're not going to tell me what you're going to do another episode, another series of "louis," you don't know yet? louis c.k.: yes, i don't know, i really don't. charlie rose: but what will make the difference again? louis c.k.: if i find -- if i crash into it is a thing that i'm really dying to do again. i have to be wanting to do it. i didn't want to make a show because there's a show and i have to keep doing it. that is not a great reason to make a show. charlie rose: especially if you are you. louis c.k.: yes, i think so. i think i can't honestly keep making episodes of that show just because it was doing well and it's there. i did it as long as i could because i was very grateful to the people that gave me the show

because i'm not the only person. i'm like the center of like all these people and then these people and i'm in here. so all these people that i work for, that gave me the shot, i wanted to pay them off as long as i could and once we were getting emmys and stuff, that means a lot to them. so i milked that as long as i could and some of the people that worked for me, that make a living working on my show. charlie rose: right. louis c.k.: it was very hard to tell them you're all fired. and tell all these people, i quit. that's very hard to do. that's a lot of pressure. charlie rose: and how did you get up the nerve to do it? louis c.k.: ok, i didn't have a choice. i did it when i finally was like i can't do this. so -- and also because i still work for these guys. i make a bunch of them, i make zach's show, pamela's show. and then these people all work with me now on "horace and pete" and they will work elsewhere, but if in between each thing there's like, "what, where did it go?" charlie rose: would you have any interest in building a kind of just a creative factory? louis c.k.: that is kind of what my journey is. charlie rose: that is exactly what it is. louis c.k.: yes, we make a lot of stuff.

we're making an animated show now with albert brooks. we make pamela adlon's show "better things;" zach galifianakis' show "baskets," that's a big hit, and "tig notaro" show on amazon. so we make a lot of shows, yes. charlie rose: politics? louis c.k.: yes. charlie rose: donald trump. louis c.k.: oh, jesus christ -- oh, god. [laughter] charlie rose: why did you launch into that, because you felt the threat to your country? louis c.k.: yes, god. you know -- charlie rose: you went pretty far, didn't you? louis c.k.: yes, i did. that was a lot, that was a lot. it was so much, i said so much. charlie rose: you really did. louis c.k.: never has anyone said so much about something of which they know so little. charlie rose: but did you want to reel it back or you don't care? louis c.k.: i mean it is what it is. you live with what you say. you say it and you live with it. charlie rose: after you said it -- louis c.k.: i mean, i was like, "oh boy" after i wrote it. i mean, the second after i sent it, i was like, ugh.

charlie rose: did you really? louis c.k.: my daughter -- i told my daughter, my ten year old. charlie rose: you told her what you did? louis c.k.: she didn't read it but i told her basically what it was. charlie rose: you compared him to a very evil guy. louis c.k.: she said dad, they're going to kill you on this and -- you're going to get killed on this. charlie rose: she's your ten-year-old daughter. louis c.k.: she said they're never going to stop bugging you, but they have by the way, it's not that big of a deal. charlie rose: and i'm bringing it up. louis c.k.: yes, that's fine, that's all right. i think the thing it would, especially presidential politics, 74 years -- charlie rose: i know. louis c.k.: we have this -- charlie rose: obsession. louis c.k.: well, it's a discussion, it's very important. it's like a family thing, it's like a family thing. it's like a family decision, the way people take it. it's very personal. it's like a member of -- it's like if you had an election in your family, if you're in a family that's like living as a family and you had an election, is mom or dad going to be in charge for the next four years, or is brother, is our brother going to take dad's spot, you know, which is what it felt like to me when clinton won it. felt like our brother took over for dad, you know or -- charlie rose: because he was one

of us. louis c.k.: yes, or maybe three of your siblings brought some woman that you don't know to the house and said she's -- we're going to replace mom with her and we have the votes to do it and you go, "what?" [laughter] the amount of anger and passion that an election in your family would have. charlie rose: so that's what we are doing right now. louis c.k.: that's what it's like. that gets very emotional. it's not a rational thing. it's not based on, you know, picking somebody to do a job. it's based on how we all feel and how or what we want to say to the rest of the world and what we're afraid of, and you know what i mean, it's a big deal. so i am an american citizen. charlie rose: yes, you are. congratulations. louis c.k.: so yes, so whoever is president affects my life like it does everybody else. a vote is a personal thing and it is a personal right. but your vote also affects everybody else. so it's a really tricky thing. and i think the thing about american politics is that it's always going to be a big messy fight. that is what democracy is, like people would feel more united

