Doug PollardPeering Through the Queer Fringe with Andrew Shaw
Freshly Doug interview with Andrew Shaw, editor MCV
DOUG: We’re not quite over the Grand Final. I thought we would be – but we are in the middle of the Fringe Festival and joining us on the line, now – to give us a bit of an overview of the queer bits of the Fringe Festival is the editor of MCV, Andrew Shaw. Good morning, Andrew.
ANDREW: Good morning, Doug. How are you?
DOUG: I’m not so bad, how you do’n?
ANDREW: I’m doing all right – why are you worrying about food, for?
DOUG: [laughs] Oh, you know; every time I go and see the doctor, he says: ‘there’s nothing wrong with you, your cholesterol’s fine and your blood pressure’s fine – take these pills and lose some weight - - -’
ANDREW: Mine says the same thing.
DOUG: - - - and I’ve got used to it; so, what’s going on at Fringe that’s particularly queer?
ANDREW: Well, MCV’s readers may remember a couple of weeks ago, we had a – m’mm, very queer gender offender. We called him. On the cover of - - -
DOUG: You did, indeed. Yes.
ANDREW: - - - yeah. This guy is from Briefs, which is an all-male circus cabaret. They’re going to be at Red Bennies, Chapel Street until October 10th and I’d say there’s a pretty good bet if you go and see those guys you’re going to have a great time – I had a feeling they were from Brisbane and someone told me Sydney and I think, they may be – bit of a roaming troupe of gypsy guys who - - -
DOUG: [laughs]
ANDREW: Who do the most outrageous things they can, with feather boas and lots of really wild make-up – it’s like, drag without the frocks. Does that make sense?
DOUG: Yes, it does. M’mm, I’m old enough to remember something called: Cycle Sluts - - -
ANDREW: Ah, yes.
DOUG: - - - went down the same kind of route.
ANDREW: Yes. My grandfather used to tell me about that.
DOUG: Beards, make-up and motorbikes - - -
ANDREW: [laughs]
DOUG: - - - sequins, you know – a real mash-up.
ANDREW: Yeah, I think that’s exactly what we’re talking about here. They describe themselves as: viciously entertaining - - -
DOUG: [laughs]
ANDREW: - - - and it looks like: beefcake and camp – sort of, mixed-up in a blender and then spat out on stage. I think they’re going to be fantastic.
DOUG: That sound good. That sounds good – I love the ones that query queerness-ness(sic), I think.
ANDREW: Now, if you want more straight stand-up – well, when I say “straight” you know what I mean - - -
DOUG: Conventional, gay stand-up.
ANDREW: - - - conventional, gay stand-up. If there is such a thing – if you can get down to the Glasshouse, they’ve got this laugh-out loud or: LOL Big Gay Comedy Night – and that’s going until – Thursday and Friday, every night during the Fringe and then the last night’s somewhere in mid-October – so, it’s on tonight - - -
DOUG: M’mm, m’mm.
ANDREW: - - - and it’s on tomorrow night, as well. I’m told that tonight if you get down there, to the Glasshouse you can see Anthony Menchetti who’s also in “Gay Conversion School Drop Out”, for the Fringe. Adam Richard, who we all know - - -
DOUG: Indeed.
ANDREW: - - - and Hannah Gadsby, who was at the ALSO Awards – you remember that?
DOUG: Yes.
ANDREW: Geraldine Quinn, bit of a rocker – and Geraldine Hickey as well – so, a huge line-up at the Glasshouse tonight - - -
DOUG: Yes, some well-known names there.
ANDREW: - - - yeah. I think it’s going to be really, really good. That.
DOUG: Good.
ANDREW: M’mm, I’m also going to see if I can get down to the Fringe Club in North Melbourne Town Hall on October 3 because there’s this Erotic Fan Fiction – do you know about that? It’s all - - -
DOUG: You mean slash fiction kind-of stuff?
ANDREW: - - - well, they’re describing it as Erotic Fan Fiction but I think it is slash fiction - - -
DOUG: Sort of, where you put Harry Potter in bed with – well, whoever - - -
ANDREW: Now, I had Valdemort.
DOUG: - - - [laughs] - - -
ANDREW: Then I had Frodo and Sam – and then, Tony Abbott and Rob Oakeshott. I think that would be hot.
