Jam - values, issues, and attitudes

[UAAO]

I'm working on an article about the issues and values portrayed in Jam, the context is social values and attitudes as indicated by comedy - particularly offensive/shocking comedy.

I've had a quick once through of Jam over the last 2 hours and attempted to list the themes and topics of each scene.
This isn't conclusive or absolute, it's just my current take on it at this stage.

For one thing I'd be interested in feedback from this forum.

Plus I thought this might be an interesting contribution (I had a quick browse and didn't stumble across any similar posting).

Anyway, here goes:

Episode 1

Intro - substance misuse, questionable parenting, dereliction of duty, bereavement
   - Necrophilia, obsession with death

1. keep him away from Ryan - questionable parenting, irrational fear, atypical sexual practices/interests, manipulation, prostitution, over prioritisation of perceived duties/roles

2. Kilroy - mental illness, inappropriate public behaviour (nudity), insincerity

3. symptomless coma - questionable medical practices (euthanasia), abuse of power, failure to question perceived authority

5. could have married her - loneliness, marriage, over tolerance of inappropriate behaviour

4. 4 foot car - customer service issues, refusal to take responsibility, lack of remorse, accountability, helplessness/powerlessness

5. poppadoms - over reaction to insensitivity/perceived lack of manners

6. not a parking meter - ignorance, over tolerance of inappropriate behaviour, accountability

7. 40 times - suicide, failure to intervene in a crisis, the suffering of others as entertainment,

8. loving you - atypical sexual practices/interests

9. not 1 kiss - rape (trivialization), selfishness, over tolerance of inappropriate behaviour, over prioritisation of perceived duties/roles

10. your leg - questionable medical practices (mocking patients), abuse of authority, dereliction of duty, failure to demand accountability

--

Episode 2

Intro - suicide
   - Irrational fear

1. seductive doctor - infidelity as inevitable

2. over the phone - questionable medical practices (mocking patients), abuse of authority, failure to question perceived authority, dereliction of duty

3. pretty dove - helplessness, incompetence, lack of social grace, unfair distribution of wealth, exploiting people's weaknesses by providing services that they don't need rather than giving them a slap and telling them to deal with it.

4. the gush - STDs, sexual exploitation, destructiveness of porn

5. Martina - obsession, suicide

6. Richard Madely - abuse of power, voyeurism, atypical sexual practices/interests

7. good at mending - bereavement, children as a commodity, marriage, materialism

8. what guns are for - failure to recognize own power, exploitation of own power, being satisfied with the small things in life

9. I can't feel my cock - jealousy, gender

10. my funeral - suicide, over tolerance of inappropriate behaviour

--

Episode 3

Intro - alcoholism, humiliation as entertainment

1. street poofs - rape (as exciting), atypical sexual practices/interests,

2. good solid mass - questionable medical practices (mocking patients, inappropriate sexual behaviour), abuse of authority, failure to question perceived authority, over tolerance/failure to enforce accountability

3. I can't lose - reaction to the apathy of others, vandalism, anti-social behaviour, questionable activism

4. Mr. Lizard - refusal to take responsibility, mocking your customers, customer service issues, lack of remorse, accountability, helplessness/powerlessness

5. raise vs. fart - materialism, compromise, humiliation as entertainment, exploitation of staff

6. belly gun - crime, helplessness/powerlessness

7. abortion - abortion as a lifestyle accessory

8. lost wallet - chin coolant - helplessness, incompetence, lack of social grace, unfair distribution of wealth, exploiting people's weaknesses by providing services that they don't need rather than giving them a slap and telling them to deal with it.

9. Billy - abduction, the suffering of others as entertainment, futility

10. more porn now! - Questionable parenting (obsession with education), animal cruelty, victimisation of children, substance abuse by children, sexualisation of children, selfishness, blaming those in authority

--

Episode 4

Intro - inappropriate public behaviour (nudity), hypocrisy
   - Mental illness
   - Loss of self

1. Dr sex line - questionable medical practices (mocking patients, inappropriate sexual behaviour), exploitation of sex, abuse of authority, cancer, failure to question perceived authority

2. little Hoover - refusal to co-operate with common sense, failure to assert

3. be fucking quiet! - Murder, overly powerful/abusive/mature children

4. chin coolant - helplessness, incompetence, lack of social grace, unfair distribution of wealth, exploiting people's weaknesses by providing services that they don't need rather than giving them a slap and telling them to deal with it.

