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The Secret of Good Comedy?
From last Sunday's Observer: "Male stars such as Russell Brand receive less criticism. While he has admitted problems in the past with drugs and alcohol he receives favourable press."
In particular the headline leapt out: "If this was Russell Brand, would we have cared?"
(Although on the webpage this now reads: "Anger grows over Katona 'train wreck' TV interview")
Predictably deeF was devoted almost entirely to the Brand and Ross affair - and it would be fascinating to know how many of the complaints came from people who heard the original broadcast. The Daily Hypocrite - whose editor is a huge admirer of Gordon Brown - demonstrates its outrage at the infringement of privacy of Andrew Sach's shrinking violet granddaughter by printing a transcript of the whole broadcast plus bits which were edited out.
Personally I have no like of Russell Brand, and he fills me with the urge to slap him, and I prefer Ross when he's doing his film and comics documentaries rather than fawning over celebs, and their prank feels like the work of a couple of naughty school boys. Inevitably both of them were employed for the publicity value and the demand to be edgy - as Kenny Everett and Chris Morris were before them. They risk being sacked for not being rude - and of course one of the things we laugh at for relief, for corrective purposes, for recognising the taboo, is that which we know to be wrong. We license our jesters to say these things for us. And sometimes we then hate them for reflecting too much of ourselves back.
It's funny precisely because it's racist, sexist, homophobic. Whether it's funny enough to justify telling despite this is another, case by case, issue.
In trying to be funny, comedians risk being unfunny. In fact there is no joke that everyone will find funny. It's a tightrope walk.
In particular the headline leapt out: "If this was Russell Brand, would we have cared?"
(Although on the webpage this now reads: "Anger grows over Katona 'train wreck' TV interview")
Predictably deeF was devoted almost entirely to the Brand and Ross affair - and it would be fascinating to know how many of the complaints came from people who heard the original broadcast. The Daily Hypocrite - whose editor is a huge admirer of Gordon Brown - demonstrates its outrage at the infringement of privacy of Andrew Sach's shrinking violet granddaughter by printing a transcript of the whole broadcast plus bits which were edited out.
Personally I have no like of Russell Brand, and he fills me with the urge to slap him, and I prefer Ross when he's doing his film and comics documentaries rather than fawning over celebs, and their prank feels like the work of a couple of naughty school boys. Inevitably both of them were employed for the publicity value and the demand to be edgy - as Kenny Everett and Chris Morris were before them. They risk being sacked for not being rude - and of course one of the things we laugh at for relief, for corrective purposes, for recognising the taboo, is that which we know to be wrong. We license our jesters to say these things for us. And sometimes we then hate them for reflecting too much of ourselves back.
It's funny precisely because it's racist, sexist, homophobic. Whether it's funny enough to justify telling despite this is another, case by case, issue.
In trying to be funny, comedians risk being unfunny. In fact there is no joke that everyone will find funny. It's a tightrope walk.