STAND-UP COMEDY
Jim Jefferies is Intolerantly Hilarious and Brutally Honest in His Latest Stand-Up Special
The most offensive Aussie comic is back.
Ever since his career took off, Jim has been called a misogynist, a racist, a sexist, a homophobe, an alcoholic, a cocaine addict, and of course, an asshole from Australia.
I just call him my favorite stand-up comedian.
He is a foul-mouthed, raunchy, hardcore atheist. And I enjoy listening to foul-mouthed atheists saying dirty jokes because it’s a blast. In today’s entertainment industry, stand-up comedy remained the only art form where comedians can still be brutally honest. Of course, there’ll always be consequences for joking about delicate subjects, which sometimes will hit close to career-destroying moments, but on stage, they still have some kind of freedom. It’s up to them how they want to use it.
“You know why I stopped drinking so much is because I cracked open a beer, and my son, he was five at the time, he looked up at me, and he went, “Daddy, are you drinking again?”” — Jim Jefferies
Jim didn’t change much over the years. He’s just as rude and offensive today as he was 10 or so years ago. Look up his early stuff if you like, but I can tell you what you’ll find; drug and alcohol abuse, insults towards every single demographic group, and offensive jokes about religion. He never bent his personal or political views to be more accepted by the public or to gain more fans. Nah.
Jefferies grew up in Sydney, Australia. His father was a decent working-class fellow, and his mom was a substitute teacher. Jim lived in the UK for 10 years and currently living in the US for a long while now, but somehow he managed to stay true to his Australian upbringing. Even if that means he’s still an arrogant prick most of the time. I think there’s some honor in that.
Intolerant is his 4th Netflix special, where he shares some new information about himself. How he deals with his lactose intolerance, why he stopped drinking, and how he remembers his mother who passed away recently.
He’s still that likable ass, but his intensity and hunger to provoke the public obviously dropped. And that’s ok because he’s 43 now, and he needs to be a good and responsible dad for his son, Hank. Atheist jokes, insulting ignorant people, and degrading women are not the priorities anymore.
However, if you’re not familiar with his work, I’d recommend checking out his special Freedumb (2016) that he performed in Boston, or to find one of his earlier routines (Alcholocaust, Fully Functional) when he was at his absolute peak. Those are some truly witty examples of dark humor.
His last two specials (This Is Me Now, Intolerant) are on a different level where he didn’t choose to address the most sensitive topics as he did before (tackling the US presidency, religion, or lecturing Americans about their precious freedom.)
“My father’s a 78-year-old man from rural Australia, and when we were growing up, I heard him say the occasional homophobic slur. When he was young, uh, being gay was a mental illness. He’s a product of his environment. But two years ago, Australia had a referendum, where they voted on gay marriage, and my father voted “yes.” And that’s because I spent time talking to him, going, “Dad, it’s the right thing.” And then my dad said, “Well, I guess they deserve to be as miserable as the rest of us.”” — Jim Jefferies
Intolerant is based on one long story that takes place in a restaurant where he’s on a date with a young woman and recklessly decides to shove a bunch of lactose into his mouth, although he’s fully aware of the consequences that will follow. As you can imagine, this story is not for someone with a weak-stomach or the socially sensitive. It’s not a tasty one, but that’s sort of irrelevant because while he’s telling this anecdote, he also stops to share some sub-stories.
Short anecdotes about alcohol and drug addiction, or why Millennials are the worst people on earth, along with some harsh opinion regarding animal cruelty, fat-shaming, and women’s bedtime routines. In the end, he even shares some sentiment about his humorless mother, who never appreciated him as a comedian.
Jim’s worldview is grim and dark, he’s a pessimist who admittedly suffers from depression from time to time, and he’s not a big fan of living, either. That said, he always finds a way to tell us stories in a hilarious way, through the lens of his pessimistic mentality and makes us laugh to have a good time on every occasion when we get to see him on stage.
He’s often lofty and conceited, but there’s nobody I can think of as a contemporary comedian who tells hateful and mean jokes better than he does — well, Anthony Jeselnik might be a contender.
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