Bill Hicks spoilt me for all other comedians, not only hysterically funny but an intelligent man too. His message was to encourage people to think for themselves, and to question what you are being told by the media, government and everything in-between. And then go and find the answers, make your own choices and have your own opinions; admittedly Jimmy Carr’s only message is ‘chicken dinosaurs – a pound.’
As my friend and I took to our front row seats Carr instantly zoned in on us. We had arrived late after having one last cheeky drink, thinking the gig started at half-past seven and not realising it actually started at seven.
I received the brunt of Carr’s tongue lashing , as soon as the words ‘I’m a writer’ came out of my mouth I saw his face beaming - because he knew he had an arsenal of jokes on that particular subject. To say I was mortified would be a complete understatement; it took me till the interval to stop blushing.
You would have to be drunk or stupid to take Jimmy Carr on once he has decided you are his target. He is possibly the only person, apart from my mum, who I wouldn’t back chat. The man has an eloquently vicious put down for every possible heckle you could throw at him, and I certainly was not going to take him on.
So, the point at which we join Carr, after the late arrival, he is talking about accents. This is possibly one of the funniest parts of the gig with Carr discussing how a particular sentence eases you into the accent. So, for the Liverpool accent he uses ‘I’ll have chicken and a can of coke’… I guess you had to be there.
Carr then asks what sentence would help you to perfect the Warrington accent. To which someone shouts ‘chicken dinosaurs – a pound’ in homage to Warrington’s very own, ex- chicken dinosaur peddler, Kerry Katona.
Some people find Carr offensive yet, in fairness, at least he doesn’t leave anyone out - he offends equally. There is no group of people and no subject that is left untouched.
But, the key to Jimmy Carr’s shock jock comedy is that you have to remember that he is, quite simply, telling jokes. This is not Jimmy Carr discussing his actual views.
It is suspension of belief, like watching a film, the audience knows Carr doesn’t mean what he is saying, and they don’t believe what he is saying, therefore making them able to laugh. Basically, the audience understand that it is not an opinion it is a joke.
During parts of the show Carr uses illustrations on a large screen to aide the jokes. The drawings are as outrageous as the comedy, particularly the Jedward one; anyone who saw that won’t forget it in a hurry.
As Jimmy Carr returns after the interval he walks on to wait for it…Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit. It was literally only the first four seconds of the song, but it was enough to convince me. Having never had him down as a Nirvana fan, it was probably the most shocking part of the gig. This is impressive, as long as he’s not just one of those In Bloom types.
There is also quite a lot of audience participation; one section has Carr interviewing a member of the audience, another sees two audience members competing with each other to tell a joke with Carr.
What this section highlights is that Carr is genuinely funny, particularly when engaged in un-rehearsed interaction with the audience. This is where Carr really shines; he’s not spent over 10 years honing his craft for nothing.
Carr's succinct, sharp one-liners bring genuine hilarity to whatever he is faced with from the unpredictable crowd. Admirably, even when put on the spot Jimmy Carr cannot be out-witted.
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