Doug Anthony All Stars

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"DAAS" redirects here. For the film, see Daas.
Doug Anthony All Stars

Tim Ferguson, Paul McDermott and Richard Fidler performing in Hobart, Tasmania
Background information
Also known as DAAS
Origin Canberra, Australia
Genres Comedy
Years active 1984–1994
Former members
Paul McDermott
Tim Ferguson
Richard Fidler
Robert Piper

The Doug Anthony All Stars (or Doug Anthony Allstars, DAAS, D.A.A.S. or stylized as D⋆A†A☭S) were an Australian musical comedy group who performed together between 1984 and 1994. The band was an acoustic trio comprising Paul McDermott and Tim Ferguson on main vocals and Richard Fidler on guitar and backing vocals. They were known for their aggressive, provocative style; their habit of involving audience members and their tendency to attack topical and sometimes controversial issues in their comedy.

DAAS began performing as buskers on the streets of Canberra in 1984, while they were attending university. After winning the Pick of the Fringe award at the 1986 Adelaide Fringe Festival the group relocated from Canberra to Melbourne, but it was not until they travelled to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1987 that they first achieved success. They quickly gained popularity in the United Kingdom, where they made numerous television appearances, but remained virtually unknown in Australia until 1989 when they were made regular performers on the Australian comedy show The Big Gig. These appearances gained them recognition, and they remained a popular feature of the show until 1991 when they left to create their own ABC comedy series, DAAS Kapital.

The group released four live recordings and one studio album, DAAS Icon, which achieved some independent success in Australia but was briefly banned in Britain. They also released a collection of dark short stories in 1989, entitled Book, which took a markedly different tone from their comedic stage performances. They also made two live concert videos and one film, The Edinburgh Years. The group split up in 1994, following a final farewell tour of Australia. Although they reunited in 2003 to perform together at a benefit concert and were interviewed together in 2008 in support of their DVD, the three have ruled out the suggestion of a reunion tour.

Contents

[edit] Style

DAAS frequently involved the audience in their act. In this scene, the group mock-threaten to shoot an audience member.

DAAS employed an aggressive, confrontational style, which author and journalist Geoff Bartlett describes as "[pushing] the boundaries of humour and good taste to their absolute limits".[1] They frequently delved into topical and taboo subject matter with songs such as "Commies for Christ" and "I Fuck Dogs".[2] "Long before anyone knew the term, one of our greatest driving forces was to be politically incorrect," said Ferguson.[3] Each band member developed distinctive onstage characters, with McDermott adopting a nasty, mean persona, while Ferguson played a narcissistic character who was "gorgeous but stupid".[4] Fidler initially played the straight man, but as the group became more aggressive he developed into a character who was naturally happy and caring but frequently victimised by his fellow band members.[5]

The group drew inspiration from short-lived punk bands like the Fat Sluts, The Lone Reagans and Forbidden Mule, whom Ferguson describes as "like all punk bands... very fast and furious."[6] Much of the band's provocative style emerged from their origins as street performers, where in order to get people's attention they resorted to outrageous or theatrical tactics—the group would sometimes walk into the street and stop traffic to get noticed.[6] "Sometimes we have to do really ugly or horrendous things to get people's attention, and we're not afraid to do that. We'll hit someone if it gets a bit of discourse going," said McDermott.[4]

Neil Pigot, who did some work with the group, describes their style as "a sort of extension of the Python tradition, but very much in an Australian context." He says that DAAS were "crucially important" in the development of Australian comedy, directly contributing to the styles of successful comedy shows such as The D-Generation, Fast Forward and Wogs Out Of Work.[7] At the time DAAS emerged, Pigot says, comedy in Australia was dominated by joke-tellers and impersonators. By contrast, DAAS were belligerent and confrontational, frequently attacking topical issues, invading people's personal space and involving the audience in their act.[7] Mark Trevorrow, who frequently collaborated with the group, described their work as "true genius." "Their great shows were among the greatest evenings I've witnessed in my life and their worst shows were among the worst," he said. "They'd whip up an audience and appeal to people's darker side. It was very Dada, what they were doing. And what happens with that is you're just as often likely to have people who want to kill you as applaud you."[1] In addition, ABC comedy producer Ted Robinson says that the group played an important role in raising the profile of Australian comedy overseas, particularly in Britain where DAAS were very popular.[7]

“

I think there was true genius at work with that pack ... They'd whip up an audience and appeal to people's darker side. It was very Dada, what they were doing.

