Devil’s advocate

If Adam Hills is the darling saint of Australian comedy, Paul McDermott is definitely the anti-Christ. Whereas Hills tells folksy tales about tummy slapping and his grand-dad, McDermott sings parody songs about penises and fucking dogs.

Of course such comparisons are purely academic but, with the return of McDermott to ABC TV in The Sideshow, if nothing else the analogy helps to frame Australia’s wickedest comedian.

A few years back, with camera in hand, I approached McDermott in the Melbourne Comedy Festival bar. With a narrowing of the eyes and that wry smile, he declined.

Thank you, but the answer is no, he said, leaving little room for negotiation. The dismissive attitude reveals McDermott’s style and perhaps also his appeal. This man speaks his mind -“ a rare commodity in the bullshit world of media hype.

Early in our interview he alludes to that audience attraction.

They like me, hate me, like me, hate me. I’m an alienator, a divider -“ it’s a fine line, he says in jest. You get the feeling he enjoys the attention.

But out of the spotlight, McDermott is a self-confessed introvert, more comfortable in solitary creative pursuits of visual art and writing than the exhibitionist antics of comedy. If biographical web accounts are true, the Doug Anthony Allstars, the comedy troupe he formed with Tim Ferguson and Richard Fidler, came about to pay for McDermott’s art canvases. The trio enjoyed 10 years of extraordinary success.

Aside from festival forays, audiences know McDermott through his hosting gigs on Good News Week (ABC and Channel 10), the ARIAs and, more recently, Strictly Dancing.

The wise-cracking front man, who once sang a passionate love song to Mark Trevorrow (Bob Downe) on national TV, is also painfully shy, as he readily admits.

I find it easier to stand in front of 700 people and speak my mind than sit in a room with six people who are all friends, he says.

The revelation sits nicely as the flipside to McDermott’s over-the-top, boundary-pushing showmanship.

I don’t know if you can take it too far, he says. The further you can push the boat away from the shore, the more interesting it becomes.

McDermott’s devil-may-care attitude, coupled with strikingly good looks, has endeared him to queer audiences for years. It didn’t hurt that he shared the stage with Julie McCrossin, one of the few openly lesbian personalities in Australian media. Their Good News Week sparring made excellent television with McCrossin cast as the earth mother conscience to the smutty gaffs of McDermott and Mikey Robins.

The Sideshow variety formula, heavily reliant on local talent, promises more left-of-field humour.

It’s an hour and a bit of carnival, McDermott says. It’s a great show for the ABC -“ the station should have been doing it five years ago.

With a cast that includes The Umbilical Brothers, Tripod, Claire Hooper, Tim Minchin and Eddie Perfect, the show brings together music, comedy, stand-up, cabaret and burlesque into a circus setting with McDermott as the ringmaster.

The project is the brainchild of Ted Robinson, the name behind The Big Gig, DAAS Kapital and Good News Week. McDermott says they’ve developed the show together to bring variety back to TV.

Our interview time almost up, I venture a few personal questions. But before I can get to first base, the elusive comedian puts on the brakes.

Hey, it’s been great talking to you but I’m already late for my next interview, he says.

As dismissive as that time at the Comedy Festival, his response is decidedly in the negative. Why aren’t I surprised? We’ll just have to be happy with Paul McDermott the showman.

www.bnews.net.au

The Sideshow With Paul McDermott airs on Saturdays at 7:30pm on ABC TV.