tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post9074136927164430373..comments2012-01-03T16:11:55.921-08:00Comments on Table Talk: Bob Ellis on film and theatre.: Tall Poppies: David Williamson's Nothing PersonalBob Ellishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593615480631787011noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-39728209911006046812012-01-03T14:05:48.301-08:002012-01-03T14:05:48.301-08:00The good news is that this is 2012 and Shorten him...The good news is that this is 2012 and Shorten himself considers Julia to be the one, despite your reservations.<br /><br /> I was keen for the Mad Monk to be replaced as Opposition Leader when he was one by-election away from becoming PM, but I now wish him long to remain as OL where he can rave to his heart's content or stand mute and shaking for 72 seconds (revised version, Channel 7 left out 48 seconds of the silent shaking) if that is his wont.<br /><br /> My real expectation is that Gillard will face another OL soon, and my hope is that she'll face many more before handing over to Shorten or Combet in 2019.Doug Quixotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18123285022701537130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-20634935226258081482012-01-03T14:02:51.470-08:002012-01-03T14:02:51.470-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Doug Quixotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18123285022701537130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-29091920657435444212012-01-03T12:29:42.253-08:002012-01-03T12:29:42.253-08:00The Ides of March, 2011.
I remember announcing to...The Ides of March, 2011.<br /><br />I remember announcing to our Latin class in 1956 that this was the two thousandth anniversary of Caesar's murder snd the teacher, Mrs Murphy, judging me over-zealous in my studies.Bob Ellishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13593615480631787011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-60410092578248774942012-01-03T05:54:27.299-08:002012-01-03T05:54:27.299-08:00Sooner than that. My guess is before April Fool...Sooner than that. My guess is before April Fool's Day.<br /><br />Let's say the Ides of March.Bob Ellishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13593615480631787011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-67738554248412026922012-01-03T03:45:41.594-08:002012-01-03T03:45:41.594-08:00G'day Bob.
I noticed your comments re Shorte...G'day Bob. <br /><br />I noticed your comments re Shorten on Frankel's article at the Drum; my agreement with you was of course ignored, even though it made the point that Liberal staffers and partisans are attempting to lay groundwork for an attack on a future Labor PM, who I suggested may succeed to PM Gillard, in about 2019. :)Doug Quixotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18123285022701537130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-11082663475056202632012-01-02T19:34:34.631-08:002012-01-02T19:34:34.631-08:00Go bag your head.Go bag your head.Bob Ellishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13593615480631787011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-48984944802120474162012-01-02T17:55:33.003-08:002012-01-02T17:55:33.003-08:00Doug, do you want me to fall upon my sword because...Doug, do you want me to fall upon my sword because what is to me a mere difference of opinion is considered grossly offensive by the person I differ with?<br /><br />That's a wee bit precious. :)<br /><br />And Bob, you're welcome, although there really is no need to thank me for what I consider basic courtesy. I can happily indulge in flame wars, and have been known to, but they don't always make for clear communication.Nilkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13872495050796257177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-74920416774390785872012-01-02T16:21:04.712-08:002012-01-02T16:21:04.712-08:00To Niik,
No, I favour public subsidy of the arts ...To Niik,<br /><br />No, I favour public subsidy of the arts -- of the BBC, the RSC, the Royal National Theatre, Svenskfilmindustri, the Bolshoi Ballet, the Toyal Covent Garden Opera, the Byron Bay Writers' Festival, tge Adelaide Festival and so on. Why would I not?<br /><br />I just don't like too many millions of it going to the Williamsons, who are already terrifically rich, while better writers, and there are probably dozens, wait on tables or tend bar.<br /><br />But thank you for apologising. It means a good deal to me.Bob Ellishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13593615480631787011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-89510390129875035392012-01-02T15:55:48.106-08:002012-01-02T15:55:48.106-08:00I suppose that is an apology from nilk, Bob. I awa...I suppose that is an apology from nilk, Bob. I await the next instalments in the saga with interest. :)Doug Quixotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18123285022701537130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-37670497803037814532012-01-02T13:14:12.300-08:002012-01-02T13:14:12.300-08:00I stand corrected, Bob. Or sit, as the case may be...I stand corrected, Bob. Or sit, as the case may be. <br /><br />I'm glad that you and yours do not feel yourself demeaned by behaviour that was aired long ago; that was purely my opinion. <br /><br />I suppose that would make me a prude in your view, but I've been called a lot of things