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Do you think Jam is funny?

Started by magval, May 01, 2020, 09:33:20 AM

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magval

Watching Jam for the first time but I've been a fan of Chris Morris for many years. Never appealed to me before I watched it, and I feel vindicated in trusting my own taste now that I'm watching it.

No judgement here, that's not what I'm after. I have no problem with this being enjoyed in any way by anyone.

I can see that it's something. But is it funny? Is it supposed to be funny? A couple of lines have got a giggle but this show seems designed to elicit another response entirely.

If you do think it's funny, what all bits have youse laughed at?

If you don't, what do you think of it anyway?

I can see what it's going for, but the quality of the film (or DV or whatever it is) and the dropped frames, cheap turn of the century video effects and the general colour of it all makes it look cheap in a way that I'm not sure is intentional.

Some of it makes me uncomfortable but some of it is so on the nose at 'edgy' it's like a parody of what I thought it would be. It's better at atmosphere than it is sketches about rape, if that makes sense. I feel like a lot of it doesn't land.

Did they just give him free reign because of the success of previous work?

Jam. Is it successful? Explain Jam, please.

magval

Episode 4.

Tiny hoover is funny both in concept and execution. Dirty talk doctor is not funny in concept but Kevin Eldon asking "that was for a child with head cancer?" is funny in execution.

magval

Missed the Jam anniversary thread just two below, didn't I?

Captain Z

Presumably you have listened to Blue Jam?

I imagine Jam exists primarily because some people thought Blue Jam was too good to be just an obscure late night radio programme, and that it was an ideal opportunity to transfer more Chris Morris to TV. Someone more eloquent than me will be able to describe why material written specifically for radio doesn't always transfer well when it has to be visualised, and that's why Jam will never work quite so well. Although it does come as close to capturing the atmosphere of Blue Jam as I think it possibly could.

magval

I haven't listened to Blue Jam chief, no.

Is IT funny?

Captain Z

It's a difficult question to answer. I don't think it's supposed to be out and out 'funny'. If you listen to it late after midnight while drifting off to sleep it makes perfect sense, and I imagine even more so if you were doing so in a post-club comedown in 1997.

NoSleep

Quote from: magval on May 01, 2020, 10:10:21 AM
I haven't listened to Blue Jam chief, no.

Is IT funny?

I think Blue Jam works better and is funnier because you aren't tied down to the visuals; what you hear has more scope to come to flower in your mind + the soundtrack and music selection support the spoken interludes. I actually find many of the visible reactions to lines offputting in Jam. Blue Jam is the original and best.

Fr.Bigley

The shit video quality, stretched out aspect, poor effects and washed out look was just a clear piece of Morris shithousery, it's what makes jam that bit more significant.

magval

Right. Let's do lists.

What are five things in Jam you think are properly funny?

I loved tiny hoover (mentioned above), the doctor who insists on phoning from in the next room, the shrinking car monologue, some of the dialogue in the doctor jumping with his cock out and a few of the lines in the spot cream/pregnancy sketch.

Think I'll have a thumb through the relevant section of Disgusting Bliss to see how this all came to be.

Abnormal Palm

Isn't there some extremely relevant Morris quote about Blue Jam's 'funny' value/quality?

Something about a slap that lasts a week, or similar.

Fr.Bigley

Quote from: magval on May 01, 2020, 02:53:00 PM
Right. Let's do lists.

What are five things in Jam you think are properly funny?

I loved tiny hoover (mentioned above), the doctor who insists on phoning from in the next room, the shrinking car monologue, some of the dialogue in the doctor jumping with his cock out and a few of the lines in the spot cream/pregnancy sketch.

Think I'll have a thumb through the relevant section of Disgusting Bliss to see how this all came to be.

1. All Kevin Eldon's lines in the tiny coffin. A joke that just kept giving.
2. Mark heaps beautiful delivery of "no you sweep them up" In the TV lizards skit.
3. The symptomless coma "if he's experiencing anything it's excruciating pain"
4. Living outdoors line "sometimes think I could just go inside...have a warm bath...plate of eggs......can't really entertain that kind of thought...it's...dangerously persuasive"
5. Every second of the suicide with a get out clause bit. It's like you're in Morris' head.

M-CORP

Quote from: magval on May 01, 2020, 02:53:00 PM
Right. Let's do lists.

What are five things in Jam you think are properly funny?

I loved tiny hoover (mentioned above), the doctor who insists on phoning from in the next room, the shrinking car monologue, some of the dialogue in the doctor jumping with his cock out and a few of the lines in the spot cream/pregnancy sketch.

Think I'll have a thumb through the relevant section of Disgusting Bliss to see how this all came to be.

