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Could Jim Davidson ever make a comeback?

Started by 2 Light Ales Please, February 25, 2011, 01:21:25 PM

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Tokyo Sexwhale

Quote from: Lfbarfe on February 25, 2011, 08:30:27 PM
John Ammonds, producer of Morecambe and Wise, produced one of Davidson's Thames series. I asked John about it and he said "I don't like to speak ill of anyone, so can we avoid the subject of Jim Davidson, please?".

Ha, the Winner/Littlejohn clip there comes from my tape. Small world. It was the first of a series and I already had a horrified fascination with Littlejohn, but I was away that weekend, so I asked mum to tape it. Came back, saw what had happened and vowed never to record over it. Fast forward nearly 16 years, I encoded it and put it on TheBox. The next day, it's on YouTube. I love technology.

Is that the one where he defends the Lebanese against Little Richard?

CollaterlySisters

Seven words to remind anyone why he should never be allowed to: 'Up The Elephant & Round The Castle'

The Cloud of Unknowing

I've just listened to Davidson's Robin Williams anecdote in this track - http://open.spotify.com/track/6OzwpqV90RLLhNIKyzsQih (in which he also says he was influenced by Sam Kinison!) - and suspect the reason for Williams's mood swing may well have been the content of Davidson's act.  Davidson does - or did - seem to lack self-awareness in the face of his critics.

Anyway, I don't think the Front Row interview [on iPlayer] was quite the mea culpa that the BBC link in the first post implies.  The play does sound mildly intriguing though, despite it all.

Lfbarfe

Quote from: CollaterlySisters on February 25, 2011, 08:57:24 PM
Seven words to remind anyone why he should never be allowed to: 'Up The Elephant & Round The Castle'

That's just reminded me of a great story about Up the Elephant told to me by a friend who worked at Thames. In one episode, a mugger character had to punch Davidson. Obviously, it would be a pulled punch made to look like a real one through clever camera angles. During the lunch break, the crew had a whip-round, after which one of them took the actor playing the mugger aside and said he could have the proceeds of the whip if he were to 'accidentally' misjudge the swing and actually hit Davidson. Being a struggling young thespian, he did so gratefully. It's unclear whether Davidson realised it was anything but an accident, but he declared that the young man would never work again. And so it came to pass. I mean, what exactly has David Thewlis done since then?

Oh, and on Big Break, he had a brief affair with a young PA. She fled the studio in tears after he told the whole crew loudly about 'potting her brown' the night before.

2 Light Ales Please

Just listened to Front Row and it's not a terrible interview.  He seems fairly switched-on (in context), but I think his apparent change of heart is insincere because I've witnessed him being so horrible over the years. I still don't buy his reformation and think it's all a bit cynical.  Sounds to me like he's trying to shift the blame away from his own horrid attitudes "I really do think it's perception ...let's move on".  This quote also bothers me: "maybe all the audience that came to see me and made me rich and famous should apologise to their ethnic neighbours".  While it's true that his audience has been as much to blame as him, if it weren't for him writing his horrible material, they'd have nothing to go and see.[nb]His fans are all cunts though, no two ways about it.[/nb]  Also, he goes all quite when he says 'Pakistani', a trait I always recognise in genuine racists, as if simply mentioning a nationality is going to offend 'one of them' so it's best to say it quietly.[nb]Or am I just being a bit over the top?[/nb]

Pseudopath

Gotta love the trailer to his new play:

Jim Davidson Stand Up and Be Counted Trailer

What is it with right-wingers and god-awful design choices? Does their ignorance have to extend to painful typography, phoned-in soundtracks and woefully-outdated video effects?

Zetetic

QuoteOld School Eddie (Jim Davidson) faces up to the cream of new comedians, including Earl T Richards (Matt Blaize) who is politically correct, brilliant...and black!
Christ.

The Cloud of Unknowing

Quote from: 2 Light Ales Please on February 26, 2011, 12:52:43 AM
Just listened to Front Row and it's not a terrible interview.  He seems fairly switched-on (in context), but I think his apparent change of heart is insincere because I've witnessed him being so horrible over the years. I still don't buy his reformation and think it's all a bit cynical.  Sounds to me like he's trying to shift the blame away from his own horrid attitudes "I really do think it's perception ...let's move on".  This quote also bothers me: "maybe all the audience that came to see me and made me rich and famous should apologise to their ethnic neighbours".  While it's true that his audience has been as much to blame as him, if it weren't for him writing his horrible material, they'd have nothing to go and see.  Also, he goes all quite when he says 'Pakistani', a trait I always recognise in genuine racists, as if simply mentioning a nationality is going to offend 'one of them' so it's best to say it quietly.

I'd broadly agree with that.  (I get what you're saying about the self-conscious "Pakistani", btw, but it could just as well be him faltering out of politeness I suppose.)
I'd also say he isn't trying to cynically reinvent himself in the way that the BBC story and the Max Clifford quotes imply.  And he does seem to be interested in comedy and comedians.

Defence of Jim Davidson ends


There was a feature about the play on Chortle last month: http://www.chortle.co.uk/interviews/2011/01/31/12668/it%92s_me_against_the_world_now

That trailer doesn't look great but prog fans may speculate on whether the music was written by his mate Rick Wakeman.  (It sounds like Part 2 of Awaken by Yes, stop yawning.)

2 Light Ales Please

#38
The name of the play reminds me of something Legz Akimbo would produce.

