Hoot Your Trap Off
Chris Morris returns to our screens tonight with his new sitcom 'Nathan Barley'. As a complete fanboy I am staying in specially to watch this - however I have a horrible feeling from the trailers, adverts and reviews I have seen that it will be a load of shite.
The trouble Chris Morris has is that he has set such incredibly high standards that producing something just 'OK' or 'Amusing' can only be seen as a major disappointment. The Day Today, Why Bother?, Brass Eye and Blue Jam were not only hysterically funny, but changed the way you looked at the world... and certainly changed TV comedy for good. In comparison the concept of this series can hardly be described as groundbreaking. 'Shoreditch Twat' magazine ridiculed the whole Hoxton scene years ago - and the Nathan Barley character itself is hardly fresh. His 'Cunt' listings originally appeared in TV Go Home way back in the dawn of time itself (1999).
Cook'd and Bomb'd - THE place to go for Chris Morris info (and to download his radio shows) has already declared this series a write-off... as have most newspaper reviews I've read. I'm witholding judgement until i've actually seen it though - having endured jumped up roadkill like Tessa Jowell condemning the Brass Eye Special without even watching it i'm not going to fall into the same trap myself.
After all, most people seemed to consider 'Jam' a major dissappointment. I think it is an astonishing piece of work - taking comedy into (dark and twisted) directions no-one (but CM) could ever have thought possible. So unless Nathan Barley proves otherwise I refuse to believe that Chris Morris is capable of producing a series without a healthy dose of genius infused within. We will find out tonight... i'll be back later with my verdict.
I will probably try & write up a proper appreciation of Jam at some point in the future. If you've not seen it, read those Amazon reviews to get an idea of what you're missing. And then buy it. Otherwise the 'Blue Jam' CD (basically highlights from the Radio Shows) is still available from Amazon (Warp Records seem to be out of stock at the moment.) If that's not enough for you, all 3 series (18 hours!) of the Blue Jam radio shows are widely available on the net... cook'd and bomb'd will point you in the right direction.
The trouble Chris Morris has is that he has set such incredibly high standards that producing something just 'OK' or 'Amusing' can only be seen as a major disappointment. The Day Today, Why Bother?, Brass Eye and Blue Jam were not only hysterically funny, but changed the way you looked at the world... and certainly changed TV comedy for good. In comparison the concept of this series can hardly be described as groundbreaking. 'Shoreditch Twat' magazine ridiculed the whole Hoxton scene years ago - and the Nathan Barley character itself is hardly fresh. His 'Cunt' listings originally appeared in TV Go Home way back in the dawn of time itself (1999).
Cook'd and Bomb'd - THE place to go for Chris Morris info (and to download his radio shows) has already declared this series a write-off... as have most newspaper reviews I've read. I'm witholding judgement until i've actually seen it though - having endured jumped up roadkill like Tessa Jowell condemning the Brass Eye Special without even watching it i'm not going to fall into the same trap myself.
After all, most people seemed to consider 'Jam' a major dissappointment. I think it is an astonishing piece of work - taking comedy into (dark and twisted) directions no-one (but CM) could ever have thought possible. So unless Nathan Barley proves otherwise I refuse to believe that Chris Morris is capable of producing a series without a healthy dose of genius infused within. We will find out tonight... i'll be back later with my verdict.
I will probably try & write up a proper appreciation of Jam at some point in the future. If you've not seen it, read those Amazon reviews to get an idea of what you're missing. And then buy it. Otherwise the 'Blue Jam' CD (basically highlights from the Radio Shows) is still available from Amazon (Warp Records seem to be out of stock at the moment.) If that's not enough for you, all 3 series (18 hours!) of the Blue Jam radio shows are widely available on the net... cook'd and bomb'd will point you in the right direction.
posted by headphonesex @ 4:44 PM
