A Pleasure to Be Here

Book excerpt: A hilarious collection of interviews discussing the highs and lows in the public and political life of Australia over the past three decades. Drawn from John Clarke’s and Bryan Dawe’s weekly broadcasts, these timelessly funny scripts will delight readers as they revisit the scandals and stuff-ups of our lifetimes. Politics was never so preposterous. All the old favourites are here: Bob Hawke, Margaret Thatcher, Bob Collins (‘the front fell off’), Paul Keating, Alan Bond, John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull. John Clarke was born in New Zealand in 1948. He was and remains one of Australia’s best known and most loved faces on TV. A comedian, writer and actor, his appearances included the famous Fred Dagg character, The Gillies Report and The Games. John’s books include The Even More Complete Book of Australian Verse, A Dagg at My Table, The Howard Miracle and The 7.56 Report. His only novel, The Tournament, was published in the UK and the US to great critical acclaim and will be republished in the Text Classics in November. He died in April 2017. ‘A reminder of what a god of a comedian he was...Clarke never imitated the voices, faces or mannerisms of our overlord. He simply paid lavish and travestying homage to the way they thought and did their best to deceive us.’ Australian