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Chris Morris Feature

Started by Ben Hewitt, August 13, 2009, 12:55:43 PM

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Ben Hewitt

Hi,

My name is Ben Hewitt and I work as the news editor of a UK independent music website called The Quietus.

We've just published a feature which looks at 'On The Hour' and has interviews with Armando Iannucci, Stewart Lee, Swells and David Quantick.

http://thequietus.com/articles/02471-on-the-hour-parting-the-beef-curtains-of-news

I think it may be of real interest to you, so I hope you enjoy it!

Are there any other sites where it may be welcome?

Cheers

Ben

Jemble Fred

This is the first I've heard of the Jesus fossil material being by Wells? Its suggestion for 'Why Bother' suggested it was always ©Morris. Do we believe the dead man, is Morris a plagiarist? Even if SW seemed quite unphased by it all...

Ta for sharing it anyway.

neveragain

Dear me... Thanks indeed for the sharing, but from the way Wells and Quantick were speaking there I can't find a thing to like about them.

Quote"Armando even gave us some not very good tapes of some not very good shows he's worked to show us how it should be done. We thought they were shit. I don't think we ever really got on his wavelength."

They sound awfully self-pitying, the pair of music journo's ('Story of my fucking life' - Wells, especially) and it's an irritating thing I've noticed with Lee and Herring as well that they seem very quick to badmouth the show at most opportunities, saying it wasn't the shape they imagined. Balls to you! Overall, it wasn't your show. Quantick wrote an article recently, which appeared here, basically saying that the show didn't hold up altogether but 'twas an admirable starting block. I can't stand that attitude, it's like they're embarrassed to look back upon it because it's a bit silly.A stupid stance to take. 'God, I wrote most of it stoned!' Well, show some restraint then. Perhaps the bitterness is simply because Morris and Iannucci got more out of it.

Side-point: I've been rewatching Fist of Fun and TMWRNJ lately and there are many enjoyable moments, it's great for the most part... but does anyone else feel that their constant references to 'grumpy Cornish actor' Patrick Marber were just childishly bitter. I'm sure we all know of their falling out, but they really should have just got over it (not purely because the audience wouldn't know who he is, in-jokes are fine by me). It's unnecessary to harbour such ill will and doesn't do any good dwelling over it, especially in such a public way. It's embarrassing. I remember a quote from Richard Herring 'Well, he can just go back and write his little plays, and pretend that anybody cares'. I hope he saw Closer, in one of its many award-winning runs or the fanfared film.
... And God, Stewart Lee looks like a tit when he moans on about how famous he isn't, and it's the industry's fault. Stick to being funny in a very slow way beside some art deco lamps, you smug turd.

I read a nice SOTCAA piece ages ago containing Iannucci's recollections of the OTH genesis, mentioning how it was the awful tone and ludicrous organisation of that course that spurred him on and that the first item he recorded was something to do with a three-way boxing match.
Would be great to hear him yattering on some more.

Famous Mortimer

Agree about Quantick. He's like Stuart Maconie, but even more smug and disagreeable. But I don't think Lee and Herring really talk about it any more, do they? I seem to recall some burying of the hatchet a few years ago.

But I thought their mockery of Patrick Marber was hilarious. It's the way they crowbarred it into places it shouldn't really have been, and carried on long after they should have stopped - all those things made it funnier for me. Maybe they weren't bothered about the awards "Closer" won...or maybe they'd really stopped caring about him by that point. It's not like they still insult him in interviews, is it?

Geraint

yeah, I always thought the Marber-baiting was, at least past the first couple of times, them deliberately being petty and childish and sending themselves up with mock bitterness. Funny in the same was that the Simon Quinlank character raging about his nemesis 'Neil Petark' who we never see is.

Serge

Quote from: Famous Mortimer on August 13, 2009, 02:13:56 PMAgree about Quantick. He's like Stuart Maconie, but even more smug and disagreeable.

I must step in here and defend Stuart Maconie, who I quite like. He doesn't strike me as being disagreeable in the same way that Quantick usually does, but then Maconie seems to be doing what he wants and is happy enough with that whereas Quantick seems to have an enormous chip on his shoulder about, well, everything.

Other than that, quite enjoyed the article. Is there a print version of The Quietus? I know the name and I can't quite place it. It's possible I've been directed towards another online article before now.

thugler

Quote from: neveragain on August 13, 2009, 02:04:21 PM


Side-point: I've been rewatching Fist of Fun and TMWRNJ lately and there are many enjoyable moments, it's great for the most part... but does anyone else feel that their constant references to 'grumpy Cornish actor' Patrick Marber were just childishly bitter. I'm sure we all know of their falling out, but they really should have just got over it (not purely because the audience wouldn't know who he is, in-jokes are fine by me). It's unnecessary to harbour such ill will and doesn't do any good dwelling over it, especially in such a public way. It's embarrassing. I remember a quote from Richard Herring 'Well, he can just go back and write his little plays, and pretend that anybody cares'. I hope he saw Closer, in one of its many award-winning runs or the fanfared film.
... And God, Stewart Lee looks like a tit when he moans on about how famous he isn't, and it's the industry's fault. Stick to being funny in a very slow way beside some art deco lamps, you smug turd.

