Jerry Sadowitz
Encyclopedia
Jerry Sadowitz is an American-born Scottish stand-up comic and card magician
, known for his frequently controversial "sick humour". An accomplished practitioner of sleight of hand
, he has written several books on magic and invented many conjuring innovations. He is widely acclaimed as one of the best close-up magicians in the business. In 2007 he was voted the 15th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4
's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups and again in the updated 2010 list as the 33rd greatest stand-up comic.
sketches by Peter Cook
and Dudley Moore
, which much of his comedy emulates in its provocativeness and sheer offensiveness (he once described the Derek & Clive dialogues as "comic poetry").
He often comments in a seemingly callous way on contemporary disaster
s and tragedies
which have struck groups or individuals. He uses obscene language liberally and to cutting comedic effect. His comedy style combines the visual traditions of the magician, often using gaudy conjuring props, with political social and cultural observations which deliberately challenge the norms, taboos and transient sensitivities of contemporary culture. To this end, he is knowingly and deliberately offensive and sits firmly in the tradition of the "sick comic" established by Lenny Bruce
.
He reacted against the alternative comedy
movement by dealing in an aggressive and uncompromising way with issues of race and gender which challenged the prevailing orthodoxy of the alternative comedy scene. Outbursts of his savage comedy during his conjuring shows have sometimes alienated him from the more conservative magic community.
to a Jewish family. Following the breakdown of his parents' marriage, his mother returned to her native Scotland. Sadowitz was brought up in Glasgow
, Scotland and attended Shawlands Academy
. A sickly child, Sadowitz took an interest in magic while still at school.
. He first came to prominence as a comedian in London in the early 1980s and was, for a time considered part of the alternative comedy
movement. While living in Scotland he would travel down to appear at The Comedy Store
in London by express coach. In his early days he was managed by anarchic comedian and club proprietor Malcolm Hardee
, whose provocative selling line was that Sadowitz was too shocking to appear on TV; this may have actively put off TV producers from booking him. As a bet with fellow comic Nick Revell
, he produced one of his most famous lines of that era: "Nelson Mandela
, what a cunt. Terry Waite
, fucking bastard. I dunno, you lend some people a fiver, you never see them again."
While still with Hardee, Sadowitz's hit 1987 Edinburgh Fringe
show Total Abuse, was filmed at the Bloomsbury Theatre and is still a best seller twenty years after its release. It was also turned into the album Gobshite, but was soon withdrawn due to fears it may have libeled Jimmy Savile
. After a brief run as a columnist for Time Out magazine, he embarked on the Lose Your Comic Virginity tour in 1989. At this time he was no longer being managed by Malcolm Hardee but by Jon Thoday's fledgling Avalon management company. This tour culminated in a show at the Dominion Theatre
in London, the climax of which was an illusion in which he appeared from the rear of the auditorium wearing a kilt and a huge plastic phallus from which he proceeded to spray the audience.
In 1991 at the Just For Laughs
Comedy Festival in Montreal he was knocked unconscious by an irate audience member during a performance which mocked French Canadians, starting with the greeting "Hello moosefuckers! I tell you why I hate Canada, half of you speak French, and the other half let them."
In 1992 he appeared in his own television show The Pall Bearer's Revue. This name was taken from an old magic magazine. This show attracted a record number of complaints and has never been repeated. The BBC has stated that this show will never be re-aired or released on video/DVD.
In the 1990s he was part of a short-lived double act with Logan Murray
, in the shows Bib & Bob and Late Night Filth. His work with Murray took the form of sketches aimed at alienating almost everyone, including stamping on a blow-up doll of the recently deceased Linda McCartney
, and tipping Logan Murray, dressed as Superman
, out of a wheelchair into the audience (a reference to the paralysis of Christopher Reeve
). At one point he spat in the face of a drunken heckler
who was constantly interrupting the show. His final act was to strip naked and run for a few minutes across the stage, prompting a mixture of disgust and hilarity from the audience.
