Album Review: John Clarke - Fred Dagg Anthology (1998)

It's easy to say nowadays that New Zealand comedy isn't funny.  Granted, our comedic output is these days perhaps less than optimal, but that isn't to say we had our share of comedic greats.  The late, great Billy T James, for instance, left an indelible mark in the memories of all New Zealanders old enough to remember who he was, and 27 years after his untimely passing, remains a favorite icon, notable for his wisecracks, impressions and of course, that laugh of his.  Another Kiwi legend, John Clarke, who eventually carved out a lucrative career over the ditch, began his comedy career locally, with his stereotypical farmer alter-ego, Fred Dagg.  Dagg was for me, not just wonderfully funny, but represented what I think in many ways the modern Kiwi bloke should aspire to be.  The vernacular, the mannerisms, the image - everything about him has been lost through the passage of time to external influences, particularly the Americanization of the traditionally Anglo-Celtic New Zealand culture.  And in many ways, that's a tremendous shame.  Political correctness has likewise made his comedy a little less palatable to modern audiences, unfortunately.  The album I'm reviewing here, Fred Dagg Anthology, captures brilliantly everything about Kiwi culture, devoid of the influence of the Hollywood media machines.   And it's a shame that we've relegated large aspects of it to the past, and yet speak of Dagg as the Kiwi cultural icon he was.  We need to absorb ourselves more in the life and times of Frederick Dagg, and the more, the better. A