Edinburgh Fringe and Jerry Sadowitz

Soutra said:
I was unfortunate enough to be there. It was really offensive stuff. Racist, sexist, making fun of disabled people, homophobic.

I know the line can be a bit blurred but this was way, way, way over the blurred edges.
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But hasn't he always been like that?
 
atomicloonybin aka ALB said:
Yeah. And to me this is getting lost in the whipping the **** out bit. No-one should use the word p*k* in this day and age, even if it's someone as awful as Sunak.
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Years ago I saw Sadowitz live a few times and I remember been mesmerised by him as a kid when he was on the telly. I appreciate challenging comedy, and I am aware that I am probably being very hypocritical here, but saying the word p**i in the context he supposedly did for me is a no-no and a step too far.

We all have our limits and I think I have now found mine.
 
Most of the world has moved in the last twenty years and in most cases for the better.
I wouldn't want to watch him as it is not my thing. I am not sure, apart from the shock, why anyone would laugh at you getting your manbits out. It was probably something that most people got over in nursery.

I find it sad that the publicity that he has received will be e benefit to his career.
 
hewielewie said:
But hasn't he always been like that?
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No, I don't think so. I'd never seen him before, but I was talking afterwards to a couple who had seen him a few times before. They were shocked that his routine was very much more homophobic and sexist than before.

I think it's right to censor material when it's so offensive. The Festival and Fringe is a tremendous event that has frequently pushed the boundaries, but when an act is so profoundly nasty, then it's right to stop it.
 
When I saw him he did some good stuff about Israel/Palestine but I wasn't wild about some of the other stuff. I did quite like the angry ranting persona though.

I've never seen him do his close-up magic stuff.
 
He’s an easy target.
Jimmy Carr, Gervais (his recent stuff is pretty low) both push the boundaries but their popularity prevents action.

I’m glad there is no action, by the way - would just prefer consistency.
 
Soutra said:
No, I don't think so. I'd never seen him before, but I was talking afterwards to a couple who had seen him a few times before. They were shocked that his routine was very much more homophobic and sexist than before.

I think it's right to censor material when it's so offensive. The Festival and Fringe is a tremendous event that has frequently pushed the boundaries, but when an act is so profoundly nasty, then it's right to stop it.
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Fair enough that's your judgement. It is also the judgement of a few complainants who have denied others the opportunity to attend and make their own minds up about whether his material has indeed "worsened". Having seen him a few times I can't think it has - it was pretty shocking then. All it has done though is give him a welcome boost for all his shows up and down the country as people buy up tickets. The ban in this venue is as a result of "a few complaints from attendees and staff". We don't know how many in that 400 strong audience would have felt that way but on line there are quite a few eloquent arguments from attendees who state the opposite = that it was the same stuff he was doing when he appeared at the Pleasance years ago. I think the ban is unnecessary personally
 
Interesting debate and to be honest not sure where I stand on it.

However, and not relevant to the issue, his act sounds about as funny as an Eastenders xmas special.
 
Not my kind of comedy either and as stated earlier wouldn’t go and see him but am certainly dead against others being denied that. That said plenty of other opportunities for fans of his to do so as he embarks on a Nationwide Tour after August. Shame the Fringe (more specifically the promoter at the Pleasance), saw fit to act given their stated aim never to censor.
 
Soutra said:
I was unfortunate enough to be there. It was really offensive stuff. Racist, sexist, making fun of disabled people, homophobic.

I know the line can be a bit blurred but this was way, way, way over the blurred edges.
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Was it true that he didn't just get his c*** out, but he was also waving it around in front of a woman's face in the audience? I certainly wouldn't want to be using free speech to defend that.

I don't agree that he is "like chubby brown" his act is, usually, laced with irony. However it sounds as though that irony hasn't been as present this year, which likely is why people who usually like him think he's got worse. I don't know what the exact jokes were, but if he said that the economy is bad because of "blacks and women" and called Rishi Sunak a p*** and they were the targets of those jokes, I find it hard to believe they could be in any way appropriate.

It's also important to realise that at the Edinburgh Festival many audiences, even for paid shows, do not know much about who they are going to see. Usually people will see a trusted venue, good TV credits and possibly a name they've heard, then go to see them. I can understand that the Plesance would not want to be linked to a show of that nature as it may put people off going to see other shows.

It's not entirely clear how much of a "free speech" issue this is without knowing exactly what was done or said. But as I said above, I hardly want to be the guy defending flashing a room of people on free speech grounds.
 
FlapJacks said:
When I saw him he did some good stuff about Israel/Palestine but I wasn't wild about some of the other stuff. I did quite like the angry ranting persona though.

I've never seen him do his close-up magic stuff.
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He produced a magic mag called the crimp for years. I bought an electronic version of them all last year. It's essentially viz for magicians. It's funny as ****
 
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