Pauline Pantsdown

Simon Hunt, sometimes known as Pauline Pantsdown, is an Australian satirist and Australian Senate candidate who parodied Pauline Hanson, a controversial former member of federal parliament, in 1997.[1] His birth name was Simon Hunt, but he changed his name by deed poll so that he would appear on the electoral ballot as "Pauline Pantsdown"; he later changed back to "Simon Hunt". He is the son of David Hunt, a retired Chief Judge at Common Law of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.[2]

As Pantsdown, he is a drag queen whose taste in fashion parodies Hanson's, and is best known for the songs "Backdoor Man" and "I Don't Like It". The song "Backdoor Man" was a huge hit on the youth radio network Triple J after its release in 1997, being played almost hourly due to a massive number of requests, making it into the 1997 Hottest 100 list at number 5. However, less than a week after its release, Hanson obtained a court injunction against the song, claiming it was defamatory.[3] In September 2004, after Hanson launched a campaign for the Australian Senate, the ABC was reported to be planning a challenge to the injunction. However, after public criticism from Hanson, the ABC backed down.

Pantsdown performed a remixed version of "I Don't Like It" at the 2011 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Party during Bob Downe's 'Retro-Gras' DJ set just days before Hanson announced her candidacy in the 2011 NSW state election. Pantsdown also performed a remixed version of "I Don't Like It" on Channel Seven's The Morning Show on 22 May 2012. Nearing the end of the performance, Hunt undid a rainbow-coloured button-up shirt and revealed a T-shirt with the slogan "ABBOTT is INSIDE me" written on it, with a caricature of Tony Abbott's head beneath it. In an interview following his performance, he claimed that he was partly inspired by the "hurt and pain" that, in particular, the communities Hanson targeted at the time felt, and "wanted to give them an opportunity to laugh back". Kylie Gillies also noted that Hunt now lectures at a university (Media Arts, at the University of New South Wales College of Fine Arts, or COFA).

Homebake appearance

The resulting controversy resulted in Pauline Pantsdown making an appearance at the 1998 Homebake live music festival, complete with apparently gay half-naked Asian dancers. He was booed and pelted with objects and later claimed "Homophobia is alive and well in Sydney".[4]

Songs
Sample of "Backdoor Man"
A 23 second sample of Pauline Pantsdown's "Backdoor Man"
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References

  1. ↑ Marr, David (12 May 2003). "Defamation joke". Media Watch (TV program). Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  2. ↑ Hanson stung by the peril of Pauline, by Robert Milliken, at the Independent; published 3 October 1998; retrieved 11 July 2014
  3. ↑ "Supreme Court Library Queensland". sclqld.org.au.
  4. ↑ "Albums by Pauline Pantsdown: Discography, songs, biography, and listening guide - Rate Your Music". rateyourmusic.com.
  5. ↑ http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/10296/20010907/www.dot.net.au/_galconv/back%20door%20man.mp3

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, March 11, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.