Gregor Stronach
Encyclopedia
Gregor Stronach is an Australia
n writer, satirist
and comedian. He is best known for his work as a founding member of The Chaser
.
Stronach's work with The Chaser has moved with the group from the original newspaper in 1999 through a brief stint on Sydney
's MMM
Radio to the current status of online and television on Australian Broadcasting Corporation
.
Stronach’s work for The Chaser is best categorised as a blend of gonzo journalism
and opinion editorial
. His current work on The Chaser site usually takes the form of “Five Things I Learnt This Week”, in which he chooses five major events from that week’s news to be held up to ridicule. His writing frequently targets prominent Australians from the field of politics
and the media
. He has been threatened with legal action by several of his targets, most notably Australian Senator
Bill Heffernan
and radio broadcaster Alan Jones
.
Stronach is listed as a co-author of nine books with The Chaser, and regularly appears on live panels, such as the Writer’s Tent at Sydney’s popular Newtown Festival to discuss his work.
In compiling a list of Un-Australian people for the 2007 Un-Australian of the Year awards, Stronach's published attack on the Mufti
of Australia, Sheikh Al-Hilaly caused controversy.
Stronach also writes for Edinburgh-based comedy site Rum and Monkey, producing articles of a satirical or sexually experimental nature. His most notable pieces include several thoughtful satirical pieces lampooning the Bush
Administration, and an internet meme, Stronach's Semi-Automatic LiveJournal Updater.
Stronach’s "real" work has been predominantly in the field of journalism
, including a six-year stint as a motoring journalist on several high-profile Australian titles, including Overlander 4WD,Australian Motorcycle News and Two Wheels magazine. He has also been a contributor to Modern Fishing, Modern Boating, and GQ.
in the mid-1990s.
He has also appeared as an irregular guest on several radio shows hosted by his colleagues from The Chaser, including Chas and Dom and The Chaser’s show on MMM
in the early 2000s. Gregor also hosted his own programme on Sydney’s FBi Radio
for several years, called the Random Bullsh*t Breakfast Show.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n writer, satirist
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
and comedian. He is best known for his work as a founding member of The Chaser
The Chaser
The Chaser are an Australian satirical comedian group, known for their television programmes on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation channel. The group take their name from their production of satirical newspaper, a publication known to challenge conventions of taste...
.
Stronach's work with The Chaser has moved with the group from the original newspaper in 1999 through a brief stint on Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's MMM
Triple M
The Triple M Network is an active rock radio network in Australia owned by media company Austereo, who also own the Today Network.- History :...
Radio to the current status of online and television on Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
.
Stronach’s work for The Chaser is best categorised as a blend of gonzo journalism
Gonzo journalism
Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first-person narrative. The word "gonzo" is believed to be first used in 1970 to describe an article by Hunter S. Thompson, who later popularized the style...
and opinion editorial
Op-ed
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
. His current work on The Chaser site usually takes the form of “Five Things I Learnt This Week”, in which he chooses five major events from that week’s news to be held up to ridicule. His writing frequently targets prominent Australians from the field of politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
and the media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
. He has been threatened with legal action by several of his targets, most notably Australian Senator
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
Bill Heffernan
Bill Heffernan
William Daniel Heffernan, more commonly known as Bill Heffernan, , Australian politician, has been a Liberal Party member of the Senate, representing the state of New South Wales, since September 1996.-Early life:...
and radio broadcaster Alan Jones
Alan Jones (radio broadcaster)
Alan Belford Jones AO is an Australian radio broadcaster, former rugby union and rugby league coach and administrator.Jones hosts Sydney's most popular breakfast radio program, on radio station 2GB...
.
Stronach is listed as a co-author of nine books with The Chaser, and regularly appears on live panels, such as the Writer’s Tent at Sydney’s popular Newtown Festival to discuss his work.
In compiling a list of Un-Australian people for the 2007 Un-Australian of the Year awards, Stronach's published attack on the Mufti
Mufti
A mufti is a Sunni Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law . In religious administrative terms, a mufti is roughly equivalent to a deacon to a Sunni population...
of Australia, Sheikh Al-Hilaly caused controversy.
Stronach also writes for Edinburgh-based comedy site Rum and Monkey, producing articles of a satirical or sexually experimental nature. His most notable pieces include several thoughtful satirical pieces lampooning the Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
Administration, and an internet meme, Stronach's Semi-Automatic LiveJournal Updater.
Stronach’s "real" work has been predominantly in the field of journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, including a six-year stint as a motoring journalist on several high-profile Australian titles, including Overlander 4WD,Australian Motorcycle News and Two Wheels magazine. He has also been a contributor to Modern Fishing, Modern Boating, and GQ.
Publications
- Chaser Annual 2000 – ISBN unknown
- Chaser Annual 2001 – ISBN unknown
- Chaser Annual 2002 – ISBN unknown
- Chaser Annual 2003 – ISBN unknown
- Chaser Annual 2004 – ISBN 1920885382
- Chaser Annual 2005 – ISBN 1920885978
- Chaser Annual 2006 – ISBN 1921145617
- 50 Golden Years of The Chaser – ISBN 1921145323
Appearances
Stronach appeared as a recurring subject in the ABC Documentary Uni, filmed by Simon Target at the University of SydneyUniversity of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
in the mid-1990s.
He has also appeared as an irregular guest on several radio shows hosted by his colleagues from The Chaser, including Chas and Dom and The Chaser’s show on MMM
Triple M
The Triple M Network is an active rock radio network in Australia owned by media company Austereo, who also own the Today Network.- History :...
in the early 2000s. Gregor also hosted his own programme on Sydney’s FBi Radio
FBi Radio
FBi is an independent, not-for-profit community radio station in Sydney, Australia. FBi places a heavy emphasis on local alternative music: it has a policy that at least 50 per cent of its music content is to be Australian, of which at least half comes from Sydney musicians.FBi began 'test...
for several years, called the Random Bullsh*t Breakfast Show.