 ”

— Mark Trevorrow, Comedians in the Mist[1]

DAAS were known for their tendency to tell outrageous lies to journalists during interviews and attempt to see them published as fact. In one of the best-known instances of this, the group told British reporters that their namesake, former Australian politician Doug Anthony, was a much-loved Prime Minister of Australia who had been assassinated on November 11, 1975, by right wing extremists. (In fact, Anthony is a former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia who had led the right-of-center National Party of Australia from 1971 to 1984.) The lie was printed in The Times, The Guardian and The Independent.[8][9] This game continued undetected until in 1990 the group told a reporter that they had been cast in Batman and had become great friends with Jack Nicholson, both lies. The story was reported as fact in newspapers around Australia and appeared as a cover story in the TV guide of Melbourne's Herald Sun before the media realised the hoax.[10]

[edit] History

[edit] Early years

Tim Ferguson met Richard Fidler busking on the streets of Canberra in 1984, while they were both attending university. Ferguson recalls: "Richard was playing the guitar—something from Cat Stevens—one day and I walked up to him and we did 'Wild Thing'. I sang a few lyrics and jumped about like a mad thing. Lo and behold we made a stack of money in ten minutes."[11] The two began performing together and joined with another friend, Robert Piper, to form the Doug Anthony All Stars.[11] They derived their name from Doug Anthony, a former Country Party leader and Deputy Prime Minister of Australia.[12] According to Fidler, during their earlier gigs in clubs and as street performers, Ferguson was "a bit of an explosive hippie" while Fidler and Piper were more reserved.[5]

When Robert Piper left the group in 1985 due to other commitments, Paul McDermott, who performed at one of DAAS's regular clubs, was invited to join. He accepted, although he did not like their material, which he considered too sweet.[13][14] Fidler says McDermott changed the group's dynamic; he wrote the majority of their songs and prompted a darker tone.[5] After winning the Pick of the Fringe award at the 1986 Adelaide Fringe Festival, the group relocated from Canberra to Melbourne, where they based themselves with a regular gig at the Prince Patrick Hotel in Collingwood, in an effort to save enough money to travel to the Edinburgh Fringe.[15] Initially DAAS found that Melbourne audiences did not respond to their act and to provoke a reaction they became more aggressive, with McDermott and Ferguson adopting more abusive personas and often picking on Fidler's naturally happy but stupid character.[5] They made their first overseas performance at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1987, to sold out crowds.[13]

[edit] Successes

“

It was weird for us to go from performing ... to an audience of roughly 15 million people in one night, to then go back to Australia and have to busk in Swanston Street mall.

 ”

— Paul McDermott, Comedians in the Mist[16]

Following their Edinburgh Fringe shows, the group enjoyed considerable success in the United Kingdom, making appearances on numerous BBC comedy shows. In 1988, the group was nominated for the Perrier Comedy Award for their performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[14] Fidler says that the British people were more receptive to their act at the time than Australians had been. "The whole thing exploded for us when we got there, it was quite incredible. Within a very short time we were doing national television appearances in front of millions of people and playing these enormous shows," he says.[17] They played extensively in Canada, Germany, America and Britain, and finished their time in Britain by appearing on the final episode of the successful Friday Night Live.[17] However despite the acclaim they were receiving overseas, when they returned to Australia at the end of 1988 they remained unknown. Upon arriving in Melbourne, they struggled to gain a following and went back to busking on the streets.[13]

DAAS in an appearance on The Big Gig

This changed in 1989 when ABC comedy producer Ted Robinson invited them to appear on a new comedy show, The Big Gig. They became a popular feature on the series and appeared in every episode until 1991. In 1989 the group also released a book entitled Book, which was a collection of dark short stories. Many of the stories had been written several years prior, even before the three had started performing together, and adopted a markedly different tone to their comedic, largely ad libbed live shows. Ferguson said that they had wanted to write something that people could read and enjoy without having seen DAAS perform.[4] Book sold 30,000 copies in England within the first two weeks of publication before being banned when DAAS refused to release an edited version of the book or permit a warning sticker on the cover. The issue was taken to court in the same year, where the ban was overturned.[18][19]

