John Safran ProfileComedy has always been a contentious topic. What elicits a hearty guffaw from one person might not even raise the slightest of chuckles from another.
Start trying to work out the best of comedy, and you're in for a few troubles. Add music to the mix, and it's effectively a Herculean effort which is bound to upset a few folks along the way.
However, for 34 years, that's exactly what the ARIA Awards were trying to do.
From their very first edition of the Awards back in 1987 until 2020, the annual event would give out the honour of Best Comedy Release to the artistic mirthmakers who managed to put out what was deemed to be the best comedic effort of the previous year.
Not all of these releases were musical, of course. In fact, over the 34 years the Award existed, only a comparative handful of songs were nominated (with the rest all being albums or an occasional EP), and never did any of them take out the top honour.
It's an interesting category to look into, however. Rodney Rude holds the record of most nominations, with nine, though he never added a trophy to his shelf.
Likewise, John Clarke, The 12th Man, and Tony Martin and Mick Molloy from Martin/Molloy hold the record for most wins, with three each, though Martin and Molloy were also members of The D-Generation, who took out the honour in 1990.
Want to go even deeper? Tripod are the only act to have received two nominations in the same year, but sadly neither About An Hour Of Song-In-An-Hour... Again nor Live: Fegh Maha would win in 2004. (They did, however, emerge victorious with Middleborough Rd the year after.)
This year, the ARIA Awards celebrate their 40th anniversary, and while the Best Comedy Release is no longer part of the ceremony, we've decided to take a look back at the near-two dozen tracks that managed to stand out from the rest and nab themselves a nomination in this dearly-departed category.
(A quick note before we get down to it, it's difficult to say with certainty in some cases whether an album or a single nabbed the nomination in instances where they share the same name. Likewise, the 1988 nominations are largely lost, so one or two might be missing.)
Austen Tayshus – The Pope Down Under (1987)
Lost To: Kevin "Bloody" Wilson – Kev's Back
Nominated under the name Do The Pope, the actual name of this one is officially titled The Pope Down Under, and was penned in response to Pope John Paul II's Australian visit from 1986.
Arriving just a few years after Tayshus topped the local charts with Australiana, it's a quaint piece of musical history which recalls the hysteria that captured the local populace in the mid-'80s, and wraps it up in a catchy little cut which urges its listeners to partake in the dance craze that's sweeping the nation as they 'Do The Pope'.
Austen Tayshus – Highway Corroboree (1989)
Lost To: The Comedy Company – The Comedy Company Album
The '80s were clearly a prolific period for Tayshus who – two years after his first ARIA nomination – was back for another round. That first ceremony in 1987 saw John Farnham take out six awards from the nominations thanks to his Whispering Jack album, so perhaps Tayshus was hoping to ride those coattails with his Whispering Joke album?
Released just days prior to Australia's bicentennial celebrations in 1988, Highway Corroboree was lifted from Whispering Joke as its lead single and was a well-intentioned response to the injustices suffered by the country's Indigenous population. In hindsight, the notion of Tayshus darkening his skin and performing a caricature of a First Nations individual doesn't sit well, but 15 years ago, Tayshus still defended it as "the best thing I’ve done".
"There was a shift in attitude right across Australia," he told The Australian. "Everyone knew something about the Aboriginal people, and for the first time in our history it wasn’t hip to deny the injustice; you’d look like a hillbilly.”
Con The Fruiterer – A Cuppla Days (1989)
Lost To: The Comedy Company – The Comedy Company Album
If anyone needs a reminder of how popular The Comedy Company was in the late '80s, look no further than this category. The Ian McFadyen-created series premiered in 1988, with its popularity assured almost immediately thanks in part to characters like Con The Fruiterer from Mark Mitchell.
Though inspired by Mitchell's experiences being served by Greek Australian stall holders at a market, the Con The Fruiterer character was designed to serve as further representation for Australia's growing immigrant subculture, albeit with a comedic focus.
