Brendon Burns
To kick off Cracker Festival's Time Out comedy debate on 23 April we asked Mr Burns if there are any taboos left in comedy.
Aussie stand-up Brendon Burns won the top award at the Edinburgh Festival alst year with his controversial show, "I suppose this is offensive now." It was — that was the point. To kick off the Time Out comedy debate at the Cracker Festival on 23 April — "Laughter is the root of all evil" — we asked Mr Burns if there are any taboos left in comedy...
Political correctness is an
oxymoron Back in the day, stand up
comedy used to be very racist and
sexist and all about making songs
that rhyme with ‘Abo’. “Alternative
comedy” was “alternative” basically
because it was non-racist and nonsexist;
it challenged the status quo.
Then political correctness came in
and people with power started trying
to judge what was acceptable and
what wasn’t – which is a bit ironic
when you think about it. How PC
is it to dictate what’s OK and what
isn’t? The point of comedy is to take
the piss out of those supposedly
in power. Political correctness isn’t
actually real. It’s a lie, a lie told so
as not to piss someone off. Political
correctness is just someone being
offended on someone else’s behalf.
It’s appropriating someone else’s
cause – normally for reasons
of self-righteousness and selfaggrandisement.
Whether something is taboo or
not depends on context And
it will always change because the
world is evolving. And de-evolving.
For example, racism is no longer
acceptable. But religion is generally
fair game now – with the possible
exception of Ireland, and you cannot
blaspheme in some parts of the
States – but it never used to be.
Which is why Monty Python’s Life of
Brian was so ballsy at the time. The
comic juxtaposition at the end where
they sing “Always look on the bright
side of life” while they’re on the
cross. Bam! And they did that in 1979
when religion was a no-go zone.
Nowadays everyone does
paedophilia jokes Every single
fucking act has a joke about someone
fucking a kid. But it’s become a
false controversy because everyone
does it. It’s become the joke that
comics do when they’re being really
“edgy” and “out there” and then
they go: “Whoa…OK, maybe that’s
too controversial for this audience.”
Except that the five people on stage
before them all did exactly the same
joke.
Just because you’re talking
about racism, doesn’t mean
you’re racist I’ve startling dabbling
with race but I do jokes for people
of all ethnicities not about them. If
there’s any joke you wouldn’t say
around a minority, then I think it
becomes about them and that’s the
big difference. I think Sydney and
Melbourne do a pretty good job
of getting along as multicultural
societies. But I think Australia
generally could do with a shaking up
about the Aboriginal community. I
certainly don’t mind bringing that up
anytime we want to think we’re better
than anyone else. We’re a big fucking
ropey on that one, let’s face it.
Exclusion is a taboo Once you
exclude any group of people from
having a sense of humour or
presuming they don’t have a sense
of humour, once you exclude a group
of people in your society from satire,
that’s it. I’m just playing around
with the culture. No one is excluded
so everyone is included – so we can
all laugh at ourselves. My ultimate
audience member would be a postoperative
transsexual black lesbian
in a wheelchair who has dwarfism.
Comedy can help remove
irrationality Society’s hot potatoes –
race, gender, sexuality, mental illness,
disability, paedophilia – they’re all
very emotional issues where feelings
are strong and people can get upset
and offended when that doesn’t need
to be the case. But if you talk it
through in comedy, the irrationality
of the feeling goes away.
The show I did in Edinburgh last
year – part of which I performed
when I came to Sydney in January
– was about what is offensive,
and about the hypocrisy and the
selfi shness of my outrage when I was
offended. I realised that every time
that I’ve been in a rage or offended
in this life, it has really been quite
infantile and selfi sh. Realising that is
very liberating.
Dan Rookwood
The Time Out Great Comedy
Debate “Laughter Is The Root Of
All Evil”, Wed 23 April at The
Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Rd,
Enmore 2042. (02 9550 3666 www.crackercomedy.com). 8pm. $32; concs
$28. Burns is not taking part – he’s
already given his two cents above.