Jerry Sadowitz

Last night I went with friends to see the veteran comedian and magician Jerry Sadowitz play a secret warm up gig at the Approach pub in Nottingham situated on Friar Lane. The Sunday night comedy slot is called ‘Just the Tonic’ and hosts a variety of upcoming and established comedians, though I suspect they’d never had anyone of Sadowitz’s outlandish character there before.

I’ve been a fan of Jerry Sadowitz since the 80s but this was the first time I’d seen him live, and I wasn’t disappointed, in fact I left the venue on a right buzz. Sadowitz style isn’t for the faint hearted or moral upstanding, his style is a tour de force of noire hatred vented with a 100% proof vitriol. His topics encompass almost everything as his relentless pace charges forward with sardonic abandonment, no subject is taboo, no person is safe – that for me is the beauty of it as political correctness bollocks goes straight out of the window. Sadowitz says the things we all think and want to say but never do.

I’ve a feeling some of the younger audience didn’t know what they’d let themselves in for as the juggernaut of hatred humour rumbled on at break neck speed, so fast at times it was hard to keep up, but then again I was laughing hysterically. I have some of his previous stuff stashed away so I can watch it, I knew what to expect and I knew I was going to get my moneys worth, and I did, in spades.

I passed Jerry on the way to the gents, he seemed a quiet man, those huge orbs of eyes looked out thoughtfully from under his worn top hat, I wanted to go over and shake his hand but he was already talking to others in the venue, hopefully another time maybe. I expected him to be taller really but he was a short arse like me, it’s funny how television can often give other illusions of people. Where I wear platform goth boots to make me taller Jerry goes for the top hat effect!

It was a great comedy gig, marred only by the dire warm up comic called Joe Ball, a cockney of no repute who barely raised a laugh, but then again his style was very Lenny Henry, who I’ve never found funny anyway.

It was a great comedy gig, marred only by the dire warm up comic called Joe Ball, a cockney of no repute who barely raised a laugh, but then again his style was very Lenny Henry, who I’ve never found funny anyway.

Lastly, I have to mention the amazing magic performed, Jerry had a camera mounted above the table with the tricks being relayed on a large screen to the audience, the man moves with such devilishly fast adroitness that you never see things coming, but then again my vision was blurred by tears of laughter anyway!

Jerry's sparse website can be found here

A Video of some of Jerry's older material can be found here (warning, not for the easily offended)