DAAS released their first official album, DAAS Icon, in 1990.[20] Two of the featured songs, "I Want to Spill the Blood of a Hippy" and "Bottle", were also released as singles. Icon went on to become the highest selling independent album in Australia,[21] but was banned in the UK due to a reference to the IRA in the song "KRSNA".[22] This was later overturned by a British court.[19] The group continued to appear weekly on The Big Gig until 1991 when their own series, DAAS Kapital, premiered on the ABC. A futuristic half-hour long sitcom about the band's adventures in an underwater history museum, DAAS Kapital ran for two seven-episode seasons between 1991 and 1992 despite a poor critical reaction.[21][23] From 1992 they became UK-based, returning to Australia for a short time in 1993 to promote Dead & Alive, a live recording of one of their London shows which was released on CD and VHS.[21] They played at the opening of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics[24] and appeared regularly on Britain's Channel 4 variety show Viva Cabaret.[21]

[edit] Break-up

“

Ten years was a good run. Paul and I felt that we had done everything we wanted to do in Australia and wanted to be UK-based. Tim had a young family and it wasn't that practical for him.

 ”

— Richard Fidler, Televised Revolution interview[25]

By 1994, Ferguson wanted to return to Australia to be closer to his young family, however, McDermott and Fidler wished to continue working in Britain as they felt they had done everything they had wanted to do in Australia.[25] After a final farewell tour of Australia, which was recorded and released on CD by ABC Records as DAAS: The Last Concert, the group split up.[7]

In July 2003, DAAS reunited for the first time since their break-up to perform at a special gala comedy event called "For Holly". Dedicated to the memory of Holly Robinson—a casting director for Home and Away and the daughter of The Big Gig's Ted Robinson—who had died of cancer the month before, the concert was a fundraising benefit for research into the disease. At Holly's request, the three also performed the Hunters & Collectors' "Throw Your Arms Around Me", a song they had frequently covered in the group's later years, at her funeral.[26]

A DAAS DVD entitled The Unlimited Uncollectible Sterling Deluxe Edition, a 2-disc collection of their performances from the first two seasons of The Big Gig, was released on 6 November 2008. Ferguson, Fidler and McDermott recorded a commentary track for the DVD and made several media appearances together to promote its release, but the three ruled out the prospect of a reunion tour. "We certainly catch up for barbecues, but not as a comedy group," McDermott said.[27]

[edit] Subsequent work

Paul McDermott hosting an episode of Good News Week during its initial run (1999-2000) on Network Ten

Initially, McDermott was not interested in further pursuing comedy, which he came to regard as an "aberration". However, in 1996 he returned to television after being recruited by Ted Robinson to host the satirical news-based quiz show Good News Week.[28] McDermott hosted the show until its cancellation in 2000 and returned to this role when the series was renewed in 2008. He reunited with Robinson again in 2007 when he was named host of a new ABC variety program, The Sideshow, a show described as a successor to The Big Gig.[29] Although it quickly built a strong cult audience, the show did not rate well and was cancelled after its initial run of 26 episodes.[30]

In addition to his television work, McDermott has continued to be involved in live comedy. He has frequently participated in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, having often captained one of the two competing teams in the festival's Great Debate since his first debate appearance in 1994.[31] At the 2002 festival he not only presented a solo stand-up comedy show titled "Comedyoscopy",[32] but also performed with Cameron Bruce and Mick Moriarty in a music-based comedy trio called GUD.[33] McDermott described GUD as being in a similar vein to DAAS in that it revolved around music, comedy and the inter-relationships between the band members onstage.[34] He currently hosts Good News Week on Network Ten.

Ferguson also continued to pursue a career in television. In 1995 he hosted the Nine Network's short-lived game show Don't Forget Your Toothbrush, and after the show's cancellation Nine kept him on to develop new television pilots. However, the network was not sure how best to use his talents, and Ferguson left to pursue other work.[35] During this time he wrote his first novel, Left, Right and Centre: A Tale Of Greed, Sex And Power, a political satire.[36] His subsequent television credits have included Unreal TV, Big Brother and Shock Jocks, a 2001 cable sitcom which he also wrote and produced.[37] He has also built a strong career as a corporate event performer[38] and is a sessional lecturer at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. In January 2009, Ferguson ran a summer course at RMIT on comedy writing, the lessons from which are also due to be released in book form in March 2009.[39]

