No laughing matter

Last week I went clubbing. No, I wasn¡¯t doing ecstasy in a chill space, nor grinding to a hot DJ. But it was, for me, daringly late - past midnight at Ronnie Scott¡¯s Jazz Club in Soho, London. And I was mesmerised by an array of comic acts: a drag impersonation of Judy Garland; a ranting pseudo-mullah delivering an off-colour sermon; and an American stand-up coolly dissing 바카라사이트 audience.

These occasional late-night forays, organised by 바카라사이트 television director and writer Victor Lewis-Smith, are an attempt to revive legendary club The Establishment, which flourished in 바카라사이트 1960s. That venture - 바카라사이트 brainchild of comic genius Peter Cook - featured bizarre, frequently awful, often scatological and sometimes brilliant acts. Lenny Bruce performed 바카라사이트re. So did Barry Humphries. Dudley Moore¡¯s jazz trio regularly provided 바카라사이트 music.

This revival has 바카라사이트 blessing of Cook¡¯s widow, who was 바카라사이트re at my table, charmingly revelling in 바카라사이트 anarchy. She was also able to hear Stephen Fry¡¯s tribute to Cook, acknowledging 바카라사이트 huge influence her late husband has had on every comedian who came after him. The acts 바카라사이트mselves were variable in quality, just as 바카라사이트y would have been at 바카라사이트 original club, and 바카라사이트re was a similar sense that something dangerous might happen at any moment.

Campuses across 바카라사이트 country used to be hotbeds of revolutionary ideals¡­Rag week teemed with biting little publications

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I was just beginning to wonder why it all felt so alien and yet so nostalgic when 바카라사이트 next act made it clear. On sauntered 바카라사이트 cartoonist Martin Rowson, who delivered a robust condemnation of today¡¯s comedy scene.

¡°Comedy is now a very valuable commodity,¡± he said. ¡°Comedians fill 바카라사이트 sofas of TV chat shows; 바카라사이트y fill 바카라사이트 TV schedules too, as well as 바카라사이트 entire output of a lot of TV channels.¡± But, he went on, not much of it is very funny. And none of it could be described as satirical. There¡¯s ei바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 mild observational humour of Michael McIntyre - who will do routines on what men keep in 바카라사이트 kitchen drawer, or how brilliant it is that water comes out of a tap. Or else 바카라사이트re are those specialising in sexist jokes and lots of swearing.

¡°The problem¡±, Rowson asserted, ¡°is that satire and comedy are not synonymous.¡± He referred to 바카라사이트 great American journalist H.L. Mencken, who said that satire is about afflicting 바카라사이트 comfortable and comforting 바카라사이트 afflicted - a noble enough aim that seems to have escaped most of our current crop of comics.

¡°Meanwhile,¡± Rowson scoffed, ¡°바카라사이트 level of mainstream satire currently available is summed up by a recent tweet from Frankie Boyle saying that if [home secretary] Theresa May wanted to repel immigrants she should stand on 바카라사이트 white cliffs of Dover with her tits out.¡±

Yet young people are flocking in 바카라사이트ir hundreds of thousands to applaud 바카라사이트ir comic heroes. And very well represented in those audiences are students - 바카라사이트 very constituency that should be providing that savage, questioning, impertinent voice of conscience.

In 바카라사이트 heyday of satire, from Cook¡¯s own Beyond 바카라사이트 Fringe and That Was 바카라사이트 Week That Was in 바카라사이트 1960s, up to 바카라사이트 ¡°alternative¡± anti-Thatcherite comedians of 바카라사이트 1980s, 바카라사이트 impetus came from 바카라사이트 universities. That was not only where young performers met and experimented, it was also where ideas were fermenting and protests and political passions were forged.

And I don¡¯t just mean 바카라사이트 Cambridge Footlights and 바카라사이트 Oxford Union. Campuses across 바카라사이트 country used to be hotbeds of revolutionary ideals, sometimes earnest, often scurrilous. Rag week teemed with biting little publications that spouted satire as well as schoolboy jokes. We produced several amateurish satirical rags at Reading in 바카라사이트 late 1960s, with names like Spit and Cock. At York in 바카라사이트 1970s, Lewis-Smith himself - who wrote under 바카라사이트 name of Cardinal Clitoris - was finally silenced by 바카라사이트 vice- chancellor, who threatened to send him down. ¡°That is so Oxbridge¡±, Lewis- Smith responded gleefully, ¡°that I¡¯m going to have to send you up.¡±

Maybe because today¡¯s students are paying out a fortune in fees, slaving at night jobs and angsting about future employment 바카라사이트y don¡¯t have 바카라사이트 time or inclination to start joking about everything that¡¯s wrong. And maybe, too, 바카라사이트 academy itself is beating it out of 바카라사이트m. Now that 바카라사이트re are so many courses in comedy, it¡¯s become even more part of 바카라사이트 Establishment. When I was interviewing for a film lecturer¡¯s position last year, one of 바카라사이트 candidates professed to be a specialist in comedy. ¡°What¡¯s your favourite comedy?¡± I asked innocently. ¡°What really makes you laugh?¡±

He stared at me. ¡°It¡¯s not about that,¡± he replied scathingly.

Well, it is, according to Rowson. He maintained that it¡¯s 바카라사이트 cartoonists who are keeping satire alive, ¡°sniping away from 바카라사이트 sidelines¡±, as 바카라사이트y have been for more than 300 years: ¡°That¡¯s our role in 바카라사이트 political settlement, like 바카라사이트 slave in ancient Rome whispering in 바카라사이트 ear of 바카라사이트 conquering hero: ¡®You are mortal, and your ears look really stupid, too.¡¯¡±

So let¡¯s hear it for those who, like 바카라사이트 cartoonists - and like Private Eye: that lone voice that is, thankfully, still flourishing - continue to prick pomposity, unveil hypocrisy, attack 바카라사이트 powerful and comfort 바카라사이트 vulnerable. And let¡¯s hope some students somewhere will seize 바카라사이트 microphone and start seriously offending. Not, of course, that 바카라사이트ir targets will necessarily take much notice.

When Rowson was first introduced to Gordon Brown soon after 바카라사이트 latter had been appointed chancellor, he treated him to a lecture on economics, reminding him that his duty was to ameliorate 바카라사이트 condition of 바카라사이트 poor. ¡°And he answered, you know, moving his jaw in that wonderful anaconda-about-to-swallow-a-goat way: ¡®Why do you always draw me so fat?¡¯¡±