Could the royal wedding Chaser ban be the monarchy's undoing?
Posted by Derek Sapphire on Friday, April 29, 2011
I'm sure you'll all agree that the Chaser team is the most searingly brilliant satirical comedy troupe working in TV today. Every one of their pranks and sketches is astonishingly courageous, gut-bustingly funny, and deeply thought provoking. I still think that their renowned APEC stunt in which Chas Licciardello dressed up as Osama bin Laden was the greatest moment in comedy history. Talk about speaking truth to power - and hilariously!
They could easily have just retired then and there, and rested on their comedic laurels. But no! They have continued to grow and develop as artists, honing their unique brand of insightful zaniness and leaving the entire nation rolling in the aisles while simultaneously nodding in solemn agreement.
My only criticism would be that in the lead up to the 2010 election they actually did a sketch that made fun of people who voted for the Greens. I couldn't believe it when I saw it. Neither could Jocelyn. The shock made both of us almost fall off the futon! I don't know what possessed them. Maybe they were being hounded about that illusory bias at the ABC by the vindictive, relentless Janet Albrechtsen and threw it in to appease her?
Well, whatever their reasons for doing it, I think we can be sure it was pretty much a one off and we're highly unlikely to see anything as offensive from them ever again. Which is just as well because if you do watch it you'll see that it stands out as the only undeniably unfunny sketch they've ever done.
So, there is no doubt that they are all comedic artists of unquestioned skill and quality. Which is why it's so disturbing that they have been banned from reporting on the royal wedding. Like so many of you, fellow travellers, Jocelyn and I have been eagerly awaiting their irreverent coverage of this grotesque and nauseating event. And we were truly gutted at the cancellation. Really, we have not been so distraught (not to mention disturbed) by a broadcasting decision since The Glass House was suddenly axed for being "politically incorrect" several years ago (thanks again to the best efforts of our old friend Ms Albrechtsen, no doubt).
As Chas Licciardello himself points out, the Windsor House fatwa is totally arbitrary and inconsistent, since Dame Edna has not received similar treatment. But then the royals would let "her" "make fun" of them, wouldn't they? After all, the man behind that old, hackneyed and completely unfunny caricature is a conservative who writes for The Spectator, isn't he? They can always count on the correct, deferential tone from him, can't they? It just goes to show that unlike the left conservatives are paranoid and inward-looking, and will always protect their own. But hey, we knew that already.
Still, while the decision to ban the Chaser team is cruel, totalitarian and deeply sinister, it could actually be to our benefit in the long term as sassy sister Ellena Savage so searingly points out in this must-read article on the subject:
Hopefully, Clarence House's censorship of our beloved 'Chaser boys' will pave the way for a creative and critical conversation in Australia about what institutions might best represent what we look like now, and how we collectively imagine our future. I don't believe it will ask to have an inbred, welfare-dependant WASP family above the law and above democratic criticism.
That's so true, Ellen. The real story (which of course the mainstream media aren't covering) is that most Australians are deeply enraged about this ban. It could well prove to be the straw that broke the camel's back the rubber chicken that broke the monarchy's reign.
Let's just hope it is, hmmm?
They could easily have just retired then and there, and rested on their comedic laurels. But no! They have continued to grow and develop as artists, honing their unique brand of insightful zaniness and leaving the entire nation rolling in the aisles while simultaneously nodding in solemn agreement.
My only criticism would be that in the lead up to the 2010 election they actually did a sketch that made fun of people who voted for the Greens. I couldn't believe it when I saw it. Neither could Jocelyn. The shock made both of us almost fall off the futon! I don't know what possessed them. Maybe they were being hounded about that illusory bias at the ABC by the vindictive, relentless Janet Albrechtsen and threw it in to appease her?
Well, whatever their reasons for doing it, I think we can be sure it was pretty much a one off and we're highly unlikely to see anything as offensive from them ever again. Which is just as well because if you do watch it you'll see that it stands out as the only undeniably unfunny sketch they've ever done.
So, there is no doubt that they are all comedic artists of unquestioned skill and quality. Which is why it's so disturbing that they have been banned from reporting on the royal wedding. Like so many of you, fellow travellers, Jocelyn and I have been eagerly awaiting their irreverent coverage of this grotesque and nauseating event. And we were truly gutted at the cancellation. Really, we have not been so distraught (not to mention disturbed) by a broadcasting decision since The Glass House was suddenly axed for being "politically incorrect" several years ago (thanks again to the best efforts of our old friend Ms Albrechtsen, no doubt).
As Chas Licciardello himself points out, the Windsor House fatwa is totally arbitrary and inconsistent, since Dame Edna has not received similar treatment. But then the royals would let "her" "make fun" of them, wouldn't they? After all, the man behind that old, hackneyed and completely unfunny caricature is a conservative who writes for The Spectator, isn't he? They can always count on the correct, deferential tone from him, can't they? It just goes to show that unlike the left conservatives are paranoid and inward-looking, and will always protect their own. But hey, we knew that already.
Still, while the decision to ban the Chaser team is cruel, totalitarian and deeply sinister, it could actually be to our benefit in the long term as sassy sister Ellena Savage so searingly points out in this must-read article on the subject:
Hopefully, Clarence House's censorship of our beloved 'Chaser boys' will pave the way for a creative and critical conversation in Australia about what institutions might best represent what we look like now, and how we collectively imagine our future. I don't believe it will ask to have an inbred, welfare-dependant WASP family above the law and above democratic criticism.
That's so true, Ellen. The real story (which of course the mainstream media aren't covering) is that most Australians are deeply enraged about this ban. It could well prove to be the straw that broke the camel's back the rubber chicken that broke the monarchy's reign.
Let's just hope it is, hmmm?
Tags: monarchy censorship comedy satire tv abc royal wedding chaser
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