I think marber started the conflict actually, slagging them off and taking credit for things they had had involvement into. Their side of it was clearly a bit of a joke rather than genuine bitterness.

Closer, Is a fucking terrible piece of shit. I always enjoyed marbers performances in tdt/kmky though.

non capisco

Quote from: Geraint on August 13, 2009, 08:05:30 PM
yeah, I always thought the Marber-baiting was, at least past the first couple of times, them deliberately being petty and childish and sending themselves up with mock bitterness. Funny in the same was that the Simon Quinlank character raging about his nemesis 'Neil Petark' who we never see is.

They've both gone on record as saying pretty much that, though I've no doubt the resent still simmers, particularly with Lee.

My theory is that 'Neil Petark' might possibly have been inspired by the Kevin Turvey monologues from 'A Kick Up The Eighties', where he keeps railing against the then-unseen Keith Marshall.

amputeeporn

Quote from: Serge on August 13, 2009, 11:08:36 PM
I know the name and I can't quite place it. It's possible I've been directed towards another online article before now.

I think I first heard of The Quietus through it being an off-shoot of drownedinsound, if you ever use that site? Nice little article.

neveragain

I haven't seen Closer (beyond the first few dreary minutes) but what annoyed me was Herring's 'nobody will surely care!' dismissiveness and whether or not he respects the award(s), they certainly show that some people were taking notice.
However, if their Marber-baiting was self-parody.. I could live with that. Might view it that way from now on. I know they don't really do it anymore. And I don't know what Marber's like as a person but, as mentioned, he's technically fab performance-wise. Not that I'm justifying supposed plagiarism but then I always thought their OTH beef was overblown.

Famous Mortimer

#10
Quote from: neveragain on August 14, 2009, 12:40:58 AM
I haven't seen Closer (beyond the first few dreary minutes) but what annoyed me was Herring's 'nobody will surely care!' dismissiveness and whether or not he respects the award(s), they certainly show that some people were taking notice.
They didn't insult him or even mention him a great deal after Fist Of Fun, but (and I don't remember there being) let's say they were still giving Marber a roasting in every episode of TMWRNJ. It's not just "they don't really do it anymore", they've not done it in a decade. And you're admitting Closer was dreary, so it seems a strange thing to defend.

Quote from: neveragain on August 14, 2009, 12:40:58 AMHowever, if their Marber-baiting was self-parody.. I could live with that. Might view it that way from now on.
After the first few times, I'm surprised anyone could consider it anything else.

Geraint

Quote from: Famous Mortimer on August 14, 2009, 07:43:04 AM
They didn't insult him or even mention him a great deal after Fist Of Fun, but (and I don't remember there being) let's say they were still giving Marber a roasting in every episode of TMWRNJ. It's not just "they don't really do it anymore", they've not done it in a decade. And you're admitting Closer was dreary, so it seems a strange thing to defend.
After the first few times, I'm surprised anyone could consider it anything else.

It's come up occasionally since then - Herring gets in a cheeky dig at him in the 'Talking Cock' book - but yeah, it hasn't been a regular thing since FoF

neveragain

Well, I suppose it's just because I've just been watching earlier shows where they do mention him quite a bit. Thanks to http://www.stewartlee.co.uk/oldshows.htm (lovely page). And I wasn't trying to defend Marber or his work, but basically thinking that their treatment of the situation was a bit lazy and self-righteous (which they may have all right to be, I dunno).

The concept of it being self-parody still seems peculiar and a bit implausible to me. I always assumed that part of the joke was that they were doing it to excess, but still as an attempt to get up a certain Cornishman's nose rather than act a jape upon themselves. It's 'make him go Aww stop it fume fume!' rather than 'make the audience go Gahh yes we know how neurotic you are guffaw guffaw!'... But then again they're both very intelligent individuals and surely have unseen depths of self-awareness.

wheatgod


Lfbarfe

Quote from: non capisco on August 13, 2009, 11:34:44 PM
My theory is that 'Neil Petark' might possibly have been inspired by the Kevin Turvey monologues from 'A Kick Up The Eighties', where he keeps railing against the then-unseen Keith Marshall.

One of those rare cases where, when the unseen character is revealed, it doesn't spoil everything utterly. Ade is great as Keith Marshall in The Man Behind the Green Door. The likes of Chumbawamba scream "Keith Marshall and his musical anarchy" at me.

Lfbarfe

As for Swells and Quantick looking bitter, maybe it's just irritation at seeing something they created presented for years and years as evidence of Morris' edginess. At his best, Quantick is a very funny writer.

non capisco

Quote from: Lfbarfe on August 15, 2009, 06:26:03 PM
One of those rare cases where, when the unseen character is revealed, it doesn't spoil everything utterly. Ade is great as Keith Marshall in The Man Behind the Green Door. The likes of Chumbawamba scream "Keith Marshall and his musical anarchy" at me.

Aw, man. The whole of 'Man Behind The Green Door' is just balls-to-the-wall sublime.

neveragain

I gladly take your point Lbarfe, which also prompts me to retract my previous balls...

QuoteBalls...

since all the little bits of nonsense that Wells, Quantick and especially Lee&Herring-combined's efforts cultivated the OTH atmosphere which works so damn well.

vrailaine

I thought Linehan and Matthews had no involvement until The Day Today?