The character took hold, and catchphrases like "bewdiful", "doesn't madda", and "a cuppla days" caught on, with the latter inspiring a single which managed to crack the Australian top 50. As did the next entry…
Kylie Mole – So Excellent/I Go I Go (1989)
Lost To: The Comedy Company – The Comedy Company Album
Like Con The Fruiterer, Mary-Anne Fahey's Kylie Mole character was a local pop culture sensation. Though Fahey was in her early 30s at the time, she adopted the guise of a stereotypical '80s teenager, with Mole's scowling façade, jaded disposition, and somewhat bogan aesthetic making her a crowd pleaser across the board.
Released as the lead single from The Comedy Company Album, the dance number So Excellent was named for one of Mole's signature catchphrases (as was the B-side I Go I Go), and though it doesn't quite hold up today (it's still quite fun, though it wouldn't top the charts), it's a fascinating little glimpse of just how much of a hold characters like Kylie Mole had upon the country at the end of the '80s.
Interestingly, much like Con The Fruiterer's A Cuppla Days, Kylie Mole's So Excellent and I Go I Go actually appeared on the album that won the 1989 Best Comedy Release, The Comedy Company's fittingly-titled The Comedy Company Album.
So while they might not have won outright, they can at least bask in some reflected glory as part of the reason for the win.
Rubbery Figures – Recession Rap (1992)
Lost To: John Clarke & Bryan Dawe – The Annual Report
Explaining Recession Rap to a younger generation is a difficult one, but at the time, it all made perfect sense.
Initially premiering in the mid-'80s, Rubbery Figures was – as its name hints at – a series featuring rubber puppets which satirically portrayed a number of political figures. After its cancellation, the series was revived as part of Channel Seven's Fast Forward, which was one of the most popular comedy series of the era.
Coinciding with a time in which comedic and novelty rap songs were all the rage, the recession of the early '90s – later dubbed "the recession we had to have" by then-Treasurer, soon-to-be-Prime Minister Paul Keating – was captured in a topical piece of music which was undoubtedly helped along by its music video.
With a lyric such as "We know things are tough/the economy’s up the duff/but we really don’t give a stuff/don’t you know," it was a relevant one at the time of its creation, though the economy slowly started its recovery just months after its release, leading to a swift loss in topicality soon after.
Needless to say, few look back on this one as "the single we had to have".
Norman Gunston featuring Effie – Amigos Para Siempre/Venereal Girl (Tribute To Madonna) (1993)
Lost To: Various Artists – The Money Or The Gun: Stairways To Heaven
In the '70s and '80s, Garry McDonald's Norman Gunston character was one of the most iconic local creations, with his status as one of the first satirical celebrity interviewers making him a household name. By the early '90s, however, The Little Aussie Bleeder was all but done, though a brief revival brought with it one last single.
Teaming up with Mary Coustas's character of Effie from Acropolis Now, the pair turned their sights towards José Carreras and Sarah Brightman's Andrew Lloyd Webber-penned Amigos Para Siempre, which had been the official song of the 1992 Olympics.
Paired with a tribute to Madonna dubbed, uh, Venereal Girl on the B-side, the track was a popular one, hit No. 27 on the charts, and even saw the pair appear on Hey Hey It's Saturday's Red Faces segment. However, the chances of most folks being able to hum a bar of this one in 2026 are a tad slim.
Andrew Denton & The Cast Of Live And Sweaty – I Don't Care As Long As We Beat New Zealand (1993)
Lost To: Various Artists – The Money Or The Gun: Stairways To Heaven
One issue faced by comedy releases at events like the ARIAs is their lack of topicality by the time the ceremony comes around. While Norman Gunston and Effie had the benefit of parodying a very well-known song, when Andrew Denton and the cast of Live And Sweaty offered up their own original song, it was never destined for longevity.
Parodying the trans-Tasman rivalry between Australia and New Zealand ahead of the 1992 Olympics, Denton's patriotic number was a rallying cry for local sporting prowess, and the track itself hit No. 38 on the charts.
The 1993 ARIA Awards took place months after the topicality of I Don't Care As Long As We Beat New Zealand had waned, though for those keeping score at home Australia took home 27 medals at the Games, and New Zealand took home ten.