5. coffin mistake - abortion, bereavement, lack of social grace, infidelity, and prostitution

6. arse shooting - extreme sadomasochism, atypical sexual practices/interests

7. do you like grapes? - Loneliness, lack of social grace, stranger danger, failure to understand the danger of your own actions, bereavement, mental illness

--

Episode 5

Intro - loss of self control/inappropriate public behaviour (intoxication), overly powerful/abusive children, divorce, failure to let go of a relationship (marriage & childhood)

1. acupuncture - questionable healthcare practices, failure to question perceived authority/over submission

2. heroin - questionable medical practices (over prescribing of medication), abuse of authority, dereliction of duty

3. sex for house - materialism, greed, invasion of privacy, use of sex as a commodity, atypical sexual practices/interests, manipulation, sadism, sexual exploitation of the mentally ill, prostitution/sexual trafficking

4. forgotten axe - incompetence

5. live outside - rejection of materialism, masochism, suicide, marriage

6. car urinal - inappropriate public behaviour, failure to address inappropriate public behaviour

7. Mike Holland - questionable parenting (not caring), over dependence on the state, focusing on trivial issues, ignoring serious concerns, trivialization of kidnapping, rape, murder, and paedophilia.

--

Episode 6

Intro - questionable parenting (minimal contact), child neglect (deprivation)
   - Inappropriate public behaviour, bereavement

1. I've got a lump - rape (false accusation), atypical sexual practices/interests, temptation, cancer/medical trivialization

2. musical chairs - questionable parenting (teaching children to be aggressive) & inappropriate socialization of children

3. no lift - failure to intervene in a crisis, carelessness, recklessness, dereliction of duty, apathy,

4. excellent balls - questionable parenting (projecting gender identity issues onto child), child neglect (forced surgery), inappropriate sexualisation of children, questionable medical practices (transgender surgery of children)

5. kissing - loss of self control, breaching of established personal boundaries, failure to address true feelings

6. babies don't cry! - Deep and substantial ignorance, lack of respect for potentially legitimate authority, potential exploitation of accountability

7. dog at vet - animal neglect, bereavement, atypical sexual practices/interests (bestiality & paedophilia)

8. Muppets - murder as a source of entertainment/amusement

9. shit your leg off - sex (over indulgence?)

10. after all, it's not a disease - questionable medical practices (mocking a patient), abuse of authority,

[Benjie Trufflesnort]

An article for where?

Who are you?

Are you a professional writer or a student?

Why do you think the views of the people on here are useful?

You've basically created a list - do you want people to add to or remove from this list, or discuss what's in them?

What is the overall arc of your article? What is your proposition/abstract/assertion?

Just asking like.

[UAAO]

Fair questions.

I'm doing a paper for a masters course, I meant article more in the academic sense, what I write is not going to be published (unless it somehow ends up being truly exceptional).
The course is Applied Linguistics & Intercultural Communications.
The general topic is about values.

My basic arc is that comedy is a significant indicator of the values of the culture that produces it.
If this were a massive project I would be comparing UK, US and Canadian comedy, and probably comedy from different decades.
It's not. Within the limits of time and word count, I'm going to be focusing on Jam, because it strikes me as being very much about values on a more personal level. Whereas Brass Eye for example is more about media power, moral panics, propaganda

This is a specialized forum of people who like talking about comedy in general and Jam/Morris in particular. Thus it seemed the most relevant place to seek feedback (and to post this kind of thing in general).

I'm open to any form of feedback. Yep, it is basically just a list that I hammered together as part of the process of making a good start on this essay.
If people have something to say in response then how their contribution manifests is down to them.
If someone wants to say "Well actually I think sketch X is about Y not Z" or "you are over-analyzing: some of the sketches are just supposed to be funny, not meaningful" or "you aren't looking at it deeply enough" etc it's all things to keep in mind.