After leaving DAAS, Fidler became heavily involved in computers and multimedia. In 1996 he wrote the award-winning CD-ROM Real Wild Child, a history of Australian rock and roll.[5] Although he had not initially intended to return to television, he has hosted various TV shows since 1996, including Race Around the World, Aftershock, Mouthing Off and Vulture; and spent three years in management as an editor of ABC TV comedy before deciding he "wasn't cut out to be a manager". In 2005 Fidler ventured into radio, fronting the 7–10pm shift on ABC Local Radio station 612 ABC Brisbane. Since 2006, he has hosted the 11am–3pm shift on 612 ABC Brisbane, with the show's first hour—known as The Conversation Hour—also broadcast on 702 ABC Sydney.[40]

Original and founding member Robert Piper entered into a very successful career with the United Nations and has served in Cambodia, New York, Serbia (amongst others) and is now the head of the UN system in Nepal.[41]

[edit] Discography

Main article: Doug Anthony All Stars discography

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Bartlett, Geoff (1999). Comedians in the Mist. Sydney: HarperCollins Publishers. p. 75. ISBN 978-0732265366. 
  2. ^ Bartlett. Comedians in the Mist. p. 80. 
  3. ^ Johnson, Rob and Smiedt, David (1999). Boom-Boom! A Century of Australian Comedy. Sydney: Hodder & Stoughton. p. 317. ISBN 0733609384. 
  4. ^ a b c St. John, Ed (1989). "The 3 Amigos From Hell". Rolling Stone. http://www.geocities.com/tangawarra/daasart4.html. Retrieved 2008-09-14. 
  5. ^ a b c d e Wheatley, Jane (1998-03-21). "The Two of Us". The Age. http://www.geocities.com/tangawarra/richardart1.html. Retrieved 2008-10-15. 
  6. ^ a b Graham, Kathy (May 1989). "You've Got To Be Joking". Dolly Magazine. http://www.geocities.com/tangawarra/daasart4.html. Retrieved 2008-09-14. 
  7. ^ a b c d Williams, Sue (1994-11-04). "Allstars Pull Plug on a Brilliant Career". The Australian. http://www.geocities.com/still_gorgeous/interrogations/daas/plug.html. Retrieved 2008-10-07. 
  8. ^ Ruben, Amanda (1997-06-16). "Hot Seat: Paul McDermott". TV Week. http://www.geocities.com/tangawarra/paulart11.html. Retrieved 2008-12-11. 
  9. ^ Nicklin, Lenore (1997). "Guilt-Edged Comic: Torture Of The Artist As A Youngish Man". The Bulletin. http://www.geocities.com/tangawarra/paulart7.html. Retrieved 2009-02-27. 
  10. ^ Lumby, Catharine (April 2001). "Lunch With Catharine Lumby". The Bulletin. http://www.geocities.com/tangawarra/richardart4.html. Retrieved 2008-12-11. 
  11. ^ a b Johnson and Smiedt. Boom-Boom! A Century of Australian Comedy. pp. 307–322. 
  12. ^ McIlduff, Kevin (1989-10-05). "For Brassy DAAS, The Comedy Began In A Military Band". The West Australian. http://www.geocities.com/tangawarra/daasart6.html. Retrieved 2008-09-14. 
  13. ^ a b c Cossar, Lynne (1997-10-09). "The News is Good for This Allstar". The Age. http://www.geocities.com/tangawarra/paulart4.html. Retrieved 2008-07-19. 
  14. ^ a b Bramwell, Murray (1992). Wanted for Questioning: Interviews with Australian Comic Artists. North Sydney: Allen & Unwin. pp. 131–141. ISBN 978-0044423560. 
  15. ^ Harris, Tim (2003-01-29). "Prince of pubs' last laugh". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/01/28/1043534054339.html. Retrieved 2008-10-05. 
  16. ^ Bartlett. Comedians in the Mist. pp. 74–75. 
  17. ^ a b Bartlett. Comedians in the Mist. pp. 71–82. 
  18. ^ Mueller, Andrew (1989-09-27). "Three Men And A Book". On The Street. http://www.geocities.com/tangawarra/daasart11.html. Retrieved 2008-09-14. 
  19. ^ a b Ferguson, Tim (1990). "Humour In Uniform". The Harvey. http://www.geocities.com/tangawarra/daasart5.html. Retrieved 2008-09-15. 
