The final taboo of comedy?

[speedcoreXdandy]

One of the greatest things about Stewart Lee is he truely believes that nothing is taboo and pushes comedy to its extreems. I love his DVD 'Standup Comedian' where hes talking infront of an audience in Glasgow about how William Wallace, a national hero to the scots, is a homosexual peadophile. Even through the DVD you could feel the tension he created and its absolutly fantastic. Lee is willing to really push the boundries of comedy and IMO that makes him one of the best standups in the country.

I also agree with Lee that no subject should be taboo for comedy.

I just bought and watched this DVD a couple of days ago, as you say the tension in the room is amazing, I honestly thought someone was going to just come up on stage and punch him when he was mocking the Scots.

I've never really thought of comedians making fun of other comedians as being taboo but then again I've never even made a dissaproving noise at a Frankie Boyle joke, I struggle to be offended by anything except unfunniness really, which is why Michael Macintyre is the most offensive comedian going.

 

[Ago Iterum]

If you've seen any variations of the 'aristocrats' joke, you'll know there are no taboo's left in comedy.

None.

 

[vamp rocks]

anything Russell Brand sayes(don't know correct spelling of his name ... dont hit me!!)

 

[Flying Dagger]

have you seen the horne and corden show?
anything that painful to watch is the final taboo. i refuse to sit through comedy that is less amusing then cutting off chunks of my feet and teaching myself to juggle with them.

 

[beholdmycape]

Madeliene ( I think it's spelled like that) McCann jokes took it too far. Jade Goody not so much.

It's an interesting point, that you can guarantee the day after that story broke, and also the day after 9/11 (the ninth of December as Mr Lee maintains), that email traffic spikes as tired old offensive jokes make the rounds with a new twist, replacing old names and places with the current ones from the news.

I think this is where comedians do well, they can generally find something genuinely witty, if perhaps 'too soon' and offensive to some, to say about national tragedies, and can bring a smile or laugh, where the mass media would prefer us to all wade around in misery.

For me and I believe many people, humour, especially the darker edged stuff can be a defence mechanism to deal with the evil, nasty, cold side of life, and we're better for being able to diffuse tensions with humour.

I've linked this one before, but here's a clip of Stewart Lee in Glasgow, pretty much hitting every offensive thing he can find to say about the Scottish people, ending by calling their national hero a pedo. Yet, he has his audience in the palm of his hand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4-S8n8-9RU&feature=related

Because, of course, they're an intelligent comedy audience, and not a typical tabloid reading, complaint letter writing, reactionary.

ahahaha that is fantastic.

 

[beholdmycape]

have you seen the horne and corden show?
anything that painful to watch is the final taboo. i refuse to sit through comedy that is less amusing then cutting off chunks of my feet and teaching myself to juggle with them.

Two twats trying to be the next Walliams and Lucas (who aren't funny either) off the back off Gavin and Stacey's inexplecible success.

I knew their show was going to be a barrel of monkey spunk when I caught them doing a double act for comic relief which was about as funny as throat cancer.
The fat fuckers smugness is obnoxious to the point where I have to switch the telly off if he's on.
And he's on. Alot.

 

[Littaly]

In my opinion it's when you are not really sure if they're joking about the taboo subject or not. Like if someone pulls a racist joke and there is a tone of seriousness to it.

 

[Anarchemitis]

So, I wonder, is ridiculing your peers the final taboo of comedy?

Or do you think it's something else?

Poking fun at medium peers is similar to poking fun at the medium that you use yourself, known as Lampshade Hanging in TVtropes.

Lampshade Hanging is the writers' trick of dealing with any element of the story that threatens the audience's Willing Suspension Of Disbelief-whether a very implausible plot development, or a particularly egregious use of a trope?by calling attention to it... and then moving on.

The reason for this counter-intuitive strategy is two-fold. First, it assures the audience that the author is aware of the implausible plot development that just happened, and that he isn't trying to slip something past the audience. Second, it assures the audience that the world of the story is like Real Life: what's implausible for you or me is just as implausible for these characters, and just as likely to provoke an incredulous response.