[Benjie Trufflesnort]

Interesting. I don't know how much I can offer as I'm not entirely sure I think Jam has much to say about society's values in the first place. Perhaps it's a hang up from having listened to Blue Jam first, but I see both Blue Jam and Jam as an exploration of dreaming and depression. There are recurring themes of authority and inapropriate behaviour, but in my reading these are representative of the battles between id, ego and superego - the production I think emphasises this dream like quality. It's about putting distance between you the viewer and the protagonists - instead of sitting you in a situation and asking "what would you do?" it's saying "this is out of your control but look here..." rather like a dream. There are only a couple of sketches which are particularly satirical and barbed in intent - lowering property values, getting to the best school - the rest are simply juxtapositions or knock knock jokes stretched to breaking point through a pitch black lense with tiny holes burned in it.

A lot of waffle there from me.

[UAAO]

Over the long term, as I've watched in again and again, I've often seen it as a good capturing of the feeling of nightmares, and portrayals of how things feel when looked at through a mental illness lense.
This has been much reflected by the other people I have shown it to. Particularly Mr. Ventham which can easily be seen as a Freudian Id/Ego/Super Ego thing.

However, the 1st time I watched it I strongly felt that it was primarily about the things that people really care about once they step away from thinking about package holidays and mobile phones. I've never been able to shake off that original gut reaction.

Fast forward several years (to a few days ago) and I was in the middle of prepping for an essay on the values portrayed in romance films and I somehow stumbled across this:

http://www.cios.org/www/ejc/EJCPUBLIC/018/2/01847.html

and I immediately turned my mind towards the extent to which I could make my essay about values in comedy. The only comedies I have watched repeatedly are Jam, Nathan Barley, The Young Ones and Southpark. So I figured I should pick one of those. Jam's format and total run time made it jump out as the easiest to process, and on top of that I had my nagging long term sense that it was much more about values than it was about being deliberately sick or shocking. And yeah, here I am...

[UAAO]

Oh, and yes, when you look at Blue Jam as a whole I feel the intensity of the nightmare/mental illness settings are turned way up, and the values aspect is much more background.

So I guess one aspect of what I'm thinking about/looking at is how/why certain things were selected for inclusion in the TV show.

[Depressed Beyond Tables]

Great thread by the way. I'd be happy to give an opinion on what I think is one of the most underrated shows ever.

Episode 1

7. 40 times - suicide, failure to intervene in a crisis, the suffering of others as entertainment,

Yeah I think the point here is about commitment and the fear of, amongst others. He is cautious about commiting suicide immediately 'incase he changes his mind' and so chose to do it in stages. It's beautifully logical up to a point, like most of BlueJam. His plan works, yet he suffers over and over, and ultimately does not change his mind.

The absurdity here is clear to us yet, on the other hand, we don't think twice when people kill themselves slowly through smoking or drug addiction. I think the sketch could be an apt metaphor, a metaffer, for how some people live their lives.

Also remember some of BlueJam could just be playful goofing around. I'd nominate "Loving You" here.

[Benjie Trufflesnort]

5. live outside - rejection of materialism, masochism, suicide, marriage

This very much a personal reading, but I've very much seen this sketch which I think originally appeared in the last episode of the original two series run of Blue Jam as a comment on Chris Morris's position within, or rather, outside, the industry.

He's choosing the harder path, living to a truth as he sees it, rather than stepping inside the cosy, warm, secure home which is on offer - a conflict I suspect with his family he's often faced too. He has, or had, the opportunity to take big money and secure his family's future but has chosen instead to sit outside where he feels more free and less trapped, despite the obvious temptations of a loving family.

I've very possibly over thought this. But there are some other sketches particularly in Blue Jam which I see as semi-autobiographical. For example, the woman who has to sack a man because he's so good clearly echoes Morris's reports of the conversation he had with Michael Grade re Brass Eye "I think it's an amazing series. There's no way we can ever show it though." A character called "Michael DeGrey" also crops up in Blue Jam, a clear reference.

Either side of this one in your list are a couple I'd like to comment on too.

4. forgotten axe - incompetence

I've always taken this as a suggestion that the theory "Guns don't kill people - people do..." is balls. The gesture of killing or threatening someone with an axe is nothing without the axe.  In the same way the "Gun in stomach" sketch shows that without the physical presence of the gun to threaten, it's not threatening.