Sadowitz also appeared in the music video of The Shamen
's UK number 1 hit from 1992 "Ebeneezer Goode
" (which was later featured in Beavis and Butt-Head
), and introduced Derren Brown
to his manager (who subsequently also became Brown's manager).
, London, performing close-up magic to 30 people at a time. In recent years he has performed more of these close up magic shows in smaller venues where the focus has been on the tricks and the offensive patter forming an incidental, yet still angry and obscene, part of the act.
He performed two separate shows at the 2005 Edinburgh Fringe
, a stand up comedy show (Not For The Easily Offended) at The Queens Hall and Jerry Sadowitz - Card Tricks & Close Up Magic at The Assembly Rooms. The comedy show included a character named "Rabbi Burns", a cross between a Jew and the famous Scottish poet
. He performed a similar series of shows at the Soho Theatre
in London between December 2006 and January 2007.
In 2006 he broke the Soho box office record for ticket sales when he performed his close up magic show at the Soho Theatre
.
In 2007 his Edinburgh show "Comedian, Magician, Psychopath" at the Smirnoff Cowgate sold out.
In March 2008 as part of the Glasgow Comedy Festival Sadowitz sold out the Glasgow Theatre Royal. Sadowitz performed the show, "Comedian, Magician, Psychopath 2: Because I Still Have to Pay the Rent" at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival
in 2008. In December 2008 Sadowitz sold out the Queen Elizabeth Hall
in Southbank, London.
In January 2010, and again in January 2011, Sadowitz performed for a short run at the Leicester Square theatre, in London.
In April 2011, Sadowitz recorded two performances at the Leicester Square theatre, in London, with the intention of releasing a DVD. At the time of recording Sadowitz indicated that if he wasn't happy with the shows, he would just bin the recordings. Recently, it would appear that Sadowitz is indeed happy with the recordings and the DVD is now available for pre-order at the Leicester Square Theatre's online store, with shipment of the DVD commencing from November 14th, 2011.
Jerry has now announced he won't be releasing a DVD this year (2011)
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
, known for his frequently controversial "sick humour". An accomplished practitioner of sleight of hand
Sleight of hand
Sleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation or legerdemain, is the set of techniques used by a magician to manipulate objects such as cards and coins secretly....
, he has written several books on magic and invented many conjuring innovations. He is widely acclaimed as one of the best close-up magicians in the business. In 2007 he was voted the 15th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups and again in the updated 2010 list as the 33rd greatest stand-up comic.
Comedy style
An early influence were the Derek & CliveDerek and Clive
Derek and Clive is a double act of comedic characters created by Dudley Moore and Peter Cook in the 1970s. The performances were captured on the records Derek and Clive , Derek and Clive Come Again , and Derek and Clive Ad Nauseam , as well as in a film documentary, Derek and Clive Get the Horn...
sketches by Peter Cook
Peter Cook
Peter Edward Cook was an English satirist, writer and comedian. An extremely influential figure in modern British comedy, he is regarded as the leading light of the British satire boom of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as "the funniest man who ever drew breath," although Cook's...
and Dudley Moore
Dudley Moore
Dudley Stuart John Moore, CBE was an English actor, comedian, composer and musician.Moore first came to prominence as one of the four writer-performers in the ground-breaking comedy revue Beyond the Fringe in the early 1960s, and then became famous as half of the highly popular television...
, which much of his comedy emulates in its provocativeness and sheer offensiveness (he once described the Derek & Clive dialogues as "comic poetry").
He often comments in a seemingly callous way on contemporary disaster
Disaster
A disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment...
s and tragedies
Tragedy (event)
A tragedy is an event in which one or more losses, usually of human life, occurs that is viewed as mournful. Such an event is said to be tragic....
which have struck groups or individuals. He uses obscene language liberally and to cutting comedic effect. His comedy style combines the visual traditions of the magician, often using gaudy conjuring props, with political social and cultural observations which deliberately challenge the norms, taboos and transient sensitivities of contemporary culture. To this end, he is knowingly and deliberately offensive and sits firmly in the tradition of the "sick comic" established by Lenny Bruce
Lenny Bruce
Leonard Alfred Schneider , better known by the stage name Lenny Bruce, was a Jewish-American comedian, social critic and satirist...
