This just in…
Latest news:
1) Gayle from Brighton fixed it
Greetings! Thanks to those Fitzroy Diaries listeners who got in touch about the case of the Diaries going missing for a month or so. Good news is, you can find them again on iTunes, which may well be due to agitating by a woman we think said her name was Gayle. They’re also on ABC Listen.
2) Wriggler and Giggler on the radio
I enjoyed a lovely relaxed visit to Brian Nankervis’s Saturday morning show, where I read a story about reading stories, from my book, Would That Be Funny. You can hear our chat, and me reading, here.
3) Film announcement
Did you see this article in the paper by Karl Quinn about Not Only Fred Dagg But Also John Clarke? Gosh that makes it sound real, doesn’t it. Quick, let’s think about the migration patterns of whales for a bit.
Not Only Fred Dagg But Also John Clarke.
You’re going to be able to see my film soon. It’s a film about my father’s perspective on the world. It’s about comedy and the joy of connection and the impact of intergenerational trauma and it’s about what not to say when you’re being expelled. It’s funny, because he was funny, and his friends are funny and they’re in it too.
We speak to so many brilliant people. There is some wonderful as-yet-unseen footage. I’m in the film too, which is a bit of a character-building turn of events.
I will announce more details here as we figure out the dates you’ll be able to go to the cinema and see it, but you should know this: it’s designed for all the generations to be able to go together. Take a parent or a sibling or even a grandparent. I bet you find something in it that makes you turn to them in the cinema with a meaningful look.
Literary Awards.
I’ve recently been on some judging panels for a couple of pretty incredible awards.
First, the new category in the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards; the John Clarke prize for humour writing. When he moved to Australia from New Zealand in 1977, my father, satirist John Clarke decided to learn to write. The Clarke family is deeply grateful to the State government of Victoria, especially The Hon. Colin Brooks MP, for backing the $25,000 prize. Thank you to the absolutely terrifying Kay Setches AM, to previous Minister Danny Pearson, to Andrew Kenyon, to Jonathan Pickering, and to arts hero Claire Febey. And of course congratulations to the many excellent writers whose work we read for the prize, and to the inaugural winner, Robert Skinner.
Congratulations, too, to Lech Blaine for winning The Age Book Of The Year non-fiction book. This was another list of brilliant books and the short list is just hit after hit. Lech’s book is funny and touching and thought-provoking and unique. Have a read why don’t you.
“Now Lorin, the elder of John’s two daughters, has her say, and shows that she has arrived as a writer. Her metier is the fragment, its supply responsive to local movements of thought and emotion. The remarkable thing is how deftly she deals with sentiment without becoming sentimental, how amusing she can be without becoming (unduly) competitive. The story she has to tell is one of an ensemble, not the more common tale of a towering genius who draws those around him into his vortex.”
Grieving a loss? Know someone who is?
This is me talking with Marieke Hardy on her death and grief podcast, Marieke Hardy is Going To Die. The universe finally nudged us into each other’s orbit for a discussion of the experience of grieving (my father, but also others) and if it’s something you or someone you love is going through, you might find it helpful to hear other people talk about it.
Oh look my book exists!
If you wish to know more about the book, here is a review in Inside Story and one in The Conversation. Here is a review in ArtsHub. If you’re a comedy nerd, you might know about Tumbleweeds, which also reviewed the book.
My book, existing.
Phillip Adams Chat
I had a chat on Phillip Adams’s Little Wireless Program about my book, and about my Dad. Thanks to Phillip and his team.
Me, existing with Phillip Adams.
Mia’s Tender Heart
I was invited to write about Mia Dyson’s new album and it was a wonderful experience to do so. I like writing about music, it turns out, I’ve done a bit of it in recent years. This album would be fascinating without the story behind it but goodness, what a story. Thanks to Mia and Charlotte for inviting me into this world and trusting me to tell the story.
Fitzroy Diaries peeps!
I get asked a lot whether The Fitzroy Diaries is going to have another season. I wish I could say yes, but the fact is, my partner in crime, Sophie Townsend, is busy with her own projects, and I’m busy with a bunch of other things too. Meanwhile, do go and have a listen to me reading my audiobook. There’s even an extract or two from Fitzroy Diaries in there.
If you haven’t heard the Fitzroy Diaries, you can listen to it wherever you find your podcasts. Written and narrated by yours truly and produced by ABC Radio National by the incredible Sophie Townsend.
Big Issue Peeps!
Hello! Bless your cotton socks for being Big Issue peeps. Some of you have pointed out that I have been very lax at posting my column on the website lately. I am going to attempt to get in the habit again. But I’m in every edition so you can’t miss it in real life: support your local vendor. I do sometimes post them here.
Kids’ TV shows…
Aussie rules legend Eddie Betts is behind this show, set in an urban neighbourhood where a mob of kids have the run of the place and sometimes break out into a rap. The kids love it and it’s exactly what should be on Australian TV. I wrote a few episodes.
These lovely creatures are Beep and Mort, from a TV show for small people called Beep and Mort. Don’t you wish you could visit them? They are designed by Jonathon Oxlade. You can find them on the ABC.