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Blue Jam by: Chris Morris

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Rating: - Good but could be better

I remember listening to Blue Jam on Radio 1 when it ran so discovering this CD I bought it without question

I did not realise it contained stuff from the TV series which... probably wouldn't have affected my purchase but has affected my full enjoyment.

If you have never heard or seen the Jam programs it's a real marmite type of program - you either love it or hate it. It is the farthest limit of black comedy which is an experience worth having and if you are interested in seeing where the likes of Ali G/Borat come from you can't go far wrong with any of Christopher Morris' stuff.

I'd have much preferred the radio show by itself - but I daresay that would not fit on one CD.

Rating: - Refreshing

I got into Morris' work quite late on, and watching stuff from the early 90's seems to make modern attempts at comedy to shame.
The audio quality, the choice of music, the surreal sketches. It all feels so fresh and cutting edge to me even today. A fundamentalist approach to British humour that is now seemingly dying out due to the rise of the PC brigade.

I fully expect people to not "get it". Just as Gervais gets death-threats from people that have no grasp what-so-ever of irony and satire. Or the people who think the appeal of South Park is kids swearing.. I roll my eyes one full rotation at the likes of all of you.

Rating: - The stuff that dreams are made of

Once again Chris Morris has produced a collection of material out there on the edge of reality, decency and coherence. Watching Blue Jam when it was first aired late at night on channel four was like entering a dream state and now I can put this album on close my eyes and lucidly float around Morris' warped world of docters, suicide journalists and little Miss. Fixit's. If, like me, you enjoy having your ethical, moral and even sexual boundaries tested whilst having a smile on your face then buy this album now. Like Cronenburg's 'Crash' you wont be quite sure whether you are repulsed by or identifying with what you hear.

Rating: - Jaaaaaaaaaaaam

Chris Morris' career trajectory is often unfavourably compared to that of his one time collaborator (in 'Why Bother?'), Mr Peter Cook. I say unfavourably as, although comparisons with one of comedy's greatest talents (with not one shred of hyperbole) are never going to hurt, Cook's latter part of his career is often unfairly subject to the notion that "he lost it".

The detractors replicate that criticism of Morris, a sentiment totally unjustified, at least on the basis of this show (if not 'Nathan Barley', I'm sorry to say). Being less populist should not be mistaken for being less successful; if anything, this allows Morris the creative freedom required for this truly subversive aural delight.

So many slices of ambient and hilarious filth conveniently stored onto disc means that the listener is not forced to stay awake until some ungodly hour to catch this series, as I was known to do on its original transmission. Late at night is probably the best time to divulge in Morris surreal landscape however. Don't count on any sleep though. You'll be crying with either laughter or fear. Or both.

Rating: - Sums up someone's credos!

Blue Jam, and the subsequent Jam TV series were an attempt by Morris to take his ideas in a new direction. After working on the actual satire of Brass Eye, I think he deliberately took a different tack - certainly you can say there's nothing quite like Blue Jam. I would agree with the bad review in its good intentions, but I find that going after politicians etc is what people are already doing - indeed, the man said that if one became overly political then they would stop being funny and end up like Michael Moore. In short, Morris' work is niche and takes its own direction. In relation to the Blue Jam particularly, I find it funny/disturbing in different constitution for each sketch. Put simply, you need to be into abstract, odd, dark humour in order to be anything but disgusted by this work. It's just an envelope-pushing art and those with open minds and the right tastes will delight in it. Appreciate it for what it is, if it's in your spectrum.

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