BRASSEYE 26/7/01

Compared to other Morris work: 6/10. Compared to everything else on television in the last 12 months: 9/10. I felt exhilarated after watching it. Then popped into the SOTCAA forum (where people pronounced it "utter shit" and "dire", and saw it as sad evidence that Morris had lost his way - right down to the appearances of the hated Simon Pegg, gags involving txt msgs and field-removed video on some of the OB-inserts) and just got depressed.

Wake up to debate raging on London Live. "It's disgusting - it just encourages perverts - whoever commissioned it should be shot". Excellent. Feel a lot better now.

I was a little disappointed while watching it, although all the bits I can remember now seem very funny. I'll try to marshall a few more thoughts later.

To be found at www.notbbc.co.uk/corpses/ - click on the forum. They're (i.e. the folks that run SOTCAA, not necessarily the forum contributors) obsessed with edits and rushes - the stuff we don't get to see, and (if I was to grossly simplify their position and do them a disservice) feel that somewhere 1995 was declared as some kind of Year Zero in TV comedy, and everything since has been insubstantial, ludicrously overpraised, blah, blah, blah. They have a manifesto of sorts on the front page, you can decide for yourself. Where I agree with them: "Absolutely". Where we differ: "I'm Alan Partridge".

I used to loiter in there (and the associated TV forum) a lot early in the year, but, while *I'm* paying for the 'net connection, I'd rather be here. I find the whole SOTCAA attitude maddening in ways I've never been successful in articulating. So I left.

So I was left just to admire/puzzle over the way in which he'd managed to get Phil Collins et al. to say all those inane things, without feeling he'd really capitalised on all that hard-earned material.

And it showed that people ordinary and famous are a bit thick and don't listen properly when there's a camera in front of them.

I trust Steady Mike's reaction on this stuff (as on many other kinds of stuff). I feel that he has *slightly* overrated it, though. I'm somewhere between him and Nick D / Tom E. It seemed worse than other BE (maybe that's the consensus) for its lack of subtlety - too in-yer- face, too silly to be funny, at times. (Morris: funniest when most 'realistic'? Perhaps SM and I disagree on this...)

re. celebrities: it struck me that the old 'these people are so stupid, they'll do anything' argument may be inadequate. My hypothesis: they talked VERY SERIOUSLY to Lineker et al re. doing a VERY SERIOUS prog, got them into the studio, set cameras up, then unveiled Crazy script. What can celeb do? Say, I'm not reading this, and walk out - leaving bad impression (cos maybe it's a real campaign - you don't want footage of you walking out of that). Or, go along with it, hope for the best.

Dr Fox (whoever he is) seemed to me to know that what he was saying was absurd. That rather blew away the simple idea of celebs as dupes. No?

Last night I was bored and a little disappointed - although its still *important* TV but now I keep laughing at the sublime creative language and some of the ideas.

The celeb bit made me so cross - these people just can't be arsed to research - surely they're not that stupid. Perhaps Philippa Forrester and Gary Lineker weere actually colluding?

"Why are no paeodphiles black?"

Three mentions in separate threads = new thread. Three separate threads = ??? New Forum!!

Where it does work is in exposing the vanity of the likes of B. Brookes or B. Ingham (Cake episode) in thinking that anyone would take a blind bit of notice of *their* advice on this (or any related) subject.

Have not watched last night's show because I was righteously IN THE PUB, where I belong. The programme is videoed but watching Betty's eviction on BB was far more urgent and key.

The post-eviction sequence was just full of those "ew" moments.

Liz's creepy boyf has driven home to me that I couldn't get with someone just for their money.

I thought Brass Eye was fine; as Mike said, 9/10 compared to all other TV. Maybe it was a bit late coming and the issues were a bit cold. It must be pretty hard for Morris, though; the BBC presenting style, with foolish male anchormen trying to chat up their much younger, female counterparts and live reporters with nothing to say is so beyond parody already.

I really loved Spaced, and he's been moderately good in other stuff, so I like the fella. Actually the SOTCAA position is a bit of a running gag now (likewise: TVGoHome), as they seem to be all matey with him in real life. Again, I'm simplifying - there are forum contributors who always stuck up for him, and others who still think he's the Great Satan. Or second in command to Charlie Brooker.

All very tedious and, yeah, kinda joy-sapping.