.
He reacted against the alternative comedy
Alternative comedy
Alternative comedy is a term that originated in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era, and typically avoids relying on a standardised structure of a sequence of jokes with punch lines. Patton Oswalt defines it as "comedy where the...
movement by dealing in an aggressive and uncompromising way with issues of race and gender which challenged the prevailing orthodoxy of the alternative comedy scene. Outbursts of his savage comedy during his conjuring shows have sometimes alienated him from the more conservative magic community.
Early life
Sadowitz was born in New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
to a Jewish family. Following the breakdown of his parents' marriage, his mother returned to her native Scotland. Sadowitz was brought up in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland and attended Shawlands Academy
Shawlands Academy
Shawlands Academy is a non-denominational secondary school on the southside of Glasgow, Scotland.-Admissions:It has a roll of approximately 1,250 pupils and 90 teachers...
. A sickly child, Sadowitz took an interest in magic while still at school.
1980s
Some of his earliest performances as a magician, with comic asides, were at a Glasgow pub (the Weavers Inn) run by future comedienne Janey GodleyJaney Godley
Janey Godley is a British stand-up comedian and writer. Her autobiography, Handstands in the Dark, was a UK Top Ten bestseller and she was a 2006 Scotswoman of The Year finalist...
. He first came to prominence as a comedian in London in the early 1980s and was, for a time considered part of the alternative comedy
Alternative comedy
Alternative comedy is a term that originated in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era, and typically avoids relying on a standardised structure of a sequence of jokes with punch lines. Patton Oswalt defines it as "comedy where the...
movement. While living in Scotland he would travel down to appear at The Comedy Store
The Comedy Store
The Comedy Store is a comedy club located in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. It has a sister comedy club in La Jolla, San Diego, California.-History:...
in London by express coach. In his early days he was managed by anarchic comedian and club proprietor Malcolm Hardee
Malcolm Hardee
Malcolm Hardee was an English comedian, author, comedy club proprietor, compère, agent, manager and "amateur sensationalist"....
, whose provocative selling line was that Sadowitz was too shocking to appear on TV; this may have actively put off TV producers from booking him. As a bet with fellow comic Nick Revell
Nick Revell
Nick Revell is a British stand-up comedian and writer for radio and television. Born John Revell, he studied at Lincoln College, Oxford, and subsequently taught English at Westminster School....
, he produced one of his most famous lines of that era: "Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
, what a cunt. Terry Waite
Terry Waite
Terry Waite CBE is an English humanitarian and author.Waite was Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie's Assistant for Anglican Communion Affairs in the 1980s. As an envoy for the Church of England, he travelled to Lebanon to try to secure the release of four hostages including journalist John...
, fucking bastard. I dunno, you lend some people a fiver, you never see them again."
While still with Hardee, Sadowitz's hit 1987 Edinburgh Fringe
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
show Total Abuse, was filmed at the Bloomsbury Theatre and is still a best seller twenty years after its release. It was also turned into the album Gobshite, but was soon withdrawn due to fears it may have libeled Jimmy Savile
Jimmy Savile
Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile, OBE, KCSG was an English disc jockey, television presenter and media personality, best known for his BBC television show Jim'll Fix It, and for being the first and last presenter of the long-running BBC music chart show Top of the Pops...
. After a brief run as a columnist for Time Out magazine, he embarked on the Lose Your Comic Virginity tour in 1989. At this time he was no longer being managed by Malcolm Hardee but by Jon Thoday's fledgling Avalon management company. This tour culminated in a show at the Dominion Theatre
Dominion Theatre
The Dominion Theatre is a West End theatre on Tottenham Court Road close to St Giles Circus and Centre Point Tower, in the London Borough of Camden.-History:...
in London, the climax of which was an illusion in which he appeared from the rear of the auditorium wearing a kilt and a huge plastic phallus from which he proceeded to spray the audience.
