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Satarist, Comedian and Actor John Clark Dies

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  • Satarist, Comedian and Actor John Clark Dies

    The brilliant and much loved satirist and comedian John Clark died last weekend while bushwalking with his family in Victoria aged 68. Clark, with his long time colleague and friend Brian Dawe was one half of the comedic duo who every week in a 5 minute 'interview' on the ABC, Australia's national public television broadcast service managed to faultlessly expose the hypocrisy of modern politics and skewer the egos and pretensions of politicians and politics both at home in Australia and internationally.

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-1...ged-68/8430174

    Clark was, in addition a successful writer and actor. He was much loved by his many adoring fans and if you have never watched any of his 'interviews I suggest you do so. Speaking personally I will miss his talent very much. The world is a sadder place for his passing.
    Last edited by Monash; 11 Apr 17,, 15:07.
    If you are emotionally invested in 'believing' something is true you have lost the ability to tell if it is true.

  • #2
    A huge loss...John Clark was screamingly funny and immensely talented.



    “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

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    • #3
      John Clarke was a certifiable genius. His understanding and use of language and satire was truly remarkable. He had the driest of dry wits and wielded it to devastating effect. He was just laugh out loud funny.

      I was too young to be familiar with his first incarnation while still living in his native New Zealand - farmer Fred Dagg. I first noticed him on the Gillies Report, a brilliant satirical look at Australian politics in the mid-1980s. On that show Clarke created the fictional sport of 'Farnarkling', in part a response to a particularly unsuccessful period in Australian sport. We lost to everyone at Cricket, but not even the 'formidable East German Farnarkling machine' could trouble big Dave Sorenson. :)



      In the early 1990s Clarke returned to a regular spot on Australian TV with his friend Brian Dawe. These 2 or 3 minute fake interviews are unique - impersonation without imitation. On the Gillies Report Clarke had worked with Max Gillies, a genius imitator. Clarke managed to match the accuracy of those impersonations with words alone.

      This from the 1993 Federal election with PM Keating & opposition leader Hewson:



      John Howard:



      Malcolm Turnbull

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      Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

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      • #4
        One of my favorite John Clark creations was a TV show called 'The Games' that ran for two seasons in the late 1990s. It was a satire set in the Sydney Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG). It said something wonderful about Australia that we could simultaneously be immensely proud of winning the games and spend a couple of years sending up our ability to get them right. Not sure many places could do that. No one could do it as well as John Clarke.

        This is wonderful:



        It is sad to think we will no longer have John Clarke around to skewer the pompous & self important. I feel fortunate to have shared a country with him for 40 years and a city for 30 - used to see him in the street now & again.
        sigpic

        Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

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        • #5
          No one had a bad word to say about John Clarke. Just a lovely person. He died with his wife & some friends present while bushwalking, something he did regularly. There was also a doctor in the group, so nothing could be done. In some ways this is how we might all want to go - doing what we love with the people we love.

          His daughter spoke on the radio today about how fortunate they all felt to have him in their lives.

          http://www.theage.com.au/entertainme...12-gvjj6r.html
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          Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

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          • #6
            Pete, you are right. I really enjoyed those clips you sent me.

            A comic giant!
            “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
            Mark Twain

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