Sadly, Live And Sweaty didn't take home anything for the trophy case, though the 1993 winner was Stairways To Heaven, a compilation of covers of the Led Zeppelin track from The Money Or The Gun, which was a program Denton wrote and presented. So it wasn't a total loss for him.
The Vaughans – Who Farted? (1996)
Lost To: Martin/Molloy – The Brown Album
Arguably one of the most divisive songs to ever make the ARIA Singles chart (reaching a respectable, though regretful No. 43), in another life, The Vaughans might have been venerated as respected songwriters, though you couldn't tell from Who Farted?
The lead single from their aptly-titled Krap Rap album, the track is an ode to flatulence and exists to try and answer the titular question.
Though largely forgotten these days, The Vaughans' brief legacy lives on thanks to having also hit No. 54 on triple j's Hottest 100 countdown for 1995, and for this song – fittingly – appearing on VHS releases of Dumb And Dumber.
Austen Tayshus – I'm Jacques Chirac (And I Don't Give A...!) (1996)
Lost To: Martin/Molloy – The Brown Album
A bit of a history lesson is needed for this one, because most would likely have trouble remembering the controversy of late 1995 when – a year before the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty was to be signed – then-French President Jacques Chirac decided it was time to run a series of nuclear tests at Moruroa in French Polynesia.
Public reaction – especially in Australia – was palpable, and folks like Austen Tayshus got in on the action with tracks like I'm Jacques Chirac (And I Don't Give A...!), including such hard-hitting lines as "I'm Jacques Chirac and I'm the best/I have these bombs that I have to test."
Fittingly, for further satire on the topic of the Moruroa, refer to the track Viva La France on the 1996 winner for Best Comedy Release, Martin/Molloy's The Brown Album.
Surprisingly, Tayshus' song isn't on YouTube, so please enjoy Martin/Molloy's acceptance speech from the ceremony:
Silverpram – Frogstamp (1996)
Lost To: Martin/Molloy – The Brown Album
Remember Silverchair? Back in the mid-'90s, they were quite a notable band. Alright, we're being a tad facetious there. But in the mid-'90s, Silverchair were indeed everywhere, both locally and internationally, and it's hard to understate just how impressed people were with the group's musical prowess despite their young age.
Others were critical of the trio which some had dubbed 'Nirvana In Pyjamas', and this was no more evident than in the Frogstamp EP from SIlverpram. Another musical alias of Nine Inch Richards (whose Nine Inch Nails parody, Closer To Hogs, had arrived the same year), the lead cut was dubbed Tomorrow, much like the Silverchair original.
However, the conceit of the track was that it was a song by a very young group (hence the name Silverpram and their faux-childlike vocals), and thus, the lead lyric was "I turn four tomorrow." It's not exactly the most cerebral of tracks, and given Silverchair's enduring success once they shook off the notions they were only popular due to their youth, it's clear who really won this battle.
Incidentally, neither Silverpram nor Silverchair won the ARIA Awards they were in contention for in 1996, though Silverchair were given the Outstanding Achievement Award, and had taken home five the year prior. To date, they're the band with the most ARIAs to their name, with 21.
John Safran – Not The Sunscreen Song (1998)
Lost To: Paul McDermott – Unplugged: The Good News Week Tapes Volume 1
Before he was a staple of SBS, triple j, and local bookshelves, John Safran cut his teeth as one of the most iconic members of the ABC's Race Around The World. After being disqualified and attempting a proper foray into the television world, Safran also offered up his parody of Baz Luhrmann's UK chart topper, Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen).
Employing the vocal talents of Nick Disbray, the single features unconventional life advice and controversial statements, including "Learn how to smoke Winnie Blues. If you're under aged, get an older kid to buy them for you," and "Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when you're knee-capped by a loan shark".
Surprisingly, it hit No. 20 on the charts, though diehards were probably hoping for more material from Safran's earlier group, Raspberry Cordial.
(Incidentally, this writer's South Australian origins also means they're unable to confirm or deny whether Safran's statement of "Never live in Adelaide, it's a hole" actually rings true.)