And...

6. car urinal - inappropriate public behaviour, failure to address inappropriate public behaviour

Isn't this just a play on the antiquated, and possibly apocryphal but oft quoted law that you are allowed to relieve yourself on the rear offside wheel of a hackney carriage? The urinal simply is there as a concrete demonstration of this right, but still because it's unpleasant, the cabbie is upset.

[Onionlimit]

This very much a personal reading, but I've very much seen this sketch which I think originally appeared in the last episode of the original two series run of Blue Jam as a comment on Chris Morris's position within, or rather, outside, the industry.

He's choosing the harder path, living to a truth as he sees it, rather than stepping inside the cosy, warm, secure home which is on offer - a conflict I suspect with his family he's often faced too. He has, or had, the opportunity to take big money and secure his family's future but has chosen instead to sit outside where he feels more free and less trapped, despite the obvious temptations of a loving family.

That's an interesting point, I never really saw it that way, but this makes sense to me.  I saw that more as a satire on people wanting to lead simpler lives and getting 'back to nature'.  I thought of it more as an argument pointing out the flaws in living such a lifestyle, questioning how far people would take this desire to return to simpler times/ nature, and also as you seem to be alluding to, whether or not he is truly happy with this lifestyle.  It's been a while since I've watched it, so if I start trying to get specific it's probably not going to make sense.  Though I do like your view on this.  With Morris I've always looked at the aggressive outward attacks - showing the flaws of other people/ groups.  With Jam/ Blue Jam I think there was an element of himself in it, but more on the side of darker, depressive thoughts that we try to keep at bay or dismiss outright.  Morris gives these thoughts a real voice in Jam, so I suppose there is an element of attitudes towards mental illness.

[Depressed Beyond Tables]

6. car urinal - inappropriate public behaviour, failure to address inappropriate public behaviour

Isn't this just a play on the antiquated, and possibly apocryphal but oft quoted law that you are allowed to relieve yourself on the rear offside wheel of a hackney carriage? The urinal simply is there as a concrete demonstration of this right, but still because it's unpleasant, the cabbie is upset.

I always thought he was making the point that no matter where you put a urinal, people will always fail to use it.

This very much a personal reading, but I've very much seen this sketch which I think originally appeared in the last episode of the original two series run of Blue Jam as a comment on Chris Morris's position within, or rather, outside, the industry.

Didn't Mark Heap also play this part? Can't remember if it was Jam or BlueJam right now.

This sketch is one of my favourites, for the line "a nice big plate of eggs" mainly. For the pointlessness also.

[Benjie Trufflesnort]

I always thought he was making the point that no matter where you put a urinal, people will always fail to use it.

Oh yeah! I'd misremembered the sketch. Of course - he fails to use it.

Didn't Mark Heap also play this part? Can't remember if it was Jam or BlueJam right now.

This sketch is one of my favourites, for the line "a nice big plate of eggs" mainly. For the pointlessness also.

Now you've got me thinking - perhaps he did. I still remember thinking it was about Morris during the radio transmission though.

[Treguard of Dunshelm]

I'm sure it was played by Morris in Jam, not so sure about Blue Jam.

EDIT: definitely the man Morris.

[Depressed Beyond Tables]

I'm sure it was played by Morris in Jam, not so sure about Blue Jam.

EDIT: definitely the man Morris.

Interesting. So did Heap do the Blue Jam version? I was sure he did. The above might explain why Morris decided to deliver it.

Maybe I'm mixing it up with another sketch.

[UAAO]

In Blue Jam Heap lived outside.

In Jam that sketch was actually re-made with Morris as living outside.

Very well could be that the original was about people engaged in extreme back to naturing, but by the time the TV show was made Morris re-positioned it more as him being an outsider (very nice idea btw).

I'd always taken the car urinal thing as just supposed to be funny, but I was trying to watch each scene analytically. My favourite part of this sketch is the way Heap reaches in, takes a tissue, wipes his hand, then throws it at the driver. I wondered if it could have something to do with disdain for being asked for favours from strangers/a 'you only contact me when you need my help' motif.

