Before & Laughter: A Life-Changing Book by Jimmy Carr (unfunnyman autobiography)

[Petey Pate]

This is out tomorrow and there's a new interview with Mr. Carr in The Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/sep/29/jimmy-carr-on-booze-taxes-and-being-a-virgin-at-26-do-i-sound-like-an-incel-elder

While I'm not a fan of Mr. Carr's comedy, I will admit that I am mildly interested in him, mainly because his act is so impersonal and cold it's intriguing to see who the person operating the joke machine actually is. It was interesting seeing him denounce tax avoidance schemes on Room 101 and I did feel a begrudging amount of respect that he owned up to his past wrongdoing in such a way.

That said, I probably won't read his book.

[poodlefaker]

"Before and Laughter" is a terrible title, FFS. "Little Goes a Long Way" is how you do it, mate. Imagine putting out a comedian's autobiography with worse title that Syd Little's.

[gilbertharding]

He's like a post-modern Bob Monkhouse.

As you say, if you squint, you can find him interesting. He's a technician, which isn't a reason not to like him - and it's not the same as being a hack.

The interview doesn't mention the laugh, I notice.

[gilbertharding]

"Before and Laughter" is a terrible title, FFS. "Little Goes a Long Way" is how you do it, mate. Imagine putting out a comedian's autobiography with worse title that Syd Little's.

It should be "Before and Laff-ter" (with the second word in italics),obviously.

[C_Larence]

The pandemic gave him more time to spend with his son, and he admits that he would desperately like another but doesn't know how possible that is.

This sentence makes it sound like Carr is longing for millions of people to die.

[Ignatius_S]

Owned up to wrongdoing? Must have missed that.

Those kind of tax schemes are complicated and can be changed retrospectively - if the latter happens, the person has to pay the tax plus interest. A common reason for retrospective changes is that the Revenue twigs that people are using rules in a way that wasn't intended - i.e. to avoid paying tax.

A decent/ competent financial advisor will explain that using such a scheme is a grey area and you might end up paying the original tax and interest on top - and that's why a lot of people don't use them.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Sort your laugh out you fucking freak.

[bigfatheart]

"Before and Laughter" is a terrible title, FFS. "Little Goes a Long Way" is how you do it, mate. Imagine putting out a comedian's autobiography with worse title that Syd Little's.

Carr Manual

[phantom_power]

Carr Trouble

[imitationleather]

Maxine Carr

[Famous Mortimer]

I mean, it's not like he was personally doing his own taxes. I presume.

[jobotic]

Shouting abuse at overweight women and gypsies from the back of a chauffer driven Carr.

[checkoutgirl]

Carr For The Course
Carr For Mr Jimmy
Carr and Away in my Beautiful Balloon
Carr Pet Bagger
Carrn't Pay My Taxes
Unfunny Robotic WanCarr
Little Jimmy Cranky (about his tax bill)

I've always instinctively disliked this man. That aloof tilt of the head and clasping of the hands as he slags off fat people, minorities and people like that with no emotion on his toddler face. Just very very annoying. The ubiquity on channel 4 for about 25 years. Nobody deserves that run of luck. The laugh. The tax dodging. The Jonathan Ross styles suits. It's like they cooked him up in a lab specifically to annoy me. He might be an okay bloke behind it all but I can't stand him.

He is a decent joke writer though, on the whole. I said this before but I got a ticket to see him as a crimbo present about a decade ago and went to not seem ungrateful. The crowd were fair weather non comedy fans who saw him on telly a few times. You know the type, they will go to two comedy gigs in their entire life and this is one of them. The final straw came when he did the buy one get one free joke which I'm sure I saw in a joke book. Not my cup of tea at all but he's made about 20 million out of it so it's a lucrative racket for him.

I snuck out of the gig at the interval.

[BeardFaceMan]

I mean, it's not like he was personally doing his own taxes. I presume.

I think the way I heard him describe it was his accountant said to him "do you want to pay less tax and it's perfectly legal?" and he said "of course, who wouldn't?"

[Jerzy Bondov]

Anyone else read his previous book The Naked Jape? Written with Lucy Greeves and her name is admirably large on the cover, suggesting he doesn't (or didn't - this was 2006) have a big ego. Anyway I thought it was good.

[turnstyle]

I take great comfort in the fact that although I may never be as rich as Jimmy Carr, at the same time no newspaper will ever write a headline about me that contains the information that I was a virgin at 26.

[Ignatius_S]

I mean, it's not like he was personally doing his own taxes. I presume.

That's correct but the people who do the tax have a legal and professional responsibility to explain the schemes to their clients.

As mentioned above, these schemes are essentially loopholes, which can be retrospectively changed and the people, who took advantage of them, have to pay the tax they would have and interest on top of that. Also, there sometimes using the schemes in this way can be ruled to be tax evasion, rather than avoidance - a more serious proposition that can mean jail time.

