Tag: Tim Ferguson

Doug Anthony All Stars – Near Death Experience

By Colin Flaherty
DAAS

It’s taken a couple of years and a trip to the other side of the globe but I have finally witnessed the majesty and debauchery of the latest incarnation of the Doug Anthony All Stars. Time may not have been kind to them (as they repeatedly inform us) and their youthful energy may have waned, but Paul McDermott, Tim Ferguson and Paul Livingston still put on a show with plenty of colour, movement and filth.

The character dynamics have been tweaked a little to suit the new format. McDermott still plays the ravenous sex machine but adds some weariness to his Silver Fox. He still has the other two to boss around but regularly lets their antics slide while bemoaning all the things he must put up with. Ferguson takes on Richard Fidler’s naivety with his medication-addled persona. This allows him to undermine McDermott with some innocent yet wicked lines and spout plenty of amusing out of context comments. Livingston largely plays his role as “The Guitarist” as a poe-faced mute. This makes him the perfect whipping boy for McDermott with a few wonderful moments of rebellion creeping in to expand his contribution to this madhouse. With a brief spirited introduction by alter-ego Flacco, it’s almost like the old gang are back.

With a title like Near Death Experience, the theme of mortality naturally looms large over this performance. They have jokes to make you squirm with their graphic imagery, blunt social satire and un-PC turns of phrase – plenty to upset sensitive souls. It was interesting to see how some Australian specific references remained intact with short explanations up front to get everyone up to speed. Repeated lame “impressions” and a ditheringly long monologue play up the geriatric angle.

The songs are as brilliant as always even though the subject matter has changed from anarchy to world weariness. McDermott still has the voice of an angel and Ferguson harmonises perfectly with the odd dodgy note thrown in for laughs. Livingston’s guitar work holds it all together beautifully.

Even though they no longer jump all over the stage, the visual spectacle is wonderful. We get some brilliant shadow work and hilariously wonky “wheelchair dancing”. The background visuals of MRI scans combined with star constellations are gorgeous enough to cause distraction. Long time fans are also treated to a trip down memory lane with a pre-performance slide show.

Near Death Experience is clearly geared towards an audience of a certain age as the material alienates the youngsters while having a go at old age. Fans from back in the day will enjoy the catch up but DAAS virgins are sure to have a whale of a time with these hilariously subversive gents.

Near Death Experience is on at Pleasance Courtyard until August 27
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/doug-anthony-all-stars-near-death-experience

Tim Ferguson – Carry A Big Stick : A Funny, Fearless Life of Friendship, Laughter and MS.

By Colin Flaherty

Set out like a four act play (fitting in perfectly with his current career as lecturer in narrative comedy) Tim Ferguson’s autobiography covered his life in great detail. The first act covered his family background, the constant relocations and troublesome school life which went a long way in explaining his knack for comedy and its use as a defence mechanism. The larger than life characters in his family were lovingly sketched out for us through many amusing tales so that we grew to know them rather intimately as the book progressed.

Act two is where Tim began his life as a performer with his time in the Doug Anthony All Stars making up the bulk of his tale. Both on stage and off, it was quite a wild ride and reveals some amazing anecdotes. There are stories dispelling some misconceptions about their work which may be new to hardcore fans of The Dougs and his recollections of their material could possibly paint the group’s output in a different light for many. At numerous times the signs of MS rears its head, quite obvious warnings with the benefit of hindsight, but his strong work ethic forced the show to go on.

Ferguson’s post DAAS endeavours were covered next. After the juggernaut that was The Allstars, it’s easy to forget that Tim was just as busy during this time both in front of the camera and behind. The stories about the unsuccessful TV pilots developed by Tim and his associates were just as fascinating as the tales from his more well known work at the time including “Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush”, “Funky Squad”, “Unreal TV” and “Shock Jock”.

The way he finally went public about his MS and his change of career to focus on lecturing rounded out the book. He doesn’t pretend to offer advice to fellow sufferers; in fact he described it as an inconvenience rather than an affliction; but still relayed a positive message as he developed as a person and contributed to society in many ways he couldn’t have foreseen.

Through it all he downplayed his contributions, regularly heaping praise upon those around him. This allowed him to insert some amusing self-deprecation (often with the phrase ‘I’m not smart, I just sound smart’) but his brilliant colourful way with words contradicts this naivety at times. Following his own teachings, Tim wasn’t afraid to tell some tragic tales from his life to contrast against the general levity of his writing. Plenty of witty asides, self-depreciation and amusingly worded descriptions keep the mood light. Cheekily manipulating the reader, he alluded to some juicy details that he ultimately kept to himself. This interesting portrait of a man with many stories to tell was a joy to read.

Carry A Big Stick is published by Hachette Australia.