Some particular lines and aspects of Jam that I think are funny.
1. 4ft Car, Ep 1 - 'He said "You must have put on some weight."'
2. Ep 2 - 'I can't feel my cock.'
3. Coffin Mistake in Episode 4 is comedic genius and I will not hear otherwise. (God help me, I've only been on this forum for a month and already I've become an anally retentive fartbomb.)
4. Unflustered Parents, Ep 5 - 'Good, it was horribly rainy.'
5. Ep 6 - 'Mah na, Mah na.'

Also the sheer absurdity of scenarios such as Plumber Baby, TV Lizards and Fixit Girl. The aforementioned Doc Cock and Cleaner sketches are worthy runners up.

OK, so technically that's more than five things, but hey ho. Would agree with others who beat me to this thread that Jam is more about atmosphere; my favourite moments are not the moments of comedy, but the more melancholy moments, plus some of the darker ones - the intros (especially episode 4), Apartment Lady, Apartment Jumper, Doc Knee, the man who marries himself (a classic comedy trope given a fresh new angle - isolation and hopelessness as opposed to vanity), and Piss Directions (I don't name them needless to say), with its lovely music.

Would have to disagree that Jam tries too hard to be dark and edgy - certainly, the new visual element automatically makes it (for want of a better word) more real and less innocent than Blue Jam. However, there are various scenes where they could have been more visually explicit, yet for example, Doc Cock features no penises, and Bad Sex in episode 6 doesn't even feature anything on the screen for a brief period, with the camera being buried under a pillow.

Captain Z

I would urge you to listen to Blue Jam. There are some great sketches listed above (Doc Phone being an absolute favourite) but I don't think any of them gained anything from being transferred to TV, I preferred them all as audio-only. I think I only watched Jam once and even then I'm not sure I finished all six episodes.

It'd be interesting to know how you respond having seen Jam first, as I imagine it is the reverse for most people.

Some favourite Blue Jam sketches:

All of the monologues ()
Fixit Girl - Chopped Up Man (I didn't even remember this had made it into Jam)
Unflustered Parents (Also in Jam, but the radio version was longer)



chveik

yes I think it's good.

listen to Blue Jam you fool

magval



chveik

funnily enough I've thought for quite some time that cookdandbombd was the name of the production company for Blue Jam. I don't really remember how I realized my mistake, but the rest is history...

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

I agree with everyone who's said that Blue Jam is much, much better than Jam. It's a masterpiece.* Magval, do please listen to it in a darkened room while horizontal, that's the best way to experience it.

* And yes, it's funny.

dex

Yes. In places.

Heap & Eldon shooting each other up the arse with the pistols makes me chuckle every time I watch it.

Spiral King

Quote from: M-CORP on May 01, 2020, 07:13:16 PM
https://archive.org/details/chrismorris_bluejam/

Or for something more up to date, here's a list of higher quality rips from a recent repeat:

Series 1

Episode 1: https://mega.co.nz/#!OYdgCAab!rIs7nfrEpEqnImWNExK4EnIiVIpEEgr7N8J0FpAxLpk
Episode 2: https://mega.co.nz/#!ORFBXLYT!sZRe9NWFWJ4Cvo8PBh48ttOlo67AUHH4vwWSsielqxk
Episode 3: https://mega.co.nz/#!vN1DhAqA!7v_G2o72wxQFq8x-2SpbsLbCpLksKCQKqjMoEXKhAsI
Episode 4: https://mega.co.nz/#!yI8BRKaS!KhPqPlD1HwyBRf1irNrEgAc6c6Gu-E18RVu4MtMV9d8
Episode 5: https://mega.co.nz/#!aJ9UiaRR!lHqPkYb8KJNRmQZoAgumcTrgfd-thmC1zqM519fQ934
Episode 6 (Composite): https://mega.nz/#!9QZRUBQA!lRh-P82RTeKAyw6Z0YSSBEVrESIdawLjqF8pPrMhEZQ

Series 2

Episode 1: https://mega.co.nz/#!fEFAhY6Y!IDpu1EAVxTZWIQunk2c6lpU9v3lWSR1jQ8RYnES_0HM
Episode 2: https://mega.co.nz/#!yJlVzaaT!R6w84Sc5h-chejNhLdu7205iqdvEydE-CTVyld3yfNM
Episode 3: https://mega.co.nz/#!jItiAJID!x8-DGB7lJ-UOYYf3KGLe70aeM0zSzGyZI-UFffTk5SU
Episode 4: https://mega.co.nz/#!bYUD0BjY!_7tWL30o2FZgqiBvs8T00sOZUO4nT7g5PWvN9HUiX-Q
Episode 5: https://mega.co.nz/#!2Ml3kRTK!DuQW43Z81D_03N1e9Quq21iciHWeDqi3XBVKka0dSUQ
Episode 6: https://mega.co.nz/#!jRNBXarB!zyxvRA-OTJWCzpWPXOP9MjDhT5olp3GMDDiIZ4STUxQ