in my life, and will be again. <br /><br />As I was also unaware of the circumstances from way back when, I'm happy to apologise for any misunderstanding. <br /><br />Why you would wait with modest hope, I don't know. I see no gain in upsetting people without reason, and I honestly don't see where 'grave libel' lies in my view of the discussion. <br /><br />Regarding David and Kristin making millions out of the public coffers, wouldn't that be a reason to cease taxpayer funding of the arts? <br /><br />I'm happy for funding to go where it's needed - hospital beds, better roads, that sort of thing. <br /><br />There is too much wastage of public funds as it stands, and the economy is not in the best of shapes. <br /><br />Cheers,Nilkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13872495050796257177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-72265734253286710622012-01-02T07:00:22.388-08:002012-01-02T07:00:22.388-08:00No, a lot of David's 'earnings' was fr...No, a lot of David's 'earnings' was from what you might call the taxpayers' money, the state-funded Sydney Theatre Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, Adelaide Theatre Company, Queensland Theatre Company, West Australian Theatre Company, The Australian Film Commission, The South Australian Film Commission, The NSW Film Commission, the Victorian Film Commission, Film NSW, Film Australia and Screen Australia all running at a loss to pay him, over time, the millions he made from the work that often, not always failed to make it into the black in a way that you, a Liberal-voting believer in capitalist enterprise, would understand az legitimate business profits. <br /><br />It's not his money, it's ours.<br /><br />The adultery you are so shocked by was first aired in 1976 in a series of letters by David, Kristin, my wife, Patrick Cook and me in the Nation Review and a book called Days Of Wine And Rage that reprinted them in, I think, 1982. My wife did not feel demeaned by them and herself admitted to a casual adultery in one of them; it was the way a good few people lived in those days, and have done in literary circles for centuries.<br /><br />So you've got everything wrong so far. Money in the arts in this country does not go to profit-making enterprises but loss-making enterprises in the main, enterprises like the Australian Opera, and people like the Williamsons make their pile out of loss-making enterprises a good deal but not all of the time, and they are not an example of capitalism but state socialism a good deal but not all of the time, sucking on the teat of the public purse,as you might call it, seizing money from your wallet, say, at the crippling rate of maybe a dollar a year from 1970 to 2007 when Andrew Upton told them to go away and they went to the Ensemble.<br /><br />All clear now?<br /><br />I await your apology with modest hope. Your grave libel of me and my wife and the way we have conducted ourselves would have earned us, after the Abbott and Costello precedent -- one must not call a married woman unchaste -- a quarter of a million dollars each if we were the kind of capitalists you approve of, profit-seeking, careless of how we earn and spend it. But luckily we are social democrats, luckily for you, and will not trouble you, though the Williamsons might, with even a lawyer's letter and a settlement for, oh, eighty thousand dollars out of court.<br /><br /><br />Which is a quaint way of saying, like Len Maguire in Newsfront, a taxpayer-funded film that my wife and I and Howard Rubie wrote and subsequently made millions, 'Go bite your bum.'Bob Ellishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13593615480631787011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-65163596523275699582012-01-02T03:10:38.038-08:002012-01-02T03:10:38.038-08:00Wow. First time reader, first time commenter. Prob...Wow. First time reader, first time commenter. Probably last time, too. <br /><br />No matter. <br /><br />I came here via the Billabong (the link KenParish posted) and am thoroughly gobsmacked. <br /><br />You blog, your rules, Bob, I understand that, but a few things leap out at me. <br /><br />With respect to how much money David has earned through his plays... who cares? He earned it. If people want to pay millions for his writing, then that's what it's worth. It's the beauty of a capitalist system.<br /><br />Sorry if that doesn't suit you, but you don't have the right to dictate how much a person can make.<br /><br />Nor what they can do with it. If he wants to spend it on collecting stamps, or shopping, or travelling on cruise ships with the hoi polloi rather than giving it to starving artists, again it's his money.<br /><br />I know you're working on changing this state of affairs, but you've not succeeded yet.<br /><br />You speak of your wonderful partner of 46 years on the same thread that you also speak of having sex with another woman less than 46 years ago. <br /><br />I find that disrespectful to her, but that's just my opinion. You demean yourself as well as her, and also Kristin by waving this laundry in the blogosphere. <br /><br />I'm not a fan of David's work, by the way, although I enjoyed Dead White Males. The people I like to watch these days are people like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/patcondell?blend=1&ob=4#p/a/u/0/IolHgMf_nbw" rel="nofollow">Pat Condell</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6c_dinY3fM" rel="nofollow">Bill Whittle</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/actionfiguretherapy#p/u/2/HIvVUUtwc-E" rel="nofollow">Action Figure Therapy</a> (okay, that last one's my guilty pleasure).