Doug Anthony All Stars
Encyclopedia
The Doug Anthony All Stars (or Doug Anthony Allstars, DAAS, D.A.A.S. or stylized as D⋆A†A☭S) were an Australian musical comedy group who performed together between 1984 and 1994. The band was an acoustic trio comprising Paul McDermott
and Tim Ferguson
on main vocals and Richard Fidler
on guitar and backing vocals. They were known for their aggressive, provocative style; their habit of involving audience members and their tendency to attack topical and sometimes controversial issues in their comedy.
DAAS began performing as buskers
on the streets of Canberra
in 1984, while they were attending university. After winning the Pick of the Fringe award at the 1986 Adelaide Fringe Festival
the group relocated from Canberra to Melbourne, but it was not until they travelled to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1987 that they first achieved success. They quickly gained popularity in the United Kingdom, where they made numerous television appearances, but remained virtually unknown in Australia until 1989 when they were made regular performers on the Australian comedy show The Big Gig
. These appearances gained them recognition, and they remained a popular feature of the show until 1991 when they left to create their own ABC
comedy series, DAAS Kapital
.
The group released four live recordings and one studio album, DAAS Icon
, which achieved some independent success in Australia but was briefly banned in Britain. They also released a collection of dark short stories
in 1989, entitled Book, which took a markedly different tone from their comedic stage performances. They also made two live concert videos and one film, The Edinburgh Years. The group split up in 1994, following a final farewell tour of Australia. Although they reunited in 2003 to perform together at a benefit concert and were interviewed together in 2008 in support of their DVD, the three have ruled out the suggestion of a reunion tour.
DAAS employed an aggressive, confrontational style, which author and journalist Geoff Bartlett describes as "[pushing] the boundaries of humour and good taste to their absolute limits". They frequently delved into topical and taboo
subject matter with songs such as "Commies for Christ" and "I Fuck Dogs". "Long before anyone knew the term, one of our greatest driving forces was to be politically incorrect," said Ferguson. Each band member developed distinctive onstage characters, with McDermott adopting a nasty, mean persona, while Ferguson played a narcissistic character who was "gorgeous but stupid". Fidler initially played the straight man
, but as the group became more aggressive he developed into a character who was naturally happy and caring but frequently victimised by his fellow band members.
The group drew inspiration from short-lived punk bands like the Fat Sluts, The Lone Reagans and Forbidden Mule, whom Ferguson describes as "like all punk bands... very fast and furious." Much of the band's provocative style emerged from their origins as street performers, where in order to get people's attention they resorted to outrageous or theatrical tactics—the group would sometimes walk into the street and stop traffic to get noticed. "Sometimes we have to do really ugly or horrendous things to get people's attention, and we're not afraid to do that. We'll hit someone if it gets a bit of discourse going," said McDermott.
Neil Pigot
, who did some work with the group, describes their style as "a sort of extension of the Python
tradition, but very much in an Australian context." He says that DAAS were "crucially important" in the development of Australian comedy, directly contributing to the styles of successful comedy shows such as The D-Generation
, Fast Forward and Wogs Out Of Work. At the time DAAS emerged, Pigot says, comedy in Australia was dominated by joke-tellers and impersonators. By contrast, DAAS were belligerent and confrontational, frequently attacking topical issues, invading people's personal space and involving the audience in their act. Mark Trevorrow
, who frequently collaborated with the group, described their work as "true genius." "Their great shows were among the greatest evenings I've witnessed in my life and their worst shows were among the worst," he said. "They'd whip up an audience and appeal to people's darker side. It was very Dada
, what they were doing. And what happens with that is you're just as often likely to have people who want to kill you as applaud you." In addition, ABC comedy producer Ted Robinson says that the group played an important role in raising the profile of Australian comedy overseas, particularly in Britain where DAAS were very popular.
