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Anti-intellectualism just makes you look stupid (CM in Oz)

Started by Neil, June 17, 2010, 07:53:15 PM

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Neil

Chris Morris, The Doctor and Kayvan Novak


A fair bit to catch up on...I hope the next Morris project surfaces in the winter.  You might want to take a flick through the @cookdandbombd Twitter as I keep it up-to-date, and there's info and bits and pieces on there that has yet to make it onto the main site.  Firstly, and most interestingly, Four Lions has hit Australia, and Chris Morris and Kayvan Novak appeared on Triple J, promoting the film.  I have snipped this out and upped it seperately.  It's a joy to hear Morris in a real radio studio, again.  There's one particularly irritating moment towards the end, though, where Novak does a 'haha nerds' joke that is desperately uninspired (although quite nicely performed), and fails simply because the question the imaginary nerd asks, seems actually perfectly reasonable.  'Haha, look at this well-informed idiot who is interested in stuff!'  In fact, this imaginary nerd is better informed, and less vapid, than the Aussie radio host who was interviewing him at that very moment!  I'm a bit sick of lazy digs at people who like stuff, and value knowledge.  Note the keyword there is "lazy" - nerdy comedy fans are as much of a viable target as anyone else, in no way should we be utterly exempt from piss-taking.  More than that, it is incumbent on any decent artist to routinely challenge their fanbase.  This is how you show respect for your fans... that may seem paradoxical, but true contempt for an audience occurs when artists knock out under-achieving crap that never forces their audience to think

Novak possibly doesn't appreciate, though, that it's a two-way thing, and with Stephen Fry currently making very good points about the pointlessness of much current telly output, it occurs to me that, actually, the audience need to be demanding better content, too.  We should be celebrating the good stuff, and calling out all the useless, sausage-machine nonsense that doesn't challenge or entertain us in any kind of meaningful way.  And, incidentally, panel show's aren't comedy, they are just a cheap, easy substitute.  Their proliferation is currently strangling the British comedy scene, and stopping people developing or communicating truly original or interesting material.

This seems an appropriate time to work in the plug.  You know Bellamy's People?  That show I have been banging on about on here since it went out months ago?  Well, it can't get a second series, despite there being enough material already shot for one.  To be exact, not all the material would be usable, but one estimate suggested that there was easily enough material for about half a series, just sitting there.  The BBC would rather let it rot, though, because the show didn't get good ratings, and they're not willing to stand by it, and support a second series.  A remarkable myopic decision, considering the track record of Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson - I mean, noughties comedies like Little Britain, Catherine Tate and many other shows all followed in the wake of The Fast Show, for goodness sake. 

So I've made another in my recent series of hypocritical u-turns.  I despise internet campaigns, but I've helped put one together.  Please support intelligent British comedy by signing the petition and spreading it around.  There is a Facebook group to be joined, too.  We need numbers, so please spread these links far and wide.  I even started up www.bringbackbellamyspeople.com, which I will continue to expand - I need some help there, though, as just keeping up with CaB is very time-consuming at present, and I'm starting another site as well as all this.  Get in touch if you can help with the BP blog. 

Support intelligent, innovative British comedy by signing and spreading the petition and FB group


Back to CM in Aus...I had noticed that the character of Waj is child-like rather than stupid a while back - the supposed idiocy of the characters is very over-stated by media commentators who are also mostly still just talking about how controversial Four Lions is, rather than engaging with it as a piece of art.  Novak and Morris explain this whole set-up in the interview, and give some fascinating insight.  As forum poster JPA spotted, it sounds as if Morris is involved with the DVD commentary this time, as well.  I know, via @SquidyUK, that Bain and Armstrong are also definitely involved. The Four Lions DVD is confirmed as being released on the 30th of August, and you can already preorder it on DVD, or blu-ray if you're a rich bastard

There's also some fascinating footage and pictures of Morris in Sydney, courtesy of @WoollenBullet and @blusterpolitik.  @WoollenBullet says "They are good photos of the Chaser boys attaching themselves, sucker fish style, to Morris", and Bean Is A Carrot pointed me to this 'delightfully snarky blog' which says likewise.  Finally, here's the video footage - if you read the thread, and listen to the podcast interview, you'll see that Morris binged on The Chaser before going out there, which is rather polite.  Now, the bit in the video where he jokingly mocks The Chaser for caving over their controversial sketch, and hurriedly issuing an apology had me beaming for ages.  I don't think there's ever ANY acceptable time for a comedian to apologise for a joke, ever, ever, ever.  Contextualising it is...ok, but saying sorry, for humour?  If you do that, you shouldn't even be allowed to consider yourself a comedian, you're just on the same level as someone like Russell Brand, and probably only play at being controversial in order to boost your public profile.  You're a disgrace to your art, preternaturally undisicplined and careerist, and you should hang your head in shame.  Well done to Morris for having the balls to point that out.

Here's another thing that really thrilled me, yesterday.  Remember those film cells Warp promised us, when there was some kerfuffle over funding Four Lions?  They have all started arriving, and what seems immediately obvious to me, is that they are all unique!  So, if you sent in your address when it was requested, you should be receiving this charming little bit of cardboard, with 5 cells in it, and on the back is CM's sig, and then an individual message.  Even when some of the cells are of the same scene, and the message is of a similar sentiment, it is still uniquely phrased...how impressive is that?!  I mean, what does that say about the creativity of the man, and his absolute, 100% determination to never say 'ahh, this'll do.'  That, my friends, is real class.  I hope this bloke is prepared to eat his words.  I think I need a few mouthful's of my own, as I recall making cynical comments on past updates about how Warp were probably harvesting email addies so we'd then be spammed into oblivion.  Munch munch, yum yum. 

Mine contains five distant stills of the van going up the motorway to London, and says "not at all angry", which I like a lot, considering I'm such a ranty ballacks.  What does yours say?

Those posters still haven't shown up, so I've not done the draw yet, but I'll be back soon, with treats galore.