DOUG: Blundstones and budgie-smugglers – m’mm.
ANDREW: I think Rob – no, okay; moving forward, Jules Wilkinson who is one of the most outrageous short fiction writers and entertainers and what-have-you, in the community – I mean, she was part of a short-story competition we had in MCV way back – I think it was in 2002, 2003 – amazing writer; well, she’s going to introduce five queer writers who will deliver their erotic payloads – as I’ve got down here, in my notes - - -
DOUG: [laughs] Who writes your script?
ANDREW: Me, unfortunately. I’ve got to get a new writer. If you’re looking for something a little more profound – De profundus, am I correct - - -
DOUG: De profundus.
ANDREW: - - - from depths, I think it means?
DOUG: Yes. That’s Oscar Wilde, isn’t it?
ANDREW: Yes, it is. But he’s not actually going to be doing this performance. He’s dead - - -
DOUG: That would cramp his style a bit. Yes. Doesn’t stop some comedians I’ve seen but never mind.
ANDREW: Yeah. I’ve seen a few deaths on stage – m’mm, an adaptation by Warren Herbu, I think it’s saying – I don’t know how to pronounce his surname: Warren Herbu [indistinct] if you’re game enough get out there, to Footscray - - -
DOUG: Yes. Because that’s serious stuff, De profundus. That’s about Wilde’s time in prison, yes?
ANDREW: Yeah. That’s exactly right – I mean - - -
DOUG: M’mm.
ANDREW: - - - he was implicated as a practising sodomite by his father-in-law - - -
DOUG: Yes.
ANDREW: Who was the Marquis of Queensbury, is that correct?
DOUG: That’s right. Yes.
ANDREW: (and)The guy who - - -
DOUG: The boyfriend was Queensbury’s son, Alfred – otherwise known as: Bosie.
ANDREW: - - - that’s right – and he wrote this letter, saying - - -
DOUG: A heartless bitch.
ANDREW: - - - yeah – you’re to blame, ‘you’re the reason I’m doing two years’ hard labour because – you know – but I forgive you’ and then he goes on to talk about the nature of suffering and what-have-you so, not everything is comedy and fun and games at the Fringe. This is I think, going to be quite interesting - - -
DOUG: M’mm, interesting to see what he does with it.
ANDREW: - - - yeah. It will be interesting to see what he does with it and it’s obviously quite a nice space out there, you can have a few drinks – a bit of a beer garden out there, as well. It’s quite near Footscray train station.
DOUG: Yes. I was slightly taken a-back by the title of one show: Barry Morgan’s World of Organs.
ANDREW: Yeah - - -
DOUG: Is this to do with electronic organs, Hammond Organs – church organs or are we being more in the trouser department, here?
ANDREW: No, it is playing it straight - - -
DOUG: Ah, ha?
ANDREW: - - - yes it is really about organs. Hammond – super deluxe or something, I can’t remember what the name of the – he’s got one of those old organs - - -
DOUG: Yes?
ANDREW: - - - his thing is that he has a web site that really does look like an organ warehouse website - - -
DOUG: M’mm, m’mm?
ANDREW: - - - and you go on there and he’s got specials and what-have-you and you may have seen - - -
DOUG: He’s probably got a moog, stashed away somewhere - - -
ANDREW: - - - he was on Spicks and Specks at the end – you know, where they have to guess what the tune is?
DOUG: Yeah.
ANDREW: He was on one of those, a month or so ago. He’s hilarious and he was also at the launch of Fringe at – where was it? Little Creatures – and he was really good there, as well. It’s worth seeing him, he does cheesy tune and there’s a lot of audience participation. He goes a little bit into The Flight of the Bumblebee - - -
DOUG: Okay – so, this sounds a bit Bob Down-ish? Almost, only seated at the keyboard.
ANDREW: Yeah – what happened to Bob? Where is he - - -
DOUG: Oh, he’s around.
ANDREW: - - - is he?
DOUG: He’s around – he’s not around at the moment, in Melbourne - - -
ANDREW: No.
DOUG: - - - he’s on Facebook all the time - - -
ANDREW: Right. Okay. In the early naughties he seemed to be everywhere; I went to a fantastic at the Melbourne Town Hall, with him - - -
DOUG: Yeah.
ANDREW: - - - absolutely amazing.
DOUG: We’ve talked a lot about boys’ shows – what about stuff for the ladies?
