Carey Marx: Caryness

Carey Marx has been accused of misogyny in his stand-up routines, but flatly denies it. “I’m a great fan of women,” he insists, “in fact, I own one!” In 2008 there are few comedians who could deliver a line like that and receive, in return, a round of applause from an entire audience – male and female alike. Especially when it’s by far the cleanest joke in his tight one-hour set.

But few comedians put as much consideration into their routines as Marx clearly has. At a glance he might look like one of the horde of immature (usually male) comics who trade in shock value gags about ‘hilarious’ subjects like rape and disability. But, despite the mischievous twinkle that appears in the 42 year-old’s eye each time he drops another pitch-black one-liner that pushes the boundaries of taste well beyond their limits, Careyness is actually an incredibly thoughtful show.

Most of the time Marx does not so much deliver his jokes as unravel them, and it takes a while to realise that this show, above all, is about the power of language. Once he hits his stride, Marx procedes to follow each expertly-crafted gag with an astute examination of why it offends, and why it amuses.

What stops this becoming a lecture on the importance of free speech, of course, are the jokes – jokes which come at an astonishing rate, and rarely miss their mark. Shows like this are often described as not being suitable for the easily offended, but as the debate over misogyny and racism in comedy rears its ugly head once again, Careyness starts to look like essential viewing.