Gervais has always been a conundrum; his ability to completely embarrass himself for an uncomfortable laugh in roles like David Brent in The Office or Andy Millman in Extras puts him into a unique space in comedy (and often a brilliant one); yet he seems to be uncomfortable with laughing at himself in real life — which I suppose is why he uses someone like Karl Pilkington or Stephen Merchant as a foil. Louis C.K. seems comfortable carrying his own personal insecurities and failures into his comedy, which creates as many cringe-worthy moments as any Gervais show — but his ownership of it makes him seem more real. It’s difficult to determine who Ricky actually is, and where he’s coming from, when he does something like create an album.