DAAS were known for their tendency to tell outrageous lies to journalists during interviews and attempt to see them published as fact. In one of the best-known instances of this, the group told British reporters that their namesake, former Australian politician Doug Anthony
, was a much-loved Prime Minister of Australia
who had been assassinated on 11 November 1975, by right wing extremists. (In fact, Anthony is a former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
who had led the right-of-center National Party of Australia
from 1971 to 1984.) The lie was printed in The Times
, The Guardian
and The Independent
. This game continued undetected until in 1990 the group told a reporter that they had been cast in Batman
and had become great friends with Jack Nicholson
, both lies. The story was reported as fact in newspapers around Australia and appeared as a cover story in the TV guide of Melbourne's Herald Sun
before the media realised the hoax.
—one day and I walked up to him and we did 'Wild Thing'. I sang a few lyrics and jumped about like a mad thing. Lo and behold we made a stack of money in ten minutes." The two began performing together and joined with another friend, Robert Piper, to form the Doug Anthony All Stars. They derived their name from Doug Anthony, a former Country Party leader and Deputy Prime Minister of Australia. According to Fidler, during their earlier gig
s in clubs and as street performers, Ferguson was "a bit of an explosive hippie
" while Fidler and Piper were more reserved.
When Robert Piper left the group in 1985 due to other commitments, Paul McDermott, who performed at one of DAAS's regular clubs, was invited to join. He accepted, although he did not like their material, which he considered too sweet. Fidler says McDermott changed the group's dynamic; he wrote the majority of their songs and prompted a darker tone. After winning the Pick of the Fringe award at the 1986 Adelaide Fringe Festival, the group relocated from Canberra to Melbourne, where they based themselves with a regular gig at the Prince Patrick Hotel in Collingwood
, in an effort to save enough money to travel to the Edinburgh Fringe. Initially DAAS found that Melbourne audiences did not respond to their act and to provoke a reaction they became more aggressive, with McDermott and Ferguson adopting more abusive personas and often picking on Fidler's naturally happy but stupid character. They made their first overseas performance at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1987, to sold out crowds.
This changed in 1989 when ABC comedy producer Ted Robinson invited them to appear on a new comedy show, The Big Gig. They became a popular feature on the series and appeared in every episode until 1991. In 1989 the group also released a book entitled Book, which was a collection of dark short stories. Many of the stories had been written several years prior, even before the three had started performing together, and adopted a markedly different tone to their comedic, largely ad libbed live shows. Ferguson said that they had wanted to write something that people could read and enjoy without having seen DAAS perform. Book sold 30,000 copies in England within the first two weeks of publication before being banned when DAAS refused to release an edited version of the book or permit a warning sticker on the cover. The issue was taken to court in the same year, where the ban was overturned.
DAAS released their first official album, DAAS Icon
, in 1990. Two of the featured songs, "I Want to Spill the Blood of a Hippy" and "Bottle", were also released as singles. Icon went on to become the highest selling independent album in Australia, but was banned in the UK due to a reference to the IRA
in the song "KRSNA". This was later overturned by a British court. The group continued to appear weekly on The Big Gig until 1991 when their own series, DAAS Kapital, premiered on the ABC. A futuristic
half-hour long sitcom about the band's adventures in an underwater history museum
, DAAS Kapital ran for two seven-episode seasons between 1991 and 1992 despite a poor critical reaction. From 1992 they became UK-based, returning to Australia for a short time in 1993 to promote Dead & Alive
, a live recording of one of their London shows which was released on CD and VHS. They played at the opening of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics
and appeared regularly on Britain's Channel 4
variety show Viva Cabaret.
In June 2010, Tim Ferguson revealed that the break-up was due in large part to personal health issues. Unknown to the public at the time, Ferguson had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
in 1996 after experiencing symptoms for several years including a few severe episodes while touring in 1993. The symptoms affected his mobility, causing him to struggle with choreography and physical routines onstage and eventually, he says, "it was clear I couldn’t remain a Doug Anthony Allstar with whatever this was". Still coming to terms with his diagnosis, Ferguson chose to keep it private, telling few people outside of his close friends and family. "I didn't want other people to know," he says. "I didn’t want it to be coming up in conversation with strangers."