These sort of schemes are invariably a grey area - you might get away with it, but you may not. At the time of the Carr case, I posted a couple of links, such as financial advisor blogs about how clients are advised by them.  *Spoiler* There's a bit more to it than saying 'Would you like to pay less tax?' Maybe someone does have that kind of conversation with their financial advisor, but if they do, they might want to be a bit more curious about how and get a new advisor at the same time.

The Chris Moyles case was essentially trying to reduce tax liabilities by claiming to be a car dealer when https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-26297943

[BeardFaceMan]

There's a bit more to it than saying 'Would you like to pay less tax?'

Oh for sure, but that was essentially his defense, saying that his accountant just said he had a legal way for him to pay less tax and so he took him at his word as that's why he was employing him and so said yes and didn't need to look into it as that was what the accountant was for. He's trying to shift the blame, legal or not he was still trying to pay less tax and thought that was fine.

[Ignatius_S]

Oh for sure, but that was essentially his defense, saying that his accountant just said he had a legal way for him to pay less tax and so he took him at his word as that's why he was employing him and so said yes and didn't need to look into it as that was what the accountant was for. He's trying to shift the blame, legal or not he was still trying to pay less tax and thought that was fine.

Aye, it was - and personally, I'm doubtful how accurate that was.

Around the time of his tax scheme being reported, on The Register, one of the readers commented that his advisor had raised this kind of scheme, which underlined the fact it was a grey area; it's legal now but that can change. The person said they didn't go for it because they didn't want potentially to be hit with a tax bill later down the line and also, although they don't really like paying tax, they understand why they pay it and how they have personally benefited from it. I like to think that would be my sentiment!

[Bennett Brauer]

Carr For The Course
Carr For Mr Jimmy
Carr and Away in my Beautiful Balloon
Carr Pet Bagger
Carrn't Pay My Taxes
Unfunny Robotic WanCarr
Little Jimmy Cranky (about his tax bill)

Carr: A Vaggio

Probably stating the obvious but the annoying laugh started very soon after the tax debacle. As if he was told the deadpan superiority wouldn't fly and he needed to appear more human.

Talking of taxes, he's another one of those comedians who mixes with the royals, isn't he? Private stand-up gig at Highgrove and a slap-up feast to follow.

[BeardFaceMan]

Aye, it was - and personally, I'm doubtful how accurate that was.

Around the time of his tax scheme being reported, on The Register, one of the readers commented that his advisor had raised this kind of scheme, which underlined the fact it was a grey area; it's legal now but that can change. The person said they didn't go for it because they didn't want potentially to be hit with a tax bill later down the line and also, although they don't really like paying tax, they understand why they pay it and how they have personally benefited from it. I like to think that would be my sentiment!

Which is why people like Sean Lock would say stuff like 'you don't use roads or hospitals?" and the like, and Carr didn't have an answer or a comeback for that stuff, he just had to sit there and smile at it because he knew what he did was rum, no matter the legality of it or how informed he was. As cunty as Ricky Gervais is, he has the right attitude about that stuff.

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

Carr's Hole

[Autopsy Turvey]

Which is why people like Sean Lock would say stuff like 'you don't use roads or hospitals?" and the like, and Carr didn't have an answer or a comeback for that stuff, he just had to sit there and smile at it

He had obvious rejoinders that he only uses his own helicopters and private hospitals, but that wouldn't have helped.

If Syd Little is the way to go, which it is, it should have been A Carr Goes A Long Way. At least Before & Laughter is an attempt at a pun, comedian Bobby Ball called his autobiography My Life for fuck's sake. Even footballer Alan Ball's autobiography utilised his surname in a punning capacity, although obviously it should have been A Ball Goes A Long Way.

[Alberon]

"Before & Strange Honking Noise"

[frajer]

"Carr-y on Honking"

[ImmaculateClump]

My wife went on holiday to the west indies recently
Jimmy Carr?
I'm sorry, I don't understand the questi-
WHERE IS YOUR WHEELIE BIN?!

WHERE IS YOUR WHEELIE BIN?! - Jimmy Carr

or maybe "Dead-eyed husk"
"where is my soul?"
"leather elbow patch cunt"

Hope they're using the same photo as this dvd



Creepy total recall taxi looking cunt.

[The Bumlord]

I take great comfort in the fact that although I may never be as rich as Jimmy Carr, at the same time no newspaper will ever write a headline about me that contains the information that I was a virgin at 26.

You might be famous one day, don't trample your own dreams!

[Elderly Sumo Prophecy]

He looks like a ventriloquist's dummy.

[wrec]

"Before and Laughter" is a terrible title, FFS.

I hope "after" is crossed out with "laughter" added in fake handwriting.

One time he was gigging in the Olympia in Dublin I passed a nearby cafe and saw him consulting a menu with his trademark puzzled frown.

The laugh is beyond irritating and so obviously contrived, and also am I correct in thinking he only adopted it a few years into his career?

[rue the polywhirl]

My girlfriend went to see a stand-up yesterday.

'Jimmy Carr?'

No, she wanted to go...