Pauline Pantsdown – I Don't Like It (1999)
Lost To: Martin/Molloy – Eat Your Peas
When Australian satirist Pauline Pantsdown became embroiled in scandal after the real Pauline Hanson demanded the track I’m A Back Door Man be taken off the triple j airwaves, it became clear the fight was far from over.
While the original song was simply designed as something of a throwaway song designed to promote a club night in Sydney, its popularity and the subsequent controversy drew attention to Simon Hunt's Pantsdown character, and a musical response was crafted.
I Don't Like It was far safer in the eyes of the lawyers, and was designed to mock Hanson's disdain for musical mockery. The track ended up peaking at No. 10, and was paired with a music video which parodied Hanson's policies and beliefs.
Sadly, Pantsdown's political ambitions also fell by the wayside in 1998, or else this could have been the first song up for an ARIA by a sitting Australian Senator.
Merrick & Rosso And The Echuca Moama Sound Machine – Teenage Mullet Fury (1999)
Lost To: Martin/Molloy – Eat Your Peas
For some reason, the Best Comedy Release category really seemed to resonate with the mullet. So did the comedic duo of Merrick Watts and Tim 'Rosso' Ross, who – just a couple of years after they first came together as a performing unit – offered up their one and only single, Teenage Mullet Fury.
Channelling the sultry energy of Billy Idol in the verses before going all out with the chorus, lines like "long and short, it's a no-win situation" made this one a bit of a popular cut over on triple j, where the pair would end up hosting the Breakfast slot for two years after its release.
Though the track (released with the short-lived The Echuca Moama Sound Machine) would fail to take home the gold, Merrick & Rosso emerged victorious a few years later when their From Us To Youse compilation won the category in 2003.
Chris Franklin – Bloke (2000)
Lost To: Guido Hatzis – Do Not Talk Over Me
Almost two-and-a-half years after Meredith Brooks' Bitch was named the Most Performed Foreign Work at the 1998 APRA Music Awards, the 2000 ARIA Awards put Chris Franklin's parody of the song up as one of the year's best comedy releases.
Having previously spent two weeks at No. 1, Franklin's debut single was a localised take on the subject matter, espousing the popularity of beer, footy, and cricket amongst the country's male population.
Though it's a little misogynistic at times, we'd like to believe that's also one of the concepts being parodied by Franklin as he paints a picture of the titular Australian Bloke.
The 12th Man – Bruce 2000 (2001)
Lost To: Guido Hatzis – Whatever...
Unlike the 1992 Olympics which saw a number of tracks recorded and released to coincide with the games, three-time Best Comedy Release winner The 12th Man took a novel approach of releasing a track after the games as something of a highlight reel.
While typical releases from The 12th Man saw Billy Birmingham focus his work on the world of cricket, Bruce 2000 was a "special" tribute to sporting commentator Bruce McAvaney and his coverage of the 2000 Olympic Games.
The track performed very well, hit No. 5 on the charts, and was even certified Gold. Sadly, it didn't translate to gold at the ARIA Awards.
Chris Franklin – Mullet Head (2001)
Lost To: Guido Hatzis – Whatever...
By 2001, Chris Franklin had – by his own admission – begun to lose a little bit of steam. But that didn't stop him having a bit of fun. Emboldened by the success of cuts like Bloke, he decided to turn his attention to a local favourite.
That favourite was Gimme Head, a raunchy number by Sydney rockers The Radiators, who he enlisted for a remade version of the cut all about the mullet hairstyle.
Dubbed Mullet Head, the track didn't exactly set the world alight, though like the hairstyle, Franklin mixed business with pleasure as he tried to ensure we all had a good time while the crucial message of mulletry was front and centre. (Alright, maybe that's a stretch, but the single also came with the original version of Gimme Head, which was worth the price of admission alone.)
The Drugs – The Bold & The Beautiful (2002)
Lost To: The 12th Man – The Final Dig?
One year after their The Only Way Is Up EP was nominated in the Best Comedy Release category, Sydney outfit The Drugs scored their second nomination with The Bold & The Beautiful, their playful ode to the long-running soap of the same name.
The track hit No. 38 in the annual Hottest 100 countdown, and was a surprise hit on the likes of Rage and even Rove Live – where the group performed the track with actor and musician Ronn Moss.