1990s
Around 1990 there was a brief flirtation with fame in Scotland but local media soon turned on his lack of cooperation leading to his effective exile from that country.In 1991 at the Just For Laughs
Just for Laughs
Just for Laughs is a comedy festival held each July in Montreal, Quebec, founded in 1983. It is the largest international comedy festival in the world.- Information :...
Comedy Festival in Montreal he was knocked unconscious by an irate audience member during a performance which mocked French Canadians, starting with the greeting "Hello moosefuckers! I tell you why I hate Canada, half of you speak French, and the other half let them."
In 1992 he appeared in his own television show The Pall Bearer's Revue. This name was taken from an old magic magazine. This show attracted a record number of complaints and has never been repeated. The BBC has stated that this show will never be re-aired or released on video/DVD.
In the 1990s he was part of a short-lived double act with Logan Murray
Logan Murray
Logan Murray is a London-based stand-up comedian.Murray has appeared on television shows such as 'Peep Show', 'Packet of Three', 'London Underground', 'Pebble Mill', 'The Pallbearer's Revue', Channel Four's 'History of Swearing', 'The Greatest ***** Show on TV', 'Jerriatrick', 'People Like Us' and...
, in the shows Bib & Bob and Late Night Filth. His work with Murray took the form of sketches aimed at alienating almost everyone, including stamping on a blow-up doll of the recently deceased Linda McCartney
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
, and tipping Logan Murray, dressed as Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, out of a wheelchair into the audience (a reference to the paralysis of Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve
Christopher D'Olier Reeve was an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author and activist...
). At one point he spat in the face of a drunken heckler
Heckler
A heckler is a person who harass and try to disconcert others with questions, challenges, or gibes.Hecklers are often known to shout disparaging comments at a performance or event, or interrupts set-piece speeches, for example at a political meeting, with intent to disturb its performers or...
who was constantly interrupting the show. His final act was to strip naked and run for a few minutes across the stage, prompting a mixture of disgust and hilarity from the audience.
Sadowitz also appeared in the music video of The Shamen
The Shamen
The Shamen were an experimental electronic music band, from 1985–1999, initially formed in Aberdeen, Scotland, as a psychedelic-influenced indie rock act. The founding members are Colin Angus , Derek McKenzie and Keith McKenzie...
's UK number 1 hit from 1992 "Ebeneezer Goode
Ebeneezer Goode
"Ebeneezer Goode" is a song by Scottish electronic music group The Shamen, which, after being heavily remixed by The Beatmasters, became their biggest hit when released as a single in September 1992. The band's original version also featured on the vinyl edition of their album Boss Drum...
" (which was later featured in Beavis and Butt-Head
Beavis and Butt-Head
Beavis and Butt-head is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge. After seeing the short, MTV signed Judge to develop the concept. Beavis and Butt-head originally aired from March 8, 1993 to November 28, 1997...
), and introduced Derren Brown
Derren Brown
Derren Victor Brown is a British illusionist, mentalist, painter, writer and sceptic. He is known for his appearances in television specials, stage productions and British television series such as Trick of the Mind and Trick or Treat...
to his manager (who subsequently also became Brown's manager).
2000-Present
In 1999 he performed for a month at the Penny Theatre in CamdenCamden Town
-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...
, London, performing close-up magic to 30 people at a time. In recent years he has performed more of these close up magic shows in smaller venues where the focus has been on the tricks and the offensive patter forming an incidental, yet still angry and obscene, part of the act.