and at peace if we were all being oppressed by one, you know, government. then everybody gets along better. but when we're all trying to decide and we're all very different from each other, it's a big, ugly, difficult fight. charlie rose: democracy is ugly. louis c.k.: yes, it's really, really -- it's painful and so i was feeling -- charlie rose: seems to have gotten really ugly this year. louis c.k.: yes, i think we always say that, but i think that's true. this one is really, really -- this one, there is a lot of pain involved and i was feeling a lot of fear. and i wrote my little e-mail saying horace and pete episode whatever it was that week, i think it was six, is ready for download, enjoy. i got to go back to sleep. i was actually in bed. i was going to go back to sleep because my kids are coming in a few hours. i wanted a little nap, and then i wrote p.s. and all i meant to write was stop with the trump. just stop it. it's not funny anymore. that is all i was going to write. and then i sat there and i

looked at it and i was like, "you know because this, -- well because also -- and the thing is this, and this and this and this." so i wrote this malignant tumor of a thing, this wasp nest of thoughts. and i sent it to my mom and she said, "sure". charlie rose: you sent it to her for approval? louis c.k.: yes, she said, "go ahead and send it." i hate to put her on the spot but she said sure and i was like yes, and there is part of me that -- charlie rose: was this late at night? louis c.k.: no, it was saturday morning. charlie rose: oh, saturday morning, okay, go ahead. louis c.k.: and so i sent it. and it was -- it is a very weird thing because i'm sending this to just people that are on my e-mail subscription list. it is a little select group of people, but then it's on twitter in seconds and it's on the internet and -- i mean i knew that more people would read it than who i sent it to. and i figured a few people would go, "oh, this guy's a jerk." and i knew that whatever, i was like whatever. let's just see what happens.

and then it is in every news publication in the world. charlie rose: yes. louis c.k.: and the more it grew, the more i was like, "oh goddammit, why did i do this to myself?" like this is -- this is so dumb and then all these things that i kind of just thought, they are just feelings i had and they were -- some of them contradicted each other. some of them were like you know, "jeez, i don't know this, jeez, i don't know this." but then all of a sudden, there's just this weight and this vise being put on the thing and these words are being tested and none of them hold up because it was just one guy talking like with a beer in his hand. it's just a guy -- you know what i mean, it was just my opinion at the moment about the election and it was based on some big feelings and i stand by some of it. charlie rose: you compared him to hitler. louis c.k.: yes, yes, sure, not hitler when he was done, you know i mean, that's an unfair comparison for anybody -- charlie rose: i know, in the 30s when he was coming up. louis c.k.: yeah, in his rookie years. yes, that was when he's -- you know. charlie rose: and you said what?

louis c.k.: yes, exactly. well, i guess i feel like there's a similar dynamics, yes, i guess so. i guess i feel that way and i did then and i -- you know -- charlie rose: you haven't changed. louis c.k.: no, i think -- i think it's a scary time and i don't -- and i don't think you can -- every time somebody terrible comes along and then we kill them and then we say there will never be another one of those and we say that guy was from another planet, that wasn't a human being. humans don't make people like that. he came from an egg. that guy was hatched from an egg. and so as long as we don't hatch people from eggs, we won't have any of those. well no, he had a mommy and he had a daddy and he was a baby and he played. charlie rose: he went to school. louis c.k.: he went to school, he had friends. you know, all -- whoever i am describing, he's done all these things. he's been nurtured by parents. he's been a good friend to somebody somewhere. he has listened to somebody who needed to be listened to, and

then this thing built and then he ended up all these terrible things that he did and happened through him. you know what i mean. so i don't know. i don't know that i would -- if i had to do over again say all that about trump again. look, i think trump is more from my world than he is from politics, you know? he is my -- he is one of us. he's a showbiz guy. charlie rose: he is an entertainer. louis c.k.: he is an entertainer, so i feel like we're responsible for him, all of us. charlie rose: you know what i hear? i hear this making its way into your routine. louis c.k.: i don't think so. i got to -- i think i have said everything i need to say about donald trump, jesus christ. [laughter] yes, i don't know. i mean here's where i -- i felt a little bit bad because a lot of people got mad at me. and they said just shut up. just shut your mouth. don't tell me -- you know, a lot of times when you say -- don't tell me what to think, right, i'm not telling anybody what to think. i'm expressing myself during an election year. charlie rose: you are telling them what you think. louis c.k.: yes, that's right, but i did come into their lives

