Jim Jeffries -
30
Jim Jeffries
E4 Udderbelly’s Pasture @ 21:50, Aug 2-27 (not 15), (1hr), £10.00 (£8.00), £12.00 (£10.00)
****
Jim Jeffries is a dirty bastard. I mean really dirty… you certainly wouldn’t take him to meet your mother, and you’d probably think twice before introducing him to a mate down the pub. By his own admission; he doesn’t really tell jokes, he just tells dirty stories.

His style is a reasonably gentle plod through aspects of his life and experience, although the word gentle seems incredibly inappropriate for Jeffries as there is very little subtlety to be found here. Sordid and cruel, he’s like a boastful teenager with an innocent young audience, keen to show off all the foul words and information he knows.

And yet, there is something peculiarly inoffensive about him. Shock value is certainly a great stock in trade for him, but as he meanders from subject to subject, it becomes apparent that deep within he really doesn’t seem to mean any harm. Perhaps his behaviour stems from all the crap his older brother gave him in his childhood. Despite his bullish attitude I reckon he would be quite distraught to learn of any proper offence he may have induced, before remembering himself and throwing out some spiky remark so as not to lose face.

As caustic as he is, the crowd warm to him quickly and he has a wealth of supporters hanging on his every word. And for those who find him a little too abrasive, in this show there is a welcome reward for enduring the fetid onslaught… you get to see him punched in the face. An enormously satisfying spectacle indeed – but one that you can also witness on Youtube if you so choose, along with the attack’s hilarious after-events.

Jeffries is a crusader for crudity, touring the world spreading filth wherever he goes… you have been warned… and that’s why you’re probably even more eager to catch his act, you dirty bastard.


by Ian Phillips

The National Student's
2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
coverage is supported by