In July 2003, DAAS reunited for the first time since their break-up to perform at a special gala comedy event called "For Holly". Dedicated to the memory of Holly Robinson—a casting director for Home and Away
and the daughter of The Big Gigs Ted Robinson—who had died of cancer the month before, the concert was a fundraising benefit for research into the disease. At Holly's request, the three also performed the Hunters & Collectors
' "Throw Your Arms Around Me
", a song they had frequently covered in the group's later years, at her funeral.
A DAAS DVD entitled The Unlimited Uncollectible Sterling Deluxe Edition, a 2-disc collection of their performances from the first two seasons of The Big Gig, was released on 6 November 2008. Ferguson, Fidler and McDermott recorded a commentary track for the DVD and made several media appearances together to promote its release, but the three ruled out the prospect of a reunion tour. "We certainly catch up for barbecues, but not as a comedy group," McDermott said.
Initially, McDermott was not interested in further pursuing comedy, which he came to regard as an "aberration". However, in 1996 he returned to television after being recruited by Ted Robinson to host the satirical news-based quiz show Good News Week
. McDermott hosted the show until its cancellation in 2000 and returned to this role when the series was renewed in 2008. He reunited with Robinson again in 2007 when he was named host of a new ABC variety program, The Sideshow
, a show described as a successor to The Big Gig. Although it quickly built a strong cult audience, the show did not rate well and was cancelled after its initial run of 26 episodes.
In addition to his television work, McDermott has continued to be involved in live comedy. He has frequently participated in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
, having often captained one of the two competing teams in the festival's Great Debate since his first debate appearance in 1994. At the 2002 festival he not only presented a solo stand-up comedy
show titled "Comedyoscopy", but also performed with Cameron Bruce and Mick Moriarty in a music-based comedy trio called GUD
. McDermott described GUD as being in a similar vein to DAAS in that it revolved around music, comedy and the inter-relationships between the band members onstage. He currently hosts Good News Week on Network Ten
.
Ferguson also continued to pursue a career in television. In 1995 he hosted the Nine Network
's short-lived game show Don't Forget Your Toothbrush, and after the show's cancellation Nine kept him on to develop new television pilots. However, the network was not sure how best to use his talents, and Ferguson left to pursue other work. During this time he wrote his first novel, Left, Right and Centre: A Tale Of Greed, Sex And Power, a political satire. His subsequent television credits have included Unreal TV
, Big Brother, Funky Squad
and Shock Jock, a 2001 cable sitcom which he also wrote and produced. He has also built a strong career as a corporate event performer and is a sessional lecturer at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
, where he teaches Narrative Comedy for the Professional Screenwriting Advanced Diploma and has run short courses on comedy writing since 2008. In 2010, he released a guide to comedy writing, The Cheeky Monkey: Writing Narrative Comedy. Ferguson currently hosts and co-produces WTF - With Tim Ferguson on C31 Melbourne.
After leaving DAAS, Fidler became heavily involved in computers and multimedia
. In 1996 he wrote the award-winning CD-ROM
Real Wild Child, a history of Australian rock and roll
. Although he had not initially intended to return to television, he has hosted various TV shows since 1996, including Race Around the World
, Aftershock
, Mouthing Off and Vulture; and spent three years in management as an editor of ABC TV comedy before deciding he "wasn't cut out to be a manager". In 2005 Fidler ventured into radio, fronting the 7–10pm shift on ABC Local Radio
station 612 ABC Brisbane
. Since 2006, he has hosted the 11am–3pm shift on 612 ABC Brisbane, with the show's first hour—known as The Conversation Hour—also broadcast on 702 ABC Sydney
.