<br /><br />Of course, as someone who votes Liberal, my opinion is probably irrelevant. I'd also be lying if I said I haven't found this whole post and the thread that followed entertaining. I have. <br /><br />But with real people involved, it has a trainwreck fascination for me. <br /><br />Enjoy your blogging endeavour - it can be a lot of fun and definitely educational. I certainly found out more than I ever wanted about our local literary lions, and there's plenty of grist for the Professor's mill. <br /><br />Good luck.Nilkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13872495050796257177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-67821331353414750892012-01-01T23:28:49.071-08:002012-01-01T23:28:49.071-08:00No, I think it's Piers Akerman.No, I think it's Piers Akerman.Bob Ellishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13593615480631787011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-37375701357617045852012-01-01T23:03:06.580-08:002012-01-01T23:03:06.580-08:00The most common guess on the Professor's ident...The most common guess on the Professor's identity is that it's Imre Salusinszky. I doubt it and have my own guess but I don't know. No doubt you could find out if you were prepared to threaten legal action and make an application for discovery before suit from Google. However that might be problematic for a man who frequently boasts he never sues!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-72810386916635641142012-01-01T22:43:43.548-08:002012-01-01T22:43:43.548-08:00Thank you for that. I've just replied to one o...Thank you for that. I've just replied to one of his replies.<br /><br />Who is he?Bob Ellishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13593615480631787011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-31079060738118107082012-01-01T21:57:48.342-08:002012-01-01T21:57:48.342-08:00It's a link, Bob. Click on it and peruse the ...It's a link, Bob. Click on it and peruse the splenetic prose at the other end. Professor Bunyip may be your right wing doppelganger.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-81225768061014635852012-01-01T21:44:07.395-08:002012-01-01T21:44:07.395-08:00What the fuck does that mean?What the fuck does that mean?Bob Ellishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13593615480631787011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-79684314341485117612012-01-01T18:20:37.734-08:002012-01-01T18:20:37.734-08:00Bilious
bombast meets its match<a href="http://bunyipitude.blogspot.com/2012/01/bob-and-kristin-and-david-and-ben.html" rel="nofollow">Bilious<br />bombast meets its match</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-47303753660883550122012-01-01T16:15:07.641-08:002012-01-01T16:15:07.641-08:00Because you are a wrongdoer, nickosun, who should ...Because you are a wrongdoer, nickosun, who should pay your debt to society and thus discourage other hoons from kicking cripples by moonlight as they do in A Clockwork Orange.<br /><br />No, I was joking.Bob Ellishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13593615480631787011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-78605771733013398092012-01-01T15:52:56.699-08:002012-01-01T15:52:56.699-08:00Oh, you were serious? No, I'm not sure why I w...Oh, you were serious? No, I'm not sure why I would actually provide that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-44042957974866729012012-01-01T15:43:03.873-08:002012-01-01T15:43:03.873-08:00What is your address?
Make my day.What is your address?<br /><br />Make my day.Bob Ellishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13593615480631787011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-32517574064405824632012-01-01T15:34:34.243-08:002012-01-01T15:34:34.243-08:00Accepted. Of course, the substance remains true—th...Accepted. Of course, the substance remains true—the whole thing is not a good look, n'est-ce pas?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-72316402932045426272012-01-01T15:24:01.423-08:002012-01-01T15:24:01.423-08:00Under the present regime you could probably arrest...Under the present regime you could probably arrested for that. <br /><br />I who co-wrote a hundre Shorten speeches in praise of the disabled now ask your address so I can send the wallopers round.Bob Ellishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13593615480631787011noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-21979999810846814392012-01-01T15:15:44.604-08:002012-01-01T15:15:44.604-08:00Arguing on the Internet is like competing in the S...Arguing on the Internet is like competing in the Special Olympics—even if you win, you're still a spastic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1677897272521986227.post-49197689576447312382012-01-01T14:55:34.260-08:002012-01-01T14:55:34.260-08:00After a trial run as the Beazleys and the Howards....After a trial run as the Beazleys and the Howards. <br /><br />The Williamsons' current mantra, 'We will decide what facts come out, and the circumstances in which they come,' was very successful in its original version and has been repeated.Bob Ellishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13593615480631787011noreply@blogger.com