[ooarth]

Seems to me in "street poofs" and other Blue Jam sketches such as the "breast lump," the nailing-people-to-boards accupunturist, and the urine transfusionist -- female sadism as a sexual perversion is a big one

[kielyrobert]

Great thread. UOOA, I hope you can post your essay when you're done! or Blog it and link it.
I haven't seen much discussion of how form and content interact here, but that is a massive aspect of Jam. However this is probably not as relevant if its a linguistic analysis...
The various effects are enumerated on a different part of this site: http://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php?page=cabwiki&w=tv:jam:episode_1_blue_chemotherapy_wig_welcome_originally_broadcast_23_03_2000
Also if you're going to discuss the ethics of suicide Morris's Geefe columns are very relevant, and so would warrant at least a footnote to show he interrogated the morality/issues of it headon elsewhere.

[Obel]

Great thread. UOOA, I hope you can post your essay when you're done! or Blog it and link it.
I haven't seen much discussion of how form and content interact here, but that is a massive aspect of Jam. However this is probably not as relevant if its a linguistic analysis...
The various effects are enumerated on a different part of this site: http://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php?page=cabwiki&w=tv:jam:episode_1_blue_chemotherapy_wig_welcome_originally_broadcast_23_03_2000
Also if you're going to discuss the ethics of suicide Morris's Geefe columns are very relevant, and so would warrant at least a footnote to show he interrogated the morality/issues of it headon elsewhere.

Was just reading that and it says the boom mic operator and camera man in the parking meter sketch is a goof. I never considered that a goof, especially with its documentary style.

[UAAO]

The various effects are enumerated on a different part of this site: http://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php?page=cabwiki&w=tv:jam:episode_1_blue_chemotherapy_wig_welcome_originally_broadcast_23_03_2000

Ah that kind of listing is handy, thanks for bringing it to my attention!

To get into proper linguistic analysis of Chris Morris stuff would be a very hefty task.

What I'm doing is more communications based.

After it's all been dealt with I'll post what I can.

[Dragon]

Was just reading that and it says the boom mic operator and camera man in the parking meter sketch is a goof. I never considered that a goof, especially with its documentary style.

It's definitely intentional. If I remember correctly, the same image is faintly visible during the Bad Sex sketch.

[Bobby Knockers]

Interesting thread! Obviously Chris Morris didn't just write Jam alone, and how much of what is written is from contributors, who wrote what, where the ideas came from etc is something i'm curious about. I've found little bits of information here and there but there doesn't seem to be alot of information out there, which I guess gives Jam more mystery.

[weekender]

^

http://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=22922.0

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˅

->  My recollection of various things - and given that I read that book again a couple of months ago it probably was suggested in there by Lucian (I'm only reiterating the point as it doesn't seem to be covered in this thread so far) - is that Morris was simply knackered after dealing with BrassEYE and was at a bit of a low point.  As someone who is obviously naturally talented, this exhaustion/depression/frustration found an outlet in Blue Jam, which then transferred to screen as obviously a lot of the ideas in there were worth pursuing.

You could argue that Morris was deliberately trying to shock/offend/take part in the 'dark comedy' movement if you like.  I personally subscribe to the view that BrassEYE took a lot out of him, and so he retreated a little bit.  What resulted was not done with any particular reason in mind other than mind-exorcism (for want of a better term), but ended up as an ambient comedy series with enough ideas that were worth pursuing.  I think Morris's self-control is seen in Blue Jam with not only the sketches but the choice of music.  I think that Blue Jam started off as a bit of a depressive outlet, but gradually turned into a creative one.

Compare the very first sketch in Blue Jam - which I think is the one in the park with the gun - "The nocturnal mammal house in the zoo was the only place I really wanted to go at that moment" with one of the moments from the third series "I banged your mother in here once!".  It's gone from depression to light-heartedness, so in a way, I think that Blue Jam represents Morris's recovery from post-natal BrassEYE depression into being ready to deal with the world again.

Jam is just a TV series that resulted, and Jam says more about Chris Morris in 1996/1997 than it does society in 2000, in my view.  Jaaaaam* says a bit more.

_{*Five 'A's, motherfuckers.  If I see one bitch in here using more or less than 5 'A' when talking 'bout Jam I'm gonna rape that sumbitch ass off.}