Original and founding member Robert Piper entered into a very successful career with the United Nations and has served in Cambodia, New York, Serbia (amongst others) and is now the head of the UN system in Nepal.
Paul McDermott (comedian)
Paul McDermott is an Australian comedian, actor, writer, director, singer, artist and television host. He currently hosts the satirical news-based 'Good News World' a follow up to quiz show Good News Week which airs in Australia on Network Ten...
and Tim Ferguson
Tim Ferguson
Timothy Dorcen Langbene "Tim" Ferguson is an Australian comedian and television presenter.- Background :...
on main vocals and Richard Fidler
Richard Fidler
Richard Fidler is a well-known Australian Republican and Australian ABC TV and radio presenter. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as a member of the Doug Anthony All Stars , an Australian musical comedy group also comprising Tim Ferguson and Paul McDermott...
on guitar and backing vocals. They were known for their aggressive, provocative style; their habit of involving audience members and their tendency to attack topical and sometimes controversial issues in their comedy.
DAAS began performing as buskers
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
on the streets of Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
in 1984, while they were attending university. After winning the Pick of the Fringe award at the 1986 Adelaide Fringe Festival
Adelaide Fringe Festival
The Adelaide Fringe Festival is an arts festival held annually in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. The event is the Southern Hemisphere's largest arts event and the second-largest fringe festival in the world, second in size only to the Edinburgh Fringe...
the group relocated from Canberra to Melbourne, but it was not until they travelled to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1987 that they first achieved success. They quickly gained popularity in the United Kingdom, where they made numerous television appearances, but remained virtually unknown in Australia until 1989 when they were made regular performers on the Australian comedy show The Big Gig
The Big Gig
The Big Gig was a popular Australian television comedy series based on the British TV series Saturday Live. It was produced and broadcast by the ABC in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was produced and directed by Ted Robinson, who started his career as the director of the second series of the...
. These appearances gained them recognition, and they remained a popular feature of the show until 1991 when they left to create their own ABC
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
comedy series, DAAS Kapital
DAAS Kapital
DAAS Kapital was an Australian television comedy series written and performed by comedy trio the Doug Anthony All Stars. The show starred Paul McDermott, Tim Ferguson and Richard Fidler, along with Flacco, Michael Petroni, Bob Downe and Khym Lam....
.
The group released four live recordings and one studio album, DAAS Icon
DAAS Icon
DAAS Icon is the first studio album recorded and released by Australian comedy trio, the Doug Anthony All Stars. Released in 1990, it features the singles "I Want to Spill the Blood of a Hippy" and "Bottle"...
, which achieved some independent success in Australia but was briefly banned in Britain. They also released a collection of dark short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
in 1989, entitled Book, which took a markedly different tone from their comedic stage performances. They also made two live concert videos and one film, The Edinburgh Years. The group split up in 1994, following a final farewell tour of Australia. Although they reunited in 2003 to perform together at a benefit concert and were interviewed together in 2008 in support of their DVD, the three have ruled out the suggestion of a reunion tour.
Style
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
subject matter with songs such as "Commies for Christ" and "I Fuck Dogs". "Long before anyone knew the term, one of our greatest driving forces was to be politically incorrect," said Ferguson. Each band member developed distinctive onstage characters, with McDermott adopting a nasty, mean persona, while Ferguson played a narcissistic character who was "gorgeous but stupid". Fidler initially played the straight man
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
, but as the group became more aggressive he developed into a character who was naturally happy and caring but frequently victimised by his fellow band members.
The group drew inspiration from short-lived punk bands like the Fat Sluts, The Lone Reagans and Forbidden Mule, whom Ferguson describes as "like all punk bands... very fast and furious." Much of the band's provocative style emerged from their origins as street performers, where in order to get people's attention they resorted to outrageous or theatrical tactics—the group would sometimes walk into the street and stop traffic to get noticed. "Sometimes we have to do really ugly or horrendous things to get people's attention, and we're not afraid to do that. We'll hit someone if it gets a bit of discourse going," said McDermott.
