Bugger.

Written By: notices and features - Date published: - 45 comments
Categories: humour - Tags: ,

Rest in a peace after a bloody good laugh mate.

An ABC spokesman said Clarke died of natural causes while hiking in Victoria’s Grampians national park at the weekend. – The Guardian

Please post clips and stories below.

45 comments on “Bugger.”

Comment numbers have changed to permanent references. Older quoted numbers may no longer identify the same comment.

  1. 1

    This is as sad a loss as Murray Ball . We are losing so many of our iconic people, they were social commentators and humorists that ensured that those in power over us were scrutinized and called to account .

    RIP John Clarke.

    1. 1.1

      Yes, can’t help but think that despite his many years gone from NZ, he would have been especially needed here at this time.

  2. 2

    I was thinking about Clarke on the weekend. I’d been wondering about satire in NZ and where we are at so I looked up White Man Behind A Desk and saw he’s got a TV show now! Fingers crossed he gets a better deal than Clarke did.

    1. 3.1

      I wouldn’t stop tramping mate, just did the Tongariro crossing with the old man a few weeks ago. He is 70, and sporting a titanium knee (admittedly he is an extreme example)

      2. 3.1.2

        I can’t think of a better way to go than out tramping and a heart attack/stroke that takes me quickly (I’m guessing that’s what happened).

        1. 3.1.2.1

          I was a little disappointed to hear the TV1 newsreader refer to what he was doing as “hiking” – surely the whole thing that Fred Dagg (and John Clarke) represented was the repudiation of overseas RP on radio and TV and the glorification of the NZ accent and NZ words

      3. 3.1.3

        ropata
        For some reason that reminds me of Groucho Marx talking about some thing being so easy it could be done by a child of five. He breaks off to request “Get me a child of five”. When I get a titanium knee I’ll give it a go mate.

        1. 3.1.3.1

          Could mod release some other comments I have done between 11 am and 12pm
          thanks? I’ll have to delve further into I’m always getting sidelined.

      1. 5.1.1

        I think he left NZ when Roger Douglas and cronies starting ripping the guts out of the society we once knew. From a 2008 interview:
        http://lumiere.net.nz/index.php/a-complete-dagg-an-interview-with-john-clarke/

        This year Clarke celebrated his sixtieth birthday. Radio New Zealand film critic Simon Morris was one of the small group of close friends present. “Having known John for 40 years giving you a quick quote on the man is a bit like summing up the Roman Empire in a limerick. Though if anyone could—or would—do that, John’s your man. Especially if he was meant to be doing something else at the time. It’s funny, over here everyone thinks of John as a great performer, which he is, of course. But really his strong suit is writing, especially capturing something in a few words.”

        Morris’s comment brings to mind Clarke/Dagg’s pithy Rogernomics putdown: “The idea that a beautiful day had no value unless you could sell it.” Clarke adds the ideology was “An absolute disgrace. Its ramifications were catastrophic for New Zealand.” He thinks it’s farcical Roger Douglas is running for Parliament again. “Don’t let it happen. It’s too silly isn’t it?”

  6. 6

    Many dusty trips were spent in the old Holden station wagon on NZ back roads with Dad singing and joking along to Fred Dagg on cassette

    2. 6.2

      Raising our kids on our OE we made sure they knew the correct words to things like xmas carols ….

      “We 3 kings of orient are,
      one in a tractor, one in a car,
      one on a scooter tooting a ho-ooter,
      following yonder star

      Oh star of wonder star of light
      star of beauty, that’s the story
      styar of glory, that’s the story,
      following yonder star”

      1. 6.2.1

        I so got that wrong, last verse should be:

        “Oh star of wonder star of light
        star of beauty, she’ll be right
        star of glory, that’s the story,
        following yonder star”

        2. 6.2.1.2

          Thanks for that Paul. Gems like that get their best effect when using the simple-sounding well-chosen words. He was definitely a star of wonder but she’ll be right.

    1. 7.1

      Absolutely agree – the combination of Dawe and Clarke was hilarious. Also his work on The Games. He will be missed, but never forgotten, by a generation of Kiwis.

  14. 14

    John we will forgive you (or I would) if it was just a publicity stunt. I wish.
    Of course with family there it must have been real. It must have been beyond belief for them. Deepest sympathy for all.

    Here is a lovely little memory piece that John wrote about his mother who was Neva McKenna Clarke and was one of the Women in the War that Gaylene Preston wrote about.
    http://mrjohnclarke.com/tinkering/page/2

  16. 16

    I should have a couple of comments for this post that are floating around or in mod if someone has time to check and get them out.

  18. 18

    Really sorry to hear. John Clarke will be badly missed – he was so clever, so funny.
    I can still recall the quickness and wit of the series he did when the Olympic Games were to be held in Sydney – right on the ball, he was. Each episode.

  19. 19

    There was another side about Clarke that was endearing, – something to do with the timbre of his voice. You hear it in the broad Aussie accent as well ,… that when these blokes are on the job you feel its in capable hands.

    Difficult to describe.

    But its warmth, cheerfulness, able to get the job done, gruff but fair , possibly antagonistic to overly academic theory but doing it none the less. Like cops who leap into raging waters to rescue family’s trapped in cars. And there’s the counterpart to that in the Dagg- esses up and down the country. Staunch ,.. and someone you don’t want to cross if they feel small children or young animals may be threatened.

    There was a hint of all that in John Clarke’s ‘ Fred Dagg ‘ ,… dammit , … he will be sorely missed.

  20. 20

    A sad shock; sympathy to family and friends.

    The way Clarke and Dawe skewered authority and politicians (of all shades) was masterful, and Clarke was going strong to the end.

    He had such a fine sense of the ridiculousness of some human priorities and pastimes.

    Farnarkeling

    And thank’s for the Gumboot Song (@4)) – a great anthem and sound advice. Don’t you worry about Daggy Boy…

    1. 22.1

      joe90
      That was such a powerful and witty-clever way to show Australian rednecks how they could say ‘sorry’ and show they really mean it.

  24. 24

    Suggest folk look up ‘the fast lane’ a comedy he wrote in the mid 80’s and ‘death in brunswick’ a movie he and Sam Neill were central characters in.

    IMO they sum up his unique deadpan delivery and the fast lane is regarded by some as one of the finest local sitcoms ever made.

    An underrated actor and highly valued writer who often worked behind the scenes as a script editor.

    He will be mourned deeply by probably more Aussies than kiwis as melbourne saw his best years of output and Oz public broadcasting gladly gave him the platform to deliver.

    RIP John Clark one damm funny human being.

Comments are closed.