Pinefox: you're right. Having watched it again, I'd give it eight and a half. It's ON FIRE for the first 8 minutes though.

Contender for Most Complex Subgenre in History of Culture?

New Contender for Most Complex Subgenre in History of Culture?

I don't really understand the technicalities, but basically you shoot on regular videotape and then drop-a-frame per second (or something) for a smoothed fake film effect.

This *really* gets certain folks' back up - whether it's the pretension of making it look a bit like film (but actually worse than either video or film) or the ubiquity of the method in light entertainment/sketch shows or the sense that it might be trying to replicate some American sit-com NTSC feel ("hey - it *looks* like Frasier" - but it actually *doesn't* work here either), I've really no idea.

Mentioning FRV on the SOTCAA forum is, I dunno, a bit like mentioning Killing Joke on ILM.

I think their line on IAP runs something like: Partridge is finally isolated as figure of derision and fun, whereas on the chat show (radio and TV) there were cases where his guests were as (or more) despicable. The chat show was, on some level, a vicious satire on the mechanics of making television - holed up in his Travel Tavern, AP was outside television, so only *he* looked bad, not the process which made him a minor celebrity in the first place (e.g. the scene with Tony Ayers (sp?), and the list of hopeless programme suggestions by AP - BBC exec comes out of this very well, let's all laugh at the idiot).

I think SOTCAA have *kinda* got a point about all of this - betrayal of character and so forth (they reckon the fly-on-the-wall radio doc which accompanied the second series of KMKYAP on R4 - only broadcast once and hence the preserve of comedy obsessives - is how IAP *should've* been. Never heard it myself) but, for Christ's sake, I thought it was really funny. They're either engaging with this show on some complete other level (perhaps in the way some folks watch Star Trek) which prevents them from giggling at "dur's moire t'Oireland DAN DIS" because, y'know, Alan just wouldn't say that, or... I dunno.

Jesus, enough already.

"As for those who are supporting such so-called comedy, they should try giving birth to a child of their own and seeing her come home one day with a ripped-out vagina."

"I think Channel 4 has shown everyone, even its few remaining fans, that it really can stoop to even lower depths of depravity, if it wants to!"

"Im fully aware of Chris Morris' work, and usually I find him funny, but this is sick, just sick, god help him if I ever meet him in the street."

And the ultimate:

"i have watched channel 4 for years and have always loved it but after tonights brass eye i will not be watching again as a teacher i was shocked by brass eye,even though it is a satire programme i cant believe gary linnekar got involved in this depraved programme i could not get through on the phone surprisingly. Making fun out of children,s misery when they are forced to have sex is totally unacceptable it actually made me feel physically sick i could not believe it and before you say you could have turned it off i did and let the paedophiles who were watching get on with watching it on thier own whilst you mabe light of thier disease."

God help us all.

"The programme so trivialised the subject that any attempt at a serious message was lost. Paedophiles are everywhere a constitute as much and maybe more than 10% of the population.
Few in positions of power and influence ever get caught and those able to use their power to obtain sympathy and support for their views use various tools including allaying fears about their activities through trivialisation."

Plus all the other ones accusing him of being a paedophile.

And seeing as how you're always telling us the UK sucks, do you think this prog could be transmitted on national tv in the US?

"As for those who are supporting such so-called comedy, they should try giving birth to a child of their own and seeing her come home one day with a ripped-out vagina."

...*has* to be one of his.

My final word on SOTCAA (before I bore myself off the thread): there's a slightly old-fashioned, conservative attitude towards concepts of form and structure, to relationships between art and commerce, to the idea of 'proper' comedy that runs through the editorial sections of the site. I know I'm rather missing the mark there, but I can't quite put my finger on their world-view (it crops up in threads about music too). It's not as simple as them believing in some rapidly receding Golden Age. Perhaps someone cleverer than me would like to have a good look and nail what it is that's so irksome.

From the ITC reports I've read, they're amazingly hip and groovy, so nothing's going to come of this (Tessa Jowell was on C4 news accusing them of wasting time trying to be fair, when really they should of course respond immediately to reactionary morons). I'm stunned it's still in the news 4 days later, let alone a top story.

The worst thing is that no one seems capable of justifying the show. People hear "It's satirising the media's overreaction" as "I love paedophilia". Wasn't the point that the media is completely indifferent to everything else? No one complained when rape was used as teatime entertainment on Corrie. "If you'd seen the police reports...".