Neil Pigot
Neil Pigot
Neil Pigot is an Australian actor, best known to audiences as Inspector Falcon-Price on Blue Heelers.Pigot began his career in theatre, and after a long apprenticeship moved to guest starring roles in television shows such as The Games , The Secret Life of Us , Marshall Law and Stingers...
, who did some work with the group, describes their style as "a sort of extension of the Python
Monty Python
Monty Python was a British surreal comedy group who created their influential Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series...
tradition, but very much in an Australian context." He says that DAAS were "crucially important" in the development of Australian comedy, directly contributing to the styles of successful comedy shows such as The D-Generation
The D-Generation
The D-Generation was a popular and influential Australian TV sketch comedy show, produced and broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for two series, between 1986 and 1987...
, Fast Forward and Wogs Out Of Work. At the time DAAS emerged, Pigot says, comedy in Australia was dominated by joke-tellers and impersonators. By contrast, DAAS were belligerent and confrontational, frequently attacking topical issues, invading people's personal space and involving the audience in their act. Mark Trevorrow
Mark Trevorrow
Mark Trevorrow , is an Australian comedian, television host and media personality.He has developed the flamboyant alter ego "Bob Downe" - a cheesy, safari-suit-wearing lounge singer with dazzling teeth, and host of the fictional regional daytime TV show Good Morning Murwillumbah...
, who frequently collaborated with the group, described their work as "true genius." "Their great shows were among the greatest evenings I've witnessed in my life and their worst shows were among the worst," he said. "They'd whip up an audience and appeal to people's darker side. It was very Dada
Dada
Dada or Dadaism is a cultural movement that began in Zurich, Switzerland, during World War I and peaked from 1916 to 1922. The movement primarily involved visual arts, literature—poetry, art manifestoes, art theory—theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a...
, what they were doing. And what happens with that is you're just as often likely to have people who want to kill you as applaud you." In addition, ABC comedy producer Ted Robinson says that the group played an important role in raising the profile of Australian comedy overseas, particularly in Britain where DAAS were very popular.
DAAS were known for their tendency to tell outrageous lies to journalists during interviews and attempt to see them published as fact. In one of the best-known instances of this, the group told British reporters that their namesake, former Australian politician Doug Anthony
Doug Anthony
John Douglas Anthony, AC, CH , is a former Australian politician. He was leader of the National Party from 1971 to 1984, and Deputy Prime Minister from 1971 to 1972 and again from 1975 to 1983.-Early life:...
, was a much-loved Prime Minister of Australia
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
who had been assassinated on 11 November 1975, by right wing extremists. (In fact, Anthony is a former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
The Deputy Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the second-most senior officer in the Government of Australia. The Deputy Prime Ministership has been a ministerial portfolio since 1968, and the Deputy Prime Minister is appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime...
who had led the right-of-center National Party of Australia
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
from 1971 to 1984.) The lie was printed in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
. This game continued undetected until in 1990 the group told a reporter that they had been cast in Batman
Batman (1989 film)
Batman is a 1989 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Michael Keaton in the title role, as well as Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl and Jack Palance...
and had become great friends with Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
, both lies. The story was reported as fact in newspapers around Australia and appeared as a cover story in the TV guide of Melbourne's Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
before the media realised the hoax.
Early years
Tim Ferguson met Richard Fidler busking on the streets of Canberra in 1984, while they were both attending university. Ferguson recalls: "Richard was playing the guitar—something from Cat StevensCat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
—one day and I walked up to him and we did 'Wild Thing'. I sang a few lyrics and jumped about like a mad thing. Lo and behold we made a stack of money in ten minutes." The two began performing together and joined with another friend, Robert Piper, to form the Doug Anthony All Stars. They derived their name from Doug Anthony, a former Country Party leader and Deputy Prime Minister of Australia. According to Fidler, during their earlier gig
Gig (musical performance)
Gig is slang for a musical engagement in which musicians are hired. Originally coined in the 1920s by jazz musicians, the term, short for the word "engagement", now refers to any aspect of performing such as assisting with performance and attending musical performance...
s in clubs and as street performers, Ferguson was "a bit of an explosive hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
" while Fidler and Piper were more reserved.