ANDREW: Well, it’s funny you should say that because the Women’s Circus of course, is going to be performing. It’s absolutely fantastic stuff that they do – m’mm, there’s an interesting thing: Back From the Dead Red. It’s one-woman cabaret, again – it said, where’s my note: A touch of the lesbian. It said - - -
DOUG: [laughs]
ANDREW: - - - don’t know what that means. But she’s pretty hot, this woman - - -
DOUG: M’mm?
ANDREW: - - - and - - -
DOUG: Okay – so, if you want a touch of the lesbian go to Back From the Dead Red.
ANDREW: - - - the idea is she’s a redhead and she’s going to do those – sorts of, feisty, redhead songs – you know, “Pirate Jenny” from Kurt Weill - - -
DOUG: Okay. So a slightly ranga lesbian.
ANDREW: - - - yeah. Yeah.
DOUG: Okay – now I get it, rangas of course, are fashionable. Thanks to our new prime minister - - -
ANDREW: Yeah, yes. They are - - -
DOUG: - - - and we’ve got a show about netball, as well?
ANDREW: Yeah, I saw that one – wow - - -
DOUG: A cabaret about netball. That’s a gap in the market that’s been missing, you know. That that they’ve finally filled - - -
ANDREW: Along with a cabaret about tiddlywinks.
DOUG: - - - [laughs] I would love to know what that one’s about – well, there’s an awful lot more, a great deal more there. On the Fringe – but thanks for that little taster, Andrew.
ANDREW: Thanks Doug – and I hope to see you out-and-about at the Melbourne Town Hall?
DOUG: You know, I might drag my bones into town. You never know.
ANDREW: (and)Don’t forget to get a copy of MCV with the Village People on the cover this week.
DOUG: You had to get the plug in, didn’t you?
ANDREW: I had to - - -
DOUG: [laughs]
ANDREW: - - - with a taser – all right, thanks Doug.
DOUG: Thanks, Andrew.
ANDREW: ‘Bye, ‘bye.
DOUG: That’s Andrew Shaw, there. The editor of MCV, with a rundown of some of the queer stuff that’s on the Fringe and of course, there’s more about queer Fringe things on Joy all day, every day.
DOUG: We’re not quite over the Grand Final. I thought we would be – but we are in the middle of the Fringe Festival and joining us on the line, now – to give us a bit of an overview of the queer bits of the Fringe Festival is the editor of MCV, Andrew Shaw. Good morning, Andrew.
ANDREW: Good morning, Doug. How are you?
DOUG: I’m not so bad, how you do’n?
ANDREW: I’m doing all right – why are you worrying about food, for?
DOUG: [laughs] Oh, you know; every time I go and see the doctor, he says: ‘there’s nothing wrong with you, your cholesterol’s fine and your blood pressure’s fine – take these pills and lose some weight - - -’
ANDREW: Mine says the same thing.
DOUG: - - - and I’ve got used to it; so, what’s going on at Fringe that’s particularly queer?
ANDREW: Well, MCV’s readers may remember a couple of weeks ago, we had a – m’mm, very queer gender offender. We called him. On the cover of - - -
DOUG: You did, indeed. Yes.
ANDREW: - - - yeah. This guy is from Briefs, which is an all-male circus cabaret. They’re going to be at Red Bennies, Chapel Street until October 10th and I’d say there’s a pretty good bet if you go and see those guys you’re going to have a great time – I had a feeling they were from Brisbane and someone told me Sydney and I think, they may be – bit of a roaming troupe of gypsy guys who - - -
DOUG: [laughs]
ANDREW: Who do the most outrageous things they can, with feather boas and lots of really wild make-up – it’s like, drag without the frocks. Does that make sense?
DOUG: Yes, it does. M’mm, I’m old enough to remember something called: Cycle Sluts - - -
ANDREW: Ah, yes.
DOUG: - - - went down the same kind of route.
ANDREW: Yes. My grandfather used to tell me about that.
DOUG: Beards, make-up and motorbikes - - -
ANDREW: [laughs]
DOUG: - - - sequins, you know – a real mash-up.
ANDREW: Yeah, I think that’s exactly what we’re talking about here. They describe themselves as: viciously entertaining - - -
DOUG: [laughs]
ANDREW: - - - and it looks like: beefcake and camp – sort of, mixed-up in a blender and then spat out on stage. I think they’re going to be fantastic.