A less charitable interpretation would be that writers for some reason find it humorous, clever, and original to point out how unclever and trite they're being. Another is that the creators are utilizing the tactic of self-deprecatingly pointing out their own flaws themselves, thus depriving critics and opponents of their ammunition.

 

[Flying Dagger]

also i think all notion of propriety in comedy was lost when Russell Brand said on an into to an episode of BBLB:
we have a guest earlier who said my cock felt like a little grey birdie, which is ironic because earlier it was inside a little grey birdie

 

[Flying Dagger]

also any comic who tries to preach environmental issues.
actually, anyone who preaches environmental issues.
JFC: when will people understand that my generation doesn't care about the planet.

 

[dwightsteel]

Dude, making fun of other celebs and comedians is the ONLY thing Kathy Griffin does. Mind you, she's annoying as hell, and no one really likes her, but she does it. The truth of the matter is, that no matter how comedy evolves, as long as there is a boundry, someone is gonna push it.

Oh, and have you also ever watched a Comedy Central Roast? All they do is make fun of comedians.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

What I find strange about the Horne and Corden thing, is I've seen James Corden on panel shows and really liked him, and thought he was genuinely a funny guy, not a 'comedian' as such, but a funny guy, suited to filling chairs on panel shows, I think a lot of the dislike, comes from the fact that they've obviously rushed together a not particularly great show, and BBC are hyping it like crazy, just because Gavin and Stacey happens to be popular.

I think perhaps if they'd been left alone to mature and grow, in a year or so they could have had something really good going on. As is, I feel like I'm being told that they're good and therefore rebelling against it.


As I said tho, I'm a brit and wasn't really aware of the US 'roast' thing, but even so, its more a backslapping event from what I've seen of it, even tho it's a flow of abuse, its obviously meant affectionately in celebration of the guest.

Over here, it's fairly rare for anyone in 'entertainment' to speak ill of anyone else, which is why I stated its quite the taboo, whereas Mock the Week alone has proven you can pretty much say anything about anyone and any situation.

Lines cut from the Queen's Xmas message anyone?

'I am now so old, my pussy is haunted'.

That got some fine complaints.

Incidentally, I'm all for people writing in to complain, however, there should be a 3 day time limit on it, then they're ignored, as shown by the Brand/Ross/Sachs incident, they had about 12 complaints about the prank call, then it all got stirred up and people went out of their way to log on, see and hear the clip and get offended.

If you actively TRY to get offended, just so you can write another missive in green crayon to the Daily Mail, saying how disgusted you are with the man with the hair, then... fuck you. Your opinion just became irrelevant.

If I went around snorting dried chicken poop, I can't really blame Colonel Sanders for getting bird flu, same goes for trying to see stuff you know will offend.

 

[Lexodus]

Well, it's all kinda busted anyway. You name it, George Carlin probably crossed it.

 

[Damien the Pigeon]

I think we've gotten to the point where pretty much nothing is off-limits. However, I don't think I've ever heard a rape joke (thank God). I seriously hope that no comedian ever goes there.

 

[traceur_]

Either it's all funny or none of it is.

 

[Vroboros00]

Brendon Burns telling the Aristocrats. That's as good as far as I can think.

I think we've gotten to the point where pretty much nothing is off-limits. However, I don't think I've ever heard a rape joke (thank God). I seriously hope that no comedian ever goes there.

"Rape isn't funny unless it's by a clown."

 

[karmapolizei]

So, I wonder, is ridiculing your peers the final taboo of comedy?

No, because I don't think there even is such a thing. You see, when most people talk about 'final' or 'next' taboos, it seems to me they think about the whole of all taboos as a set of rules that has been set once in the past and is continously deterioating ever since. However, I don't think this is true: I think what is a taboo and is not is just as ever shifting as every other set of rules in society, thus old taboos vanish and new ones emerge.

 

[Flying Dagger]

If you actively TRY to get offended, just so you can write another missive in green crayon to the Daily Mail, saying how disgusted you are with the man with the hair, then... fuck you. Your opinion just became irrelevant.

so true.