"you have a weird sense of humour Dave" is something my good friend Dan said to me not too long ago. It wasnt so much regarding anything i had said or done. It was more to do with my choices of television comedy.
I had brought around my copy of "JAM" by Chris Morris on DVD to show to my friends as i was convinced they would all find absolutely side splitting hilarious! Because of course, a sketch about a woman asking a plumber to fix her dead baby is bound to have the room rolling around the floor in hysterics. When Dan said "you have a weird sense of humour Dave" it dawned on me...maybe i do. I perused at my DVD collection and although yes, i do have a collection of light hearted humour, the comedy that populates my collection is mainly dark satirical British comedy. I know im not the only person out there who likes it but im definately the only person in my particular group of friends that likes the stuff.
I also noticed that i had organised the DVDs into that very order. JAM, Brasseye, The Day today, Nathan Barley, Monky Dust, Stressed Eric, the league of gentlemen ect.. there were also a couple of films in there like the American film "Happiness" which has a rather pant wettingly funny scene involving the friends of a father's son being dateraped and sexually abused with hilarious consequences! I realised i might have a problem. Then i realised that i might not. I dont what it is that appeals to me about these things. I think what i like most though is the reprisentation of Britain as this depressing, cold and frightening place. I like the personification of this character named "Britian". Its the complete antithesis of Little Britain and i love it.
In regards to laughing at something like "JAM" or "jaaaaaaaaaaaam" i can totally understand why my friends dont find it funny. Its horrible. Its crude. Its disturbing. But most of all it paints a version of Britian that your not used to seeing on TV. Thats not to suggest its a completely accurate reprisentation of this fine country we live in but i would definately say i relate to it much better than anything else.
Im not a complete sicko. I do like other comedy. Probably one of my favourite comedies of all time is SPACED. In terms of how much i can relate to it, its through the roof. I also like basic sketch comedy like the fast show or harry enfield and chums. Theres just something about comedy like Monkey Dust that really appeals to me. There is a sketch in Monkey Dust that is very conteroversial. Its where a small boy visits his dad. His mum and dad are divorced so his mum drops him off in the car and speeds away (a flash convertable sports car) When the child arrives he brags about how great his step dad is. Nothing the real dad does can live up to "Dad...i mean Rodger "mummies new boyfriend" because of this the dad tells little Timmy to wait downstairs while he goes upstairs. The dad commits suicide. seconds after this Timmy shouts up the stairs "Daddy! Daddy? I dont want to live with Rodger, i want to live with you" And all to ambient music track.
Now obviously i can see why no normal human being would ever find this in the slightest bit funny. Its a horrible life tradgedy. But i cant help but smile when i watch it. Hear me out. I smile because its a comedy of errors. Thats the real reason i smile at first. I get the joke. its not a huge joke...but its a joke. But then i smile because it has made me feel sorry for the characters. It has made me feel genuinally sad. Its a gut wrenching scene. I laugh though because i find it funny. I find it funny that this small BBC3 program has actually made me feel something different from what i usually feel watching television. It has made me feel sad and happy at the same time. And i think thats what makes me laugh.
So call me a sick fuck if you want. I dont mind. I probably am and for the record im not insinuating that this kind of comedy is in anyway superiour to shows like "little britain" (it is by the way) Im just saying there IS an audience for it.
And i am part of it. And i may or may not be ... A sick fuck.