DOUG: That sound good. That sounds good – I love the ones that query queerness-ness(sic), I think.
ANDREW: Now, if you want more straight stand-up – well, when I say “straight” you know what I mean - - -
DOUG: Conventional, gay stand-up.
ANDREW: - - - conventional, gay stand-up. If there is such a thing – if you can get down to the Glasshouse, they’ve got this laugh-out loud or: LOL Big Gay Comedy Night – and that’s going until – Thursday and Friday, every night during the Fringe and then the last night’s somewhere in mid-October – so, it’s on tonight - - -
DOUG: M’mm, m’mm.
ANDREW: - - - and it’s on tomorrow night, as well. I’m told that tonight if you get down there, to the Glasshouse you can see Anthony Menchetti who’s also in “Gay Conversion School Drop Out”, for the Fringe. Adam Richard, who we all know - - -
DOUG: Indeed.
ANDREW: - - - and Hannah Gadsby, who was at the ALSO Awards – you remember that?
DOUG: Yes.
ANDREW: Geraldine Quinn, bit of a rocker – and Geraldine Hickey as well – so, a huge line-up at the Glasshouse tonight - - -
DOUG: Yes, some well-known names there.
ANDREW: - - - yeah. I think it’s going to be really, really good. That.
DOUG: Good.
ANDREW: M’mm, I’m also going to see if I can get down to the Fringe Club in North Melbourne Town Hall on October 3 because there’s this Erotic Fan Fiction – do you know about that? It’s all - - -
DOUG: You mean slash fiction kind-of stuff?
ANDREW: - - - well, they’re describing it as Erotic Fan Fiction but I think it is slash fiction - - -
DOUG: Sort of, where you put Harry Potter in bed with – well, whoever - - -
ANDREW: Now, I had Valdemort.
DOUG: - - - [laughs] - - -
ANDREW: Then I had Frodo and Sam – and then, Tony Abbott and Rob Oakeshott. I think that would be hot.
DOUG: Blundstones and budgie-smugglers – m’mm.
ANDREW: I think Rob – no, okay; moving forward, Jules Wilkinson who is one of the most outrageous short fiction writers and entertainers and what-have-you, in the community – I mean, she was part of a short-story competition we had in MCV way back – I think it was in 2002, 2003 – amazing writer; well, she’s going to introduce five queer writers who will deliver their erotic payloads – as I’ve got down here, in my notes - - -
DOUG: [laughs] Who writes your script?
ANDREW: Me, unfortunately. I’ve got to get a new writer. If you’re looking for something a little more profound – De profundus, am I correct - - -
DOUG: De profundus.
ANDREW: - - - from depths, I think it means?
DOUG: Yes. That’s Oscar Wilde, isn’t it?
ANDREW: Yes, it is. But he’s not actually going to be doing this performance. He’s dead - - -
DOUG: That would cramp his style a bit. Yes. Doesn’t stop some comedians I’ve seen but never mind.
ANDREW: Yeah. I’ve seen a few deaths on stage – m’mm, an adaptation by Warren Herbu, I think it’s saying – I don’t know how to pronounce his surname: Warren Herbu [indistinct] if you’re game enough get out there, to Footscray - - -
DOUG: Yes. Because that’s serious stuff, De profundus. That’s about Wilde’s time in prison, yes?
ANDREW: Yeah. That’s exactly right – I mean - - -
DOUG: M’mm.
ANDREW: - - - he was implicated as a practising sodomite by his father-in-law - - -
DOUG: Yes.
ANDREW: Who was the Marquis of Queensbury, is that correct?
DOUG: That’s right. Yes.
ANDREW: (and)The guy who - - -
DOUG: The boyfriend was Queensbury’s son, Alfred – otherwise known as: Bosie.
ANDREW: - - - that’s right – and he wrote this letter, saying - - -
DOUG: A heartless bitch.
ANDREW: - - - yeah – you’re to blame, ‘you’re the reason I’m doing two years’ hard labour because – you know – but I forgive you’ and then he goes on to talk about the nature of suffering and what-have-you so, not everything is comedy and fun and games at the Fringe. This is I think, going to be quite interesting - - -
DOUG: M’mm, interesting to see what he does with it.