through the funny ha-ha door and then i took a big political, serious -- on their table. so i get being irritated, i get it, i get it. i get why people would be irritated with my having written that. it's not what i do best. it's not what i am known for. it's not what i am asked about, you know what i mean? i mean if you invited somebody to your house because you knew they're funny and fun and then they just said all this stuff, you would be like, "what are you doing to me?" so i get why people got irritated. it's interesting to me, a lot of liberals got mad because i suggested that maybe conservatives and liberals have equal value. and that they should each have a shot at running government. i mean that's just the way that i was raised. i came from mexico when i was a little kid i lived in mexico, and i remember coming to america and discovering it as a little boy from another country. and the idea of democracy and free speech was just an incredible thing to me and still, i look at it with wide-open eyes. i'm very innocent that way.

and the way i look at the world is that i feel a certain way about how the country should be run, but not everybody feels the way i do. so when there's enough of me to push the election over to our side, we get a president for a while. but the other side who feels differently than i do, they should get an equal shot because it's not all my country. it's a lot of people's country, you know what i mean? charlie rose: of course i do. louis c.k.: so democracy shouldn't -- some people think democracy means i always get things the way i want them. well, i don't look at it that way. to me, democracy means sometimes i'm really frustrated with the way the government works, then i know it's working right. that's the way i look at it and i'm in my 40's. and so to me, obama is a liberal. he is a liberal president. to some people he's an arch, he's a huge conservative. it depends how you look at it. everybody looks at it differently. but i don't think trump is any of these things. i think trump is a guy who will dismantle the actual process. that's the only reason i said something. i'm not known for making political statements. i have never done this before.

there's no -- i have no track record of running my mouth politically. charlie rose: will you do it again? louis c.k.: no, i probably won't, but the reason i did in this case was because this isn't about i believe in the liberal cause and i want a liberal. it was because this guy feels like he could chuck it all away and he's even saying he wants to. he is saying he wants to make it that you can sue people for writing something you didn't like, you know, it's insane. so anyway, i shouldn't have said even what i said now, but -- charlie rose: but you did. louis c.k.: i shouldn't have written it, i'm sorry. i apologize. charlie rose: you don't mean that. louis c.k.: no, not at all, no. charlie rose: can i just talk about family for a moment? louis c.k.: sure. charlie rose: the kids are older now. do they laugh at you? louis c.k.: yes, they do. we laugh together, you know, we all laugh together in different ways. the ten year old is a jovial, fun laughing and the 14 year old, we talk about all kinds of stuff and we laugh about life together. she reads a lot and she's a very intelligent kid and she's very curious and thoughtful. so we have a lot to talk about.

it's great. it's the greatest part of life. charlie rose: talking to your kids. louis c.k.: yes, and being - you know, the thing about being with your kids and you don't have to be doing anything. you could be at the dmv or you can be waiting in line at the grocery store and you're having a good time. charlie rose: and have they seen "horace and pete"? louis c.k.: yes, they -- my oldest came to the taping of the last episode and it was really something to have her there. they are bored by what i do, which is probably a good thing. they have their own tv that they watch. and sometimes i will be like, "hey, there's an episode of my show that's like appropriate" and they're like rather watch, you know, "portlandia" or "gravity falls," "bob's burgers" is a very popular show with them. [laughter] charlie rose: my last question is, there was a time in which you weren't going to do another episode of "louis." i think it may have been between four and five or -- louis c.k.: yes, i took a break, yes. charlie rose: you took a break? louis c.k.: yes. charlie rose: and then all of a sudden you have a thought. louis c.k.: yes. charlie rose: and it takes -- it

seizes you. louis c.k.: right. charlie rose: and so all of a sudden you've got another series. louis c.k.: that's right. charlie rose: so what might happen having to do with louis or anything else, some idea just grabs you. louis c.k.: then i got to do it, yes. charlie rose: you got to do it? louis c.k.: yes, no matter what it takes. charlie rose: thank you. louis c.k.: thanks, charlie. charlie rose: pleasure. louis c.k.: yes, same here always, always. ♪

>> i'm mark crumpton. you're watching "bloomberg west." let's begin with a check of your first word news. residents and businesses along florida's gulf coast are bracing for hermine which has been upgraded to a hurricane. some low-lying communities have been evacuated and government offices in 51 counties closed at noon today. florida governor rick scott calls the storm potentially life-threatening. new zealand issued a tsunami warning for the east coast of the north island after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. the warning extends to auckland, the nation's most populous city. the quake's been followed by several aftershocks. turkey is threatening to suspend a migrant deal with the european union if vi