When Robert Piper left the group in 1985 due to other commitments, Paul McDermott, who performed at one of DAAS's regular clubs, was invited to join. He accepted, although he did not like their material, which he considered too sweet. Fidler says McDermott changed the group's dynamic; he wrote the majority of their songs and prompted a darker tone. After winning the Pick of the Fringe award at the 1986 Adelaide Fringe Festival, the group relocated from Canberra to Melbourne, where they based themselves with a regular gig at the Prince Patrick Hotel in Collingwood
Collingwood, Victoria
Collingwood is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
, in an effort to save enough money to travel to the Edinburgh Fringe. Initially DAAS found that Melbourne audiences did not respond to their act and to provoke a reaction they became more aggressive, with McDermott and Ferguson adopting more abusive personas and often picking on Fidler's naturally happy but stupid character. They made their first overseas performance at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1987, to sold out crowds.
Successes
Following their Edinburgh Fringe shows, the group enjoyed considerable success in the United Kingdom, making appearances on numerous BBC comedy shows. In 1988, the group was nominated for the Perrier Comedy Award for their performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Fidler says that the British people were more receptive to their act at the time than Australians had been. "The whole thing exploded for us when we got there, it was quite incredible. Within a very short time we were doing national television appearances in front of millions of people and playing these enormous shows," he says. They played extensively in Canada, Germany, America and Britain, and finished their time in Britain by appearing on the final episode of the successful Friday Night Live. However despite the acclaim they were receiving overseas, when they returned to Australia at the end of 1988 they remained unknown. Upon arriving in Melbourne, they struggled to gain a following and went back to busking on the streets.DAAS released their first official album, DAAS Icon
DAAS Icon
DAAS Icon is the first studio album recorded and released by Australian comedy trio, the Doug Anthony All Stars. Released in 1990, it features the singles "I Want to Spill the Blood of a Hippy" and "Bottle"...
, in 1990. Two of the featured songs, "I Want to Spill the Blood of a Hippy" and "Bottle", were also released as singles. Icon went on to become the highest selling independent album in Australia, but was banned in the UK due to a reference to the IRA
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
in the song "KRSNA". This was later overturned by a British court. The group continued to appear weekly on The Big Gig until 1991 when their own series, DAAS Kapital, premiered on the ABC. A futuristic
Future
The future is the indefinite time period after the present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the nature of the reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently exists and will exist is temporary and will come...
half-hour long sitcom about the band's adventures in an underwater history museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, DAAS Kapital ran for two seven-episode seasons between 1991 and 1992 despite a poor critical reaction. From 1992 they became UK-based, returning to Australia for a short time in 1993 to promote Dead & Alive
Dead & Alive
Dead & Alive is the first live album released by the Australian comedy trio the Doug Anthony All Stars. It was released on 10 January 1994 through EastWest/Warner as both a CD and audio cassette. A VHS recording of the performance was also released through Warner Music Vision...
, a live recording of one of their London shows which was released on CD and VHS. They played at the opening of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
and appeared regularly on Britain's Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
variety show Viva Cabaret.
Break-up
The group held a final farewell tour of Australia in 1994, which was recorded and released on CD by ABC Records as DAAS: The Last Concert. The break-up sparked rumours of a falling out among the trio, although all three denied this, stating that it was simply time to move on. Richard Fidler described it as a matter of practicality: Ferguson wanted to return to Australia to be closer to his young family, while McDermott and Fidler wished to continue working in Britain as they felt they had done everything they had wanted to do in Australia.In June 2010, Tim Ferguson revealed that the break-up was due in large part to personal health issues. Unknown to the public at the time, Ferguson had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
in 1996 after experiencing symptoms for several years including a few severe episodes while touring in 1993. The symptoms affected his mobility, causing him to struggle with choreography and physical routines onstage and eventually, he says, "it was clear I couldn’t remain a Doug Anthony Allstar with whatever this was". Still coming to terms with his diagnosis, Ferguson chose to keep it private, telling few people outside of his close friends and family. "I didn't want other people to know," he says. "I didn’t want it to be coming up in conversation with strangers."
