Jim Class Hero

A fearless stand-performer known for tackling taboo subjects, Aussie comic Jim Jeffries has of late been based in LA, where he has been looking to get into movies. How has the process been going so far?

“There have been no roles yet,” he laughingly admits. “I just auditioned today for a Jim Carrey movie - it’s a kids’ film about penguins. That’s all I can do really, just keep on going. Is it the right role for me? I don’t know. But I go out for anything. The theory is that if you get one role, that opens the doors for you. I’ve been fucking close. I read for a role with Justin Long and Drew Barrymore, and I got a call-back to do the Owen Wilson part in Death At A Funeral. At different times, it’s been almost happening. But maybe it won’t be movies, it’ll be TV. I still do radio out here, and I’m a lot busier than I’ve ever been really, so I’m not complaining.”
Unlike certain members of Jeffries’ audiences, who have objected to the manner in which the comic approaches such delicate subjects as religion and politics, probably the two most provocative topics available to stand-up performers.
“They’re the most contentious topics in general life,” notes Jeffries. “There are other topics with which you can get under people’s skin. Disability is something that really riles people, and any type of disease. You do a joke about cancer or AIDS...it’s very difficult to police who gets offended, because the guy who gets offended by the cancer joke doesn’t get offended by the AIDS joke. Sensibilities only come down to personal experience, don’t they? If you do a joke about religion, you’re only upsetting the religious people, you’re not upsetting the atheists or the agnostics.”
Jeffries has also antagonised some people with the title of his new show, which is called Alcoholocaust.
“It’s upset people in the Jewish community,” he explains. “I wasn’t doing any Jewish related material, I was talking about how if you drink too much, you’ll kill yourself. That was the premise, but then all of a sudden it was deemed that I was taking shots at people. You find a word that you think is funny and you work backwards. I’m not doing any jokes about the holocaust, but I’ve letters written to me saying that I’m taking the piss out of it. You can’t win.”
Does Jeffries find that people are genuinely upset themselves, or are upset on behalf of other people?
“With religion, people get upset themselves. With themes such as disease, disability, sexism - any of the ‘isms’ - that’s normally someone getting upset on others’ behalf. But religion is the only thing where people are staunchly upset themselves. Even racism to a certain extent, it’ll normally be someone who’s a bit more PC, rather than someone of that actual race. Not that I do any race related material, but let’s say that I was doing an impersonation of an Indian where I was wobbling my head from side to side. It would be a white guy who would come up to me afterwards and tell me off.”
In 2001, Sarah Silverman caused a shit-storm when she appeared on Conan O’Brien’s show and did a routine about avoiding jury duty. She joked that a friend had advised her to write something “inappropriate, like ‘I hate chinks’”. However, as the comedian didn’t want to be thought of as being racist, she wrote, 'I love chinks’ - and who doesn’t?’ It was a very funny gag, but certain people seem to object to the use of particular words, no matter what context in which they’re used.
“I try to stay away from the whole race related thing as much as possible, because I realise that’s a heated subject,” says Jeffries. “And also, I don’t have hugely strong opinions on it. I’m pretty much a live and let live type of guy when it comes to that, but I do have very staunch opinions on certain politics and religion. But even then, with politics, my stuff is more social observation than political commentary, because I don’t read enough to really get into the prime minister or president of whatever country I’m in.
“I don’t know enough policy to say why such-and-such is an idiot. I know that they might be, and I’m pretty sure that they are, but I haven’t read enough to confirm it.”
In one of Jeffries' YouTube clips - which has been viewed well over a quarter of a million times - he builds up to one gag with a list of frustrating aspects of life. Essentially a list of “can’ts” it ends with the line, “can’t punch women in the face”. It sounds crude on paper, but such is the obvious relish with which Jeffries assaults PC attitudes - not to mention the sheer audacity of the gag - you can’t help but laugh, even as you feel slightly horrified.
“You know what I like about that joke?” asks Jeffries, leading into an even more outrageous gag. “I say, ‘I’m going to stipulate the word ‘face’. You can punch them - just don’t leave a visual mark.’ (Laughs) There’s a comedian who does a very measured argument. He goes, ‘There’s that argument, you never hit a woman. Really? I can think of, like, 40. What if they’re hitting you?’ Not that I’ve ever hit a woman, but sometimes with those hypocrisies in society, there’s no way of winning the argument, but if you give a measured argument, there’s no way of losing it either.”

Jim Jeffries performs at Cuba, Galway on October 23 as part of the Galway Comedy Festival. He also comes to the Sugar Club in Dublin on October 21.