Oh, and how long have we had a "Child Protection" Minister? This is incredible.

Dave Q, ROTFLMAO! Incidentally, I was more disturbed when I first heard Momus's "The Guitar Lesson" (a song describing the act of underage sex first recorded some 12 years ago now) than by *anything* in the Brass Eye special.

They interviewed a journalist from the Telegraph (I think) about the controversy. It was pretty balanced, and didn't slide into sensationalism as I feared.

"The Sun Says", Friday: "Keep this perversion off our screens. Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"The Sun Says", Today: "Brass Eye does not deserve the treatment it has got. It's none of the government's business, etc"

Off topic, but you just couldn't make it up: "SEE The Sun's exclusive snaps of the three angels who drowned in a car in a lake known as the Blue Lagoon." Angels? They look like ugly bastards as well.

Things I forgot to mention: Scheduling straight after Big Brother = Genius

Kevan, Bush Dodger is far superior to Unabummer, though neither match 2-Pin DIN Plug.

Press Complaints Commission Code Of Practice

It's possible the article on Charlotte Church contravenes points 6.ii and 6.v, and the Brass Eye article contravenes point 1.iv. I'm not sure about any others though.

Can anyone see a case to be made? Or is there really no way to attempt to get a complaint upheld about this? Are the Star just laughing at us? It's really quite a subtle piece underneath - 'Their double standards are incomprehensible'. Unbelievable.

It was Beverley Hughes, not Jowell, that I heard on Today yesterday. Jowell was claiming last night to have seen a video.

(* - I might have made this up; I get so confused reading all the 'Edit News' transcripts on S***AA).

Whaddya reckon - in the first stages of blowing over, or Ch4 about to compound their evil misdeeds with this repeat, so it lingers like the stench of burning cattle through the summer.

And where now for Morris? Back to radio? Whatever happened to 'Trombone', the mooted follow-up to 'Jam' (and *that* went a *lot* further re: abuse than BES)? About time Morris and Baynham were back on R1, yes?

Perhaps he's done enough. There must be many people who've been severely influenced by him; it's just a case of waiting until they come through. Or being one.

He can't roll very far then. An inch or two in one direction, then back to the starting point, then an inch or two the other way.

Then back to the starting point, again. And so on.

I'm glad C4 have stood by the show. Again, the irony is, I really *didn't think it was very good* - but the defence of principle takes over from evaluation.

Do people who think that child abuse is an unfit subject for comedy also think that nuclear war or the devastation of the earth's climate and ecology are unfit subjects for comedy?

Besides, Chris Morris was wholeheartedly against paedophilia throughout the whole programme...

Also = my opinion: CM knew he had just the one shot to score, and crammed everything in. Scored politically: not so much comedically. (Ted Maul: who cares, this is old...)

I've read some criticism of the Maul inserts - the voice wasn't quite right, seemed a bit out of sync, blah, blah. But still - "swallowed a bomb and given the detonator to a monkey" *with that inflection* was great, as was the growled sigh as he handed back to Doon McK after "giant - dressed as a girl. He's been here all day...".

Best daft name: Lardon Iridescu?

http://www.thesun.co.uk/life/13908082

Daily Mail tomorrow, anyone? Or are they bored of it now?

Now, I wonder whether Colonel Sanderson would actually have *believed* that Mike Batt had co-written such a thing :). Whatever, I can easily imagine Peter Hitchens putting those "America" and "Modern Culture" knives in a map of Britain on live television ...

A friend's mum was walking through Leeds University one stormy night in the 70s. She chose to take a shortcut rather than go down the street. She read in the newspaper the next day that a girl had had been killed by the Ripper on the street that she'd chosen not to walk down, at around the time that she'd been walking home.

Someone I know was questioned by the police at the time (there were roadblocks set up to question any man around I think 30, 6 feet tall and with a beard) and said it was terrifying because he fitted every bit of evidence the police had at the time.

The Ripper case is one of the most fascinating and terrifying investigations of modern times as far as I'm concerned.

"The ITC received around 1,000 complaints relating to taste, decency and offence and the use of children in the programme. Following press coverage, the ITC recorded over 750 messages expressing support for the programmes."

The BSC apparently approved it as well, but their website's broken.

Only took nine years but the real news caught up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_lmMmYAyow