In July 2003, DAAS reunited for the first time since their break-up to perform at a special gala comedy event called "For Holly". Dedicated to the memory of Holly Robinson—a casting director for Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
and the daughter of The Big Gigs Ted Robinson—who had died of cancer the month before, the concert was a fundraising benefit for research into the disease. At Holly's request, the three also performed the Hunters & Collectors
Hunters & Collectors
Hunters & Collectors were an Australian rock music band formed in Melbourne in 1981, fronted by singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Seymour, they developed a blend of pub rock and art-funk...
' "Throw Your Arms Around Me
Throw Your Arms Around Me
-Personnel:Hunters & Collectors members*John Archer — bass guitar*Geoffrey Crosby — keyboards*Douglas Falconer — drums*John 'Jack' Howard — trumpet*Mark Seymour — vocals, lead guitar*Michael Waters — trombone...
", a song they had frequently covered in the group's later years, at her funeral.
A DAAS DVD entitled The Unlimited Uncollectible Sterling Deluxe Edition, a 2-disc collection of their performances from the first two seasons of The Big Gig, was released on 6 November 2008. Ferguson, Fidler and McDermott recorded a commentary track for the DVD and made several media appearances together to promote its release, but the three ruled out the prospect of a reunion tour. "We certainly catch up for barbecues, but not as a comedy group," McDermott said.
Subsequent work
Good News Week
Good News Week is an Australian satirical panel game show hosted by Paul McDermott that initially aired from 19 April 1996 to 27 May 2000, and resumed on 11 February 2008 to 9 May 2011. The show aired first on ABC TV before it was bought by Network Ten in 1999...
. McDermott hosted the show until its cancellation in 2000 and returned to this role when the series was renewed in 2008. He reunited with Robinson again in 2007 when he was named host of a new ABC variety program, The Sideshow
The Sideshow
The Sideshow was an Australian television programme that was broadcast on ABC TV in 2007. The show was a mixture of stand-up comedy, sketches, live music, circus stunts, cabaret and burlesque. The hour long show was hosted by Paul McDermott...
, a show described as a successor to The Big Gig. Although it quickly built a strong cult audience, the show did not rate well and was cancelled after its initial run of 26 episodes.
In addition to his television work, McDermott has continued to be involved in live comedy. He has frequently participated in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is the third-largest international comedy festival in the world and the largest cultural event in Australia. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks in April typically opening on or around April Fool's Day...
, having often captained one of the two competing teams in the festival's Great Debate since his first debate appearance in 1994. At the 2002 festival he not only presented a solo stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
show titled "Comedyoscopy", but also performed with Cameron Bruce and Mick Moriarty in a music-based comedy trio called GUD
GUD (band)
GUD is an Australian comedic music-based trio composed of Paul McDermott, previously of the Doug Anthony All Stars, former Gadflys guitarist Mick Moriarty, and Club Luna Band keyboard player Cameron Bruce...
. McDermott described GUD as being in a similar vein to DAAS in that it revolved around music, comedy and the inter-relationships between the band members onstage. He currently hosts Good News Week on Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
.
Ferguson also continued to pursue a career in television. In 1995 he hosted the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
's short-lived game show Don't Forget Your Toothbrush, and after the show's cancellation Nine kept him on to develop new television pilots. However, the network was not sure how best to use his talents, and Ferguson left to pursue other work. During this time he wrote his first novel, Left, Right and Centre: A Tale Of Greed, Sex And Power, a political satire. His subsequent television credits have included Unreal TV
Unreal TV
Unreal TV is an Australian television show showcasing advertisements and weird video footage. It was hosted by Tim Ferguson and lasted from 1999 to 2001....
