Born in the States, but brought up in Glasgow, Sadowitz has a well-deserved reputation of the bad boy of comedy.

An aggressive stand-up, and accomplished close-up magician, Sadowitz made his name by bristling with anger, much of it vented at the right-on comedy circuit around him and the audiences who came to see it.

He famously opened the Montreal comedy festival with the line "Hello, moose-fuckers" and was promptly knocked unconscious.

And at the Comedy Store, at the height of political correctness, he won a bet with fellow comics by saying: "Nelson Mandela, what a cunt." It was only the next night that he thought of a punchline for such an inflamatory comment. "You lend some people a fiver and you never see them again."

Aside from the rage, Sadowitz has also provoked the ire of the comedy establishment by railing off streams of unapologetic racist jokes in his perpetual desire to shock liberal audiences.

Sadowitz's first love, though, remains his magic and he spends years out of the spotlight to devote himself to his art. Recently, he has re-emerged to perform both magic and typically savage stand-up shows.

Jerry Sadowitz: Comedian, Magician, Psychopath
Live Review
Brighton Komedia

Say what you like about Jerry Sadowitz, but he was way ahead of the curve. He was spouting racist, sexist, anti-disabled, homophobic, gratuitously sick jokes back in the distant days when comedy had a politically-correct face. Nowadays, every Ricky, Jimmy and Frankie uses the language of hate, only occasionally with a fig-leaf of irony.

Sadowitz thinks some of the newer generation have stolen his act. In which case there are several tramps shouting at bins on Sauchiehall Street who might have a case against Sadowitz. This is an expletive-heavy, semi-coherent but intense rant against the blacks, the Jews and the ‘spastics’ from a shambolic wreck of a man – as if these are in someway responsible for his abject sense of miserable worthlessness.

There’s no irony here, and no apologies either. Ricky Gervais might have caused a stramash for tweeting the word ‘mong’ – Sadowitz is only offended he didn’t use ‘mongaloid’, prompting the Glaswegian into a volley of bad taste that would keep an equality and diversity outreach worker in paperwork for months.

His humour is undeniably dark, but the intent – and reception – of his diatribe is in a greyer area. No moderate, sane person would agree with his hate-flecked outbursts suggesting all black people are criminals or the occupants of Dale Farm are all smelly, thieving pikeys. But you’re not supposed to. Sadowitz is not exactly a role model, unless you’re in the English Defence League.

However, the worse category of human – lower than any of the minority groups he so freely denigrates – are other comedians more famous, more successful, and probably more happy than him, having built career on spouting bland niceties. No surprise that in the curry house of comedians, he sees himself as the hottest vindaloo – while Michael McIntyre and Jack Whitehall are the plain boiled rice.

Nonetheless, as the nation has become used to a diet of stronger material, many people – certainly his particular audience – have become dulled to offence. It’s come to something when he cracks tasteless gags about Madelaine McCann and it seems almost hack, rather than appalling.

Certainly no one, even in liberal Brighton, stormed out, which Sadowitz might count as a failure. His uncompromising brutality still goes further than anyone else, and frogmarches into controversial topics anyone with a twinge of liberal conscience would give a wide berth to.

Yet some of his audience also appear to be refugees from the Chubby Brown fan club, cheering with no apparently sense of irony at some of the more extreme opinions. That grey area gets greyer with every bitter insult.

Such old-school non-PC comedy is usually frowned upon for targeting those less fortunate, but Sadowitz’s tacit defence might be that in his warped mind no one is lower than him. Certainly when he hurls racist insults at the Chinese, for example, he makes it quite clear that he’s punching upwards… he might call them ‘slitty-eyed’, but they will soon be our economic masters.

So, it’s an evening of unpalatable views, but is it funny? Again the jury’s out. Some jokes are too vile to be classed as any form of entertainment, and sometimes the material is not even a joke, just anger. But then, when you are not expecting it, an unexpected punch will land so hard, it will get you laughing.

But more than Sikipedia-style gags, this is an unflinching portrayal of hate, as intense and convincing as any dramatic Shakespearean actor. Not that Sadowitz would ever be so cowardly as to hide behind a character, of course: when he does adopt the persona of a Bronx Jew in the preamble, the material and style is exactly the same – even the accent keeps slipping back into his native Glaswegian Jew.

Many have hailed Sadowitz a comic genius. That’s surely overstating it, but he’s certainly uniquely uncompromising. Even as the number of shock-comics swells, he’s one of a kind. Thank fuck.

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Enjoy him while you can before he commits suicide and he gets the Bill Hicks plaudits for being the best of the best of British. Fuck Boyle, Carr etc and all the other so called edgy comics. Show us another card trick, you twat.

Mick Ferris, November 2009

i have been following Jerry Sadowitz for at least 19 years and he is by far the best comedian alive , I have seen quite a few folk walk out at his gigs over the years as they dont seem to understand that he takes the piss out of everything and every one and he is the best at what he does by far anyone who hasnt seen him should go and do that at least once as he blows people like Jimmy cCarr out the water. He is a legend of comedy and its a pity that he dosnt get the credit that he is due

wattie, June 2009

Been tuned into jerry since 1993. Just seen him in glasgow and stirling on two consececutive nights. A true genius.

brian harkness, March 2009

Saw him yesterday at the Kings. Brilliant! Far better than some recent gigs I've seen (Jimmy Carr, Frankie Boyle...) An absolute must-see.

Martin, March 2009

Just got back from seeing this mad bastard!This is what a glasgow comedian is all about! Totally shocking! The people he slags are allowed to practice free speech so should he. If you're offended with great difficulty then this will still be to hard for you to take. Some people go to things like this just to whinge. Like he says at the start if your easily offended F&*K OFF!!

Steven Ross, March 2009

Thinking about going to see Jerry Sadowitz? I wouldn't bother, Racist ranting with a bit of magic thrown in. I have read other comments saying his act is steeped in irony but I didn't get that feeling and the fat racist ahole next me didn't get the irony either.

andy@gmail.com, March 2009

Love him. If people ask me what he's like, I never explain. That would be unweaving the rainbow.

colin, November 2008

I just caught my 6th Jerry Sadowitz performance a couple of nights ago & he was a full-scale riot! He laid down the law on practically the entire content of the world within 1 & 1/2 hours & also threw in some stupendous magic tricks which were magnified on a large screen for the benefit of those at the back of the venue. His sleight of hand rapid-fire card magic is unrivaled by anyone - he is truly a master at his art! To those who find him offensive, Exactly what were you expecting? A nice Garden Party in your Sunday Best? It ain't like you weren't warned! How can he be racist when he hates everything? It also ain't like he doesn't annihilate himself on stage either for a cheap stab. I only wish there were more comedians like Jerry Sadowitz and Paul Kaye (Mike Strutter) who drive political correctness off the cliff and speak their (and most of the time OUR collective) mind - instead of watering down & commercializing a more sterile and non-boundary pushing attempt at comedy. Without trying to be morbid - it's the same with all true genius... they only gain recognition once they're dead...

John, March 2008

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