Series 3

Episode 1: https://mega.nz/#!KJEhBBzT!JtcRG5K0ZLMoVOxm1TZvgBpLAj4ERLWqThrAx9PBADU
Episode 2: https://mega.nz/#!OJVHTQiA!FQwamktBeTNXGyEn9LjSh-zqaAtcKlKCF9JvFscPdUI
Episode 3: https://mega.nz/#!XZEiiIzK!1-0Gv2qHJxZGGZCZ_M9dbNvriP6rK1Qu63Va1HHzX_c
Episode 4: https://mega.nz/#!XFt0DLZT!fn6eOggJzy52lxz42bHMCX8undFhhaex6qPMkSZMxeo
Episode 5: https://mega.nz/#!rZdHxKZS!HrQxzQtw-oJogbNSAYa4LT0toLp_rr7b13tWa9IH4ZM
Episode 6: https://mega.nz/#!CBNiHIrB!twUA34fV70ZTTlbyOmyVf54Oag05z5HXCn15yDRh9FA

Depends on what you mean by 'funny' (Funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you?)

If you are looking for proper jokes/laughs like in Brass Eye then maybe not. But it is definitely very funny as a sort of dark surrealist absurdism, which is also what makes it interesting.

See for example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_the_Absurd

NoSleep

A lot of the humour in Blue Jam revolves around the abuse of authority (doctors over their patients, particularly) or responsibility (adults over children) which can be disturbing at the same time.

Shaky

Blue Jam is genuinely funny in a "mad flow of thoughts" way. Not in a, "Ah, this is dark, yeah? THIS is happening. Let's be CLEVER and DARK, yeah?" It's just fucking funny, silly, warped, random and full of that patented Morris vibe.

Jam is pretty much only "dark" through and through and never quite hits those highs, plus filmed versions of audio sketches don't work (the new stuff, like the aforementioned anal gunshots, does work better). The direction also immediately rubbed me up the wrong way, even back in 2000.

magval

I'm so glad not be the only one feeling this way about it, because I ended up with this horrible sensation of feeling left out.

Blue Jam it is then. Cheers all.

Fr.Bigley

Quote from: magval on May 02, 2020, 04:53:13 PM
I'm so glad not be the only one feeling this way about it, because I ended up with this horrible sensation of feeling left out.

Blue Jam it is then. Cheers all.

The London dungeon job will have you sneezing your brew

idunnosomename

i never found it "funny". goitre on the other hand

"the only way to fix this kinda baby sir is give it a DAMN GOOD BUGGERING"

what! that's disgusting! I'm not going to keep filming that's horrible what you just said! that's just revolting my mum's going to watch this!!!

Danger Man

funny peculiar more than funny haha

PaulTMA

Have they finally cut those horrific tags someone added declaring which website you downloaded them from, when obviously no one ever gave a flying fuck for even a second?

Spiral King

#28
Quote from: PaulTMA on May 03, 2020, 03:34:51 AM
Have they finally cut those horrific tags someone added declaring which website you downloaded them from, when obviously no one ever gave a flying fuck for even a second?

These new edits made from the 2014/2015/2016 repeats don't have any. I never really minded the site trails honestly! It was probably done to prevent some foolish person burning them to CDR/DVDR and stuffing them on eBay to sell, which I believe is a lot less prevalent in this day and age of streaming and mass archiving on places like Archive.org.

Anyway, I'm gonna try and answer the thread question... and the answer is... a lot of the new visual stuff is really good, but all the stuff from Blue Jam has been diluted and twisted in a way that robs of some of its humour. It's a shame they didn't take more inspiration from the On the Hour/The Day Today transition and do all new material for the format. More work, but it probably would have future proofed it a little more. Jam feels very of its time. Blue Jam is timeless.

There's my convoluted non-answer.

flotemysost

I watched Jam before realising Blue Jam existed - stumbled across an episode on YouTube after watching clips of Big Train, I think - and ended up watching it all back-to-back (while killing time before a date, I remember - probably unwise in retrospect) and although I was utterly gripped I wouldn't say I found much of it really funny.

The Gush and the doctor sex phone line made me laugh, and 'I know what a parking meters are', but I mainly found it either satisfyingly creepy (Julia Davis' breast lump character, the unsavoury house buying deal) or genuinely quite sad (the Mr Bentham(?) character's loneliness, and Living Outside, which I think might be one of the sketches that actually works better in the TV version).

Some of it did seem bit off-puttingly 'oohh daarrkk/LOLRANDOM' at the time as well - the tiny coffins and Mr Lizard never really did anything for me, although I know lots of people love those.

However IMHO Blue Jam (which I discovered soon afterwards, thanks to this place) has more warmth and subtlety which, to me, naturally makes the humour flow more easily, and the radio format really highlights lots of wonderful little moments in the vocal performances. Some of the sketches/ideas are a bit gentler and sillier as well, I'd say - there's still plenty of unnerving and unexpected stuff in there but I'd say it's overall more balanced, although I think the structure (including, as mentioned, the excellent monologues) and music probably help with that too.


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