, Big Brother, Funky Squad
Funky Squad
Funky Squad was a short-lived 1995 Australian comedy television series which satirised '70s-era U.S. police television dramas, such as The Mod Squad. Only 7 half-hour episodes were produced, which were broadcast on the ABC...
and Shock Jock, a 2001 cable sitcom which he also wrote and produced. He has also built a strong career as a corporate event performer and is a sessional lecturer at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
RMIT University
RMIT University is an Australian public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. It has two branches, referred to as RMIT University in Australia and RMIT International University in Vietnam....
, where he teaches Narrative Comedy for the Professional Screenwriting Advanced Diploma and has run short courses on comedy writing since 2008. In 2010, he released a guide to comedy writing, The Cheeky Monkey: Writing Narrative Comedy. Ferguson currently hosts and co-produces WTF - With Tim Ferguson on C31 Melbourne.
After leaving DAAS, Fidler became heavily involved in computers and multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
. In 1996 he wrote the award-winning CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
Real Wild Child, a history of Australian rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
. Although he had not initially intended to return to television, he has hosted various TV shows since 1996, including Race Around the World
Race Around the World
Race Around the World was an Australian documentary series produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1997 and 1998 . It was based on a Canadian television series....
, Aftershock
Aftershock
An aftershock is a smaller earthquake that occurs after a previous large earthquake, in the same area of the main shock. If an aftershock is larger than the main shock, the aftershock is redesignated as the main shock and the original main shock is redesignated as a foreshock...
, Mouthing Off and Vulture; and spent three years in management as an editor of ABC TV comedy before deciding he "wasn't cut out to be a manager". In 2005 Fidler ventured into radio, fronting the 7–10pm shift on ABC Local Radio
ABC Local Radio
ABC Local Radio is a network of publicly owned radio stations in Australia, operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.ABC Local Radio stations broadcast across the continent using terrestrial transmitters and satellites...
station 612 ABC Brisbane
612 ABC Brisbane
612 ABC Brisbane is an ABC Local Radio station in Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of the largest stations in the network, serving as a base for Queensland programming - many programs are broadcast across the ABC Local Radio network in regional and rural areas of Queensland when those stations are...
. Since 2006, he has hosted the 11am–3pm shift on 612 ABC Brisbane, with the show's first hour—known as The Conversation Hour—also broadcast on 702 ABC Sydney
702 ABC Sydney
702 ABC Sydney is an ABC radio station in Sydney, Australia. It is the flagship station in the ABC Local Radio network and broadcasts on 702 kHz on the AM dial....
.
Original and founding member Robert Piper entered into a very successful career with the United Nations and has served in Cambodia, New York, Serbia (amongst others) and is now the head of the UN system in Nepal.
Discography
- DAAS IconDAAS IconDAAS Icon is the first studio album recorded and released by Australian comedy trio, the Doug Anthony All Stars. Released in 1990, it features the singles "I Want to Spill the Blood of a Hippy" and "Bottle"...
(1990) - Live at The National Theatre (1990)
- Dead & AliveDead & AliveDead & Alive is the first live album released by the Australian comedy trio the Doug Anthony All Stars. It was released on 10 January 1994 through EastWest/Warner as both a CD and audio cassette. A VHS recording of the performance was also released through Warner Music Vision...
(1994) - DAAS Bootleg - Live in EdinburghDAAS Bootleg - Live in EdinburghDAAS Bootleg - Live in Edinburgh is an official live bootleg recording released by the Australian comedy trio the Doug Anthony All Stars in 1994...
(1994) - The Last Concert (1995)
- The Unlimited Uncollectible Sterling Deluxe Edition (2008)