Quote from: Pseudopath on February 26, 2011, 01:26:54 AM
What is it with right-wingers and god-awful design choices? Does their ignorance have to extend to painful typography, phoned-in soundtracks and woefully-outdated video effects?

I've seen Scientology promos of a higher standard.

And what the hell's going on with the guy in glasses? How should he know that Eddie is a homophobe? I'm certainly intrigued.

The Cloud of Unknowing

Quote from: 2 Light Ales Please on February 26, 2011, 01:52:12 AM
And what the hell's going on with the guy in glasses? How should he know that Eddie is a homophobe?

E's a fackin iron.


biggytitbo

Very interesting stuff. I think you have to give Davidson some credit for at least trying.

Davidson will probably make a comeback in 20 years time, when he's old enough to count as a venerable national treasure - which is what happened to the equally unpleasant, right-wing, and talentless Bruce Forsyth.

Catalogue Trousers

Stand Up & Be Counted - also the title of an un-nervingly right-wing ditty by the late Hughie Green.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64z16Vd69Vs

Jim wearing his influences on his sleeve?

Jemble Fred


The Masked Unit

Regarding his "Chalky" stuff, I remember as a child thinking "He can't be racist, because he's just telling a story about his black friend". I can't imagine many adults were naive enough to think the same thing, but to me it seems somehow worse than if he just straight up said "blacks are scum". It a roundabout way,  it reminds me of when prince Harry referred to a fellow squadie as "our p**i friend", knowing that the p**i in question would go along with it in order to fit in, but couldn't possibly have liked being referred to in that way.

doppelkorn

Quote from: Pseudopath on February 26, 2011, 01:26:54 AM
What is it with right-wingers and god-awful design choices? Does their ignorance have to extend to painful typography, phoned-in soundtracks and woefully-outdated video effects?

Brian Ferry begs to differ.

Quote from: doppelkorn on February 26, 2011, 11:35:44 AM
Brian Ferry begs to differ.

Is that the 'Nazis had style' quote you've got in mind there?

Retinend

uhhhh could we stop proclaiming people as 'right wing' without any evidence, especially when it's purely used a synonym for 'cunt'.

mobias

Quote from: Phoenix Lazarus on February 26, 2011, 02:23:11 PM
Is that the 'Nazis had style' quote you've got in mind there?

Brain Ferry is a tory, a lot of old rockers of that vintage like Eric Clapton are all tories too.

doppelkorn

Yeah it was. I was just being smart-arsed really. Didn't have anything to contribute to the debate.

As you were.

Tiny Poster

If Jim Davidson ever does make a comeback, it'll be down to people who don't care for his comedy constantly paying him attention and asking "Could Jim Davidson ever make a comeback?", not Max Clifford.

Jake Thingray

Quote from: Lfbarfe on February 26, 2011, 12:50:57 AM
That's just reminded me of a great story about Up the Elephant told to me by a friend who worked at Thames. In one episode, a mugger character had to punch Davidson. Obviously, it would be a pulled punch made to look like a real one through clever camera angles. During the lunch break, the crew had a whip-round, after which one of them took the actor playing the mugger aside and said he could have the proceeds of the whip if he were to 'accidentally' misjudge the swing and actually hit Davidson. Being a struggling young thespian, he did so gratefully. It's unclear whether Davidson realised it was anything but an accident, but he declared that the young man would never work again. And so it came to pass. I mean, what exactly has David Thewlis done since then?


That's wonderful, thank you. So was your previous post involving John Ammonds, presumably he was doing that time-honoured thing of former BBC men doing a few years at ITV for more money, before retiring.

Were it not for Davidson's homophobia, his only hope might have been to form a double act with Michael Barrymore. Both were wife-beaters, both have had substance addictions, and both expect the public to still love them and can't acknowledge that time has moved on.

SavageHedgehog

The play does sound intriguing, probably awful gash about how "the young comedians" (i.e. almost anyone to come along since 1981) have no respect and all that, but if it were on TV I'd watch it, which is not something I'd think I'd say about a project from JD's pen

2 Light Ales Please

Quote from: Tiny Poster on February 26, 2011, 02:38:11 PM
If Jim Davidson ever does make a comeback, it'll be down to people who don't care for his comedy constantly paying him attention and asking "Could Jim Davidson ever make a comeback?", not Max Clifford.

Stop me if I'm wrong, but that's complete and utter bollocks.  I'm not reviving his career by slagging him off on a forum frequented (presumably) by people who think he's a cunt.  If Max Clifford were to give him well targeted publicity, it'd do him a lot more favours than me or anyone else criticising him on a website.

Tiny Poster

The interest in his play didn't come from the right-wing press, it came from The Guardian and comedy media like Chortle.

Mind you, Max Clifford doesn't even have to do any work for his clients, just make an announcement that somebody's hired him, and speculation takes care of the rest of it.

The Cloud of Unknowing

For what it's worth, I don't think Max Clifford is involved with Davidson.  The BBC just contacted him for some background bollocks.

bitesize

just needs someone to describe him as "deliciously un-PC" and all the twats who lapped up Frankie Boyle's last series will automatically love it.

Tiny Poster

Quote from: The Cloud of Unknowing on February 26, 2011, 03:25:17 PM
For what it's worth, I don't think Max Clifford is involved with Davidson.  The BBC just contacted him for some background bollocks.

Proof, if proof...

The Cloud of Unknowing

Quote from: Tiny Poster on February 26, 2011, 03:26:32 PM
Proof, if proof...

But he's "known the comedian for 30 years".  Have some respect.