He performed two separate shows at the 2005 Edinburgh Fringe
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
, a stand up comedy show (Not For The Easily Offended) at The Queens Hall and Jerry Sadowitz - Card Tricks & Close Up Magic at The Assembly Rooms. The comedy show included a character named "Rabbi Burns", a cross between a Jew and the famous Scottish poet
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
. He performed a similar series of shows at the Soho Theatre
Soho Theatre
Soho Theatre is a theatre in the eponymous Soho district of the City of Westminster. It presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret....
in London between December 2006 and January 2007.
In 2006 he broke the Soho box office record for ticket sales when he performed his close up magic show at the Soho Theatre
Soho Theatre
Soho Theatre is a theatre in the eponymous Soho district of the City of Westminster. It presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret....
.
In 2007 his Edinburgh show "Comedian, Magician, Psychopath" at the Smirnoff Cowgate sold out.
In March 2008 as part of the Glasgow Comedy Festival Sadowitz sold out the Glasgow Theatre Royal. Sadowitz performed the show, "Comedian, Magician, Psychopath 2: Because I Still Have to Pay the Rent" at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival
Edinburgh Comedy Festival
Edinburgh Comedy Festival is a collection of comedy shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe which runs each August.-Media coverage:In June 2008, there were many news stories and commentaries in the media about the launch of the Edinburgh Comedy Festival, both positive and negative.Much was reported...
in 2008. In December 2008 Sadowitz sold out the Queen Elizabeth Hall
Queen Elizabeth Hall
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is a music venue on the South Bank in London, United Kingdom that hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. The QEH forms part of Southbank Centre arts complex and stands alongside the Royal Festival Hall, which was built for the Festival...
in Southbank, London.
In January 2010, and again in January 2011, Sadowitz performed for a short run at the Leicester Square theatre, in London.
In April 2011, Sadowitz recorded two performances at the Leicester Square theatre, in London, with the intention of releasing a DVD. At the time of recording Sadowitz indicated that if he wasn't happy with the shows, he would just bin the recordings. Recently, it would appear that Sadowitz is indeed happy with the recordings and the DVD is now available for pre-order at the Leicester Square Theatre's online store, with shipment of the DVD commencing from November 14th, 2011.
Jerry has now announced he won't be releasing a DVD this year (2011)
Television credits
- The Last Laugh with Jerry Sadowitz, British Satellite BroadcastingBritish Satellite BroadcastingBritish Satellite Broadcasting was a British television company which provided direct broadcast satellite television services to the United Kingdom...
, 1990 - The Other Side of Gerry Sadowitz, Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, 1990 - The Pall Bearer's Revue, BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, 1992 - Without Walls: The Greatest F****** Show On Earth, Open MediaOpen MediaOpen Media is a British television production company, best known for the discussion series After Dark, described by The Daily Mail as "the most intelligent, thought-provoking and interesting programme ever to have been on television"....
for Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, 1994 - Stuff the White Rabbit, BBC 2, 1997
- The People vs. Jerry SadowitzThe People vs. Jerry SadowitzThe People vs. Jerry Sadowitz was a late night British TV show which ran from 1998 to 1999 on Channel Five. It featured comedian Jerry Sadowitz talking to members of the public. The idea being that the person Sadowitz found most deserving would win the prize of £10,000. Contestants could talk...
, Channel 5, 1998–1999 - The People of New York vs Jerry Sadowitz, Channel 5, 2001
- The Jerry Atrick Show, Channel 5, 2000–2002
- Stewart Lee's Comedy VehicleStewart Lee's Comedy VehicleStewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle is a comedy series created by Stewart Lee.The BBC Two series debuted on 16 March 2009, and featured stand-up routines and sketches performed by Simon Munnery, Kevin Eldon and Paul Putner amongst others. Peter Serafinowicz recorded voice-over parts. The series is...
, BBC Two, 2009 (as Jimmy Savile)
Discography
- Gobshite, (1987) - Withdrawn (Copy may be consulted at the British Library Sound ArchiveBritish Library Sound ArchiveThe British Library Sound Archive in London, England is one of the largest collections of recorded sound in the world, including music, spoken word and ambient recordings....
)