  20. ^ Casellas, Leanne (1990-06-01). "Gleesome Threesome". Daily News. http://www.geocities.com/tangawarra/daasart8.html. Retrieved 2008-09-14. 
  21. ^ a b c d Lum, Alexander (1994-04-14). "DAAS Mania". Togatus. http://www.geocities.com/tangawarra/daasart3.html. Retrieved 2008-09-16. 
  22. ^ Murphy, Nicola (1990-06-02). "Banned! (So What's New?)". TV Week. http://www.geocities.com/still_gorgeous/interrogations/daas/banned.html. Retrieved 2008-12-08. 
  23. ^ Mathieson, Craig (July 1999). "News Hounds". Rolling Stone. http://www.geocities.com/tangawarra/gnwart7.html. Retrieved 2008-09-16. 
  24. ^ Freeman-Greene, Suzy (1998-06-13). "The Bad Boy of Good News". The Age. http://www.geocities.com/tangawarra/paulart1.html. Retrieved 2008-07-19. 
  25. ^ a b Barrett, Dan (2006-04-01). "In Conversation With….Richard Fidler (Part 3)". Televised Revolution. http://televisedrevolution.com/wordpress/?p=59. Retrieved 2008-12-11. 
  26. ^ Staff writer (2003-07-30). "For the love of Holly". Herald Sun. 
  27. ^ Braithwaite, Alyssa (2008-11-07). "Doug Anthony All Stars return on new DVD". Nine News. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=661712. Retrieved 2008-11-09. 
  28. ^ McGuiness, Jan (1999-05-02). "And here is the muse". The Age. http://www.geocities.com/tangawarra/paulart3.html. Retrieved 2008-07-19. 
  29. ^ Daniel Ziffer (2007-03-17). "ABC goes back in time to revive The Big Gig". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/abc-goes-back-in-time-to-revive-emthe-big-gigem/2007/03/16/1173722750173.html. Retrieved 2007-03-22. 
  30. ^ "McDermott's new Big Gig". NEWS.com.au. 2007-03-26. http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,23663,21447372-10388,00.html. Retrieved 2007-04-04. 
  31. ^ Casey, Marcus (2006-08-03). "Winning is everything". NEWS.com.au. http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,23663,20004530-5007183,00.html. Retrieved 2008-08-16. 
  32. ^ Staff writer (2002-04-08). "Viper-tongue's entertaining lesson in discernment". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/04/07/1017206287565.html. Retrieved 2008-08-15. 
  33. ^ "accesscomedy.com.au presents, Paul McDermott 'GUD - Hard Core Cabaret'". Archived from the original on 2002-06-19. http://web.archive.org/web/20020619084245/www.comedyfestival.com.au/cgi-bin/2002/programme/index.cgi?action=details&id=137. 
  34. ^ Leys, Nick (2004-04-23). "Gud on you, Paul". Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/22/1082530289812.html?from=storyrhs&oneclick=true. Retrieved 2008-08-15. 
  35. ^ Fidgeon, Robert (September 1999). "Unreal Appeal For Tim". Herald Sun. http://www.geocities.com/tangawarra/timart2.html#DFT. Retrieved 2009-02-08. 
  36. ^ Kent, Simon (1998-07-12). "Rocky Road". Sun Herald. http://www.geocities.com/tangawarra/timart3.html#DFYC. Retrieved 2009-02-08. 
  37. ^ Cerbona, Ron (2001-03-26). "Shock Jock Arrives". Canberra Times. http://www.geocities.com/tangawarra/timart7.html#arrives. Retrieved 2009-02-08. 
  38. ^ DeBritz, Brett (2006-11-18). "Variety spices Tim's life". The Courier-Mail. http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,20774557-7642,00.html. Retrieved 2009-02-08. 
  39. ^ Beaumont, Lucy (2008-12-04). "Pulling no punchlines". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/pulling-no-punchlines/2008/12/03/1228257136803.html. Retrieved 2009-02-08. 
  40. ^ Staff writer (2006-05-29). "Time for a chat". The Age. http://www.smh.com.au/news/tv--radio/time-for-a-chat/2006/05/27/1148524931213.html. Retrieved 2009-02-09. 
  41. ^ Crabb, Annabel (2005-05-15). "Clinton's tsunami man". Th Age online. http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/Clintons-tsunami-man/2005/05/14/1116024405742.html. Retrieved 2009-04-10. 

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Anthony_All_Stars"