ANDREW: - - - yeah. It will be interesting to see what he does with it and it’s obviously quite a nice space out there, you can have a few drinks – a bit of a beer garden out there, as well. It’s quite near Footscray train station.
DOUG: Yes. I was slightly taken a-back by the title of one show: Barry Morgan’s World of Organs.
ANDREW: Yeah - - -
DOUG: Is this to do with electronic organs, Hammond Organs – church organs or are we being more in the trouser department, here?
ANDREW: No, it is playing it straight - - -
DOUG: Ah, ha?
ANDREW: - - - yes it is really about organs. Hammond – super deluxe or something, I can’t remember what the name of the – he’s got one of those old organs - - -
DOUG: Yes?
ANDREW: - - - his thing is that he has a web site that really does look like an organ warehouse website - - -
DOUG: M’mm, m’mm?
ANDREW: - - - and you go on there and he’s got specials and what-have-you and you may have seen - - -
DOUG: He’s probably got a moog, stashed away somewhere - - -
ANDREW: - - - he was on Spicks and Specks at the end – you know, where they have to guess what the tune is?
DOUG: Yeah.
ANDREW: He was on one of those, a month or so ago. He’s hilarious and he was also at the launch of Fringe at – where was it? Little Creatures – and he was really good there, as well. It’s worth seeing him, he does cheesy tune and there’s a lot of audience participation. He goes a little bit into The Flight of the Bumblebee - - -
DOUG: Okay – so, this sounds a bit Bob Down-ish? Almost, only seated at the keyboard.
ANDREW: Yeah – what happened to Bob? Where is he - - -
DOUG: Oh, he’s around.
ANDREW: - - - is he?
DOUG: He’s around – he’s not around at the moment, in Melbourne - - -
ANDREW: No.
DOUG: - - - he’s on Facebook all the time - - -
ANDREW: Right. Okay. In the early naughties he seemed to be everywhere; I went to a fantastic at the Melbourne Town Hall, with him - - -
DOUG: Yeah.
ANDREW: - - - absolutely amazing.
DOUG: We’ve talked a lot about boys’ shows – what about stuff for the ladies?
ANDREW: Well, it’s funny you should say that because the Women’s Circus of course, is going to be performing. It’s absolutely fantastic stuff that they do – m’mm, there’s an interesting thing: Back From the Dead Red. It’s one-woman cabaret, again – it said, where’s my note: A touch of the lesbian. It said - - -
DOUG: [laughs]
ANDREW: - - - don’t know what that means. But she’s pretty hot, this woman - - -
DOUG: M’mm?
ANDREW: - - - and - - -
DOUG: Okay – so, if you want a touch of the lesbian go to Back From the Dead Red.
ANDREW: - - - the idea is she’s a redhead and she’s going to do those – sorts of, feisty, redhead songs – you know, “Pirate Jenny” from Kurt Weill - - -
DOUG: Okay. So a slightly ranga lesbian.
ANDREW: - - - yeah. Yeah.
DOUG: Okay – now I get it, rangas of course, are fashionable. Thanks to our new prime minister - - -
ANDREW: Yeah, yes. They are - - -
DOUG: - - - and we’ve got a show about netball, as well?
ANDREW: Yeah, I saw that one – wow - - -
DOUG: A cabaret about netball. That’s a gap in the market that’s been missing, you know. That that they’ve finally filled - - -
ANDREW: Along with a cabaret about tiddlywinks.
DOUG: - - - [laughs] I would love to know what that one’s about – well, there’s an awful lot more, a great deal more there. On the Fringe – but thanks for that little taster, Andrew.
ANDREW: Thanks Doug – and I hope to see you out-and-about at the Melbourne Town Hall?
DOUG: You know, I might drag my bones into town. You never know.
ANDREW: (and)Don’t forget to get a copy of MCV with the Village People on the cover this week.
DOUG: You had to get the plug in, didn’t you?
ANDREW: I had to - - -
DOUG: [laughs]
ANDREW: - - - with a taser – all right, thanks Doug.
DOUG: Thanks, Andrew.
ANDREW: ‘Bye, ‘bye.
DOUG: That’s Andrew Shaw, there. The editor of MCV, with a rundown of some of the queer stuff that’s on the Fringe and of course, there’s more about queer Fringe things on Joy all day, every day.