Though designed as a pop/rock mash-up which made fun of the ridiculous storylines on the show, there's something surprisingly heartfelt about a line such as "I've never known a love deeper or greater than taping each episode to watch again later."
The Umbilical Brothers – Don't Dance To This (2002)
Lost To: The 12th Man – The Final Dig?
Typically regarded as physical comedians, The Umbilical Brothers were more than a decade into their career when – in 2002 – they decided to offer up their one and only single, Don't Dance To This.
A poppy, bass-heavy critique of club culture, it's peppered with the duo's famed sound effects and paired with a video which aims to contextualise the comedic message of the track.
Ultimately, it was a rather forgettable foray for the pair. Not due to their lack of musical talent or anything, but rather because they quickly proved that DVDs of their performances were far more lucrative and successful than an attempt to offer a novelty single.
Reg Reagan And The Knucklemen – Am I Ever Gonna See The Biff Again? (2004)
Lost To: Scared Weird Little Guys – Bits And Pieces
When rugby league player Matthew Johns launched his entertainment career by adopting his Reg Reagan character, few could have known how far it would go. A satire of the '70s-era rugby fan, the beer-swilling, mustache-sporting, Winnie Red-smoking Reagan was also noted for his T-shirt, which urged rugby to "Bring Back The Biff" as it hid his sizeable gut.
Clearly tired of a game which had lost its bite, Reagan would find himself making plenty of appearances in the media, including as a recording star. Parodying The Angels' Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again?, it seemed as though Am I Ever Gonna See The Biff Again? transcended states and football codes, ultimately peaking at No. 11 on the national charts.
It was an all-star affair, too, complete with members of Rose Tattoo, The Angels, Mondo Rock, The Party Boys, The La De Das, and GANGgajang comprising Reagan's backing band, The Knucklemen.
Ja'mie – Learning To Be Me (2014)
Lost To: Buddy Goode – It's A Buddy Goode Christmas
When Chris Lilley's Ja'mie King character scored an ARIA nomination in 2014, it had been a few years since the character had debuted and garnered widespread popularity, having first made an appearance on Lilley's We Can Be Heroes in 2005, and hitting the mainstream with Summer Heights High two years later.
Likewise, it was the first time one of Lilley's cuts had been nominated for Best Comedy Release – which is interesting given he had released a few well-received singles in that time, including Naughty Girl by Mr. G, which hit No. 7 in 2007.
His then-latest series, Ja'mie: Private School Girl, didn't quite have the same response as his previous shows, and in fact, the heartfelt Learning To Be Me became his first single to not impact the charts.
Bondi Hipsters – Fuhck The Bahnks (2015)
Lost To: Matt Okine – Live At The Enmore Theatre
Nicholas Boshier and Christiaan Van Vuuren's characters of Adrian "Aids" Archer and Dom Nader found fame as the Bondi Hipsters in the early 2010s, resonating in an era in which millennial optimism was still high, and making a mockery of hipster culture was still seen as somewhat relevant.
One of their more memorable efforts was the single Fuhck The Bahnks, which offered up a conspiratorial take on global finance and capitalism and filtered it through Dom and Aids' humorous, slightly pretentious personas. It resonated with the general populace, though one would wonder if it might have clocked a few more sales had they not included a line claiming "I download all my shit for free"?
Though the underlying message of the track still resonates years down the line, the Bondi Hipsters personas have aged less well, and they don't quite draw the same laughs as they once did. It's a product of its time, though a catchy one, nonetheless.
Kate Miller-Heidke – I'm Growing A Beard Downstairs For Christmas (feat. The Beards) (2016)
Lost To: Roy & HG – This Sporting Life
It might be a controversial statement to make, but there simply aren't enough Christmas songs about pubic hair. At least that's what Kate Miller-Heidke and Adelaide outfit The Beards seemed to believe when they came together in 2015 for the single I'm Growing A Beard Downstairs For Christmas.
The title alone can probably tell you everything you need to know about it, but the pairing of these two accomplished artists was the sort of recipe fans of both had never expected to receive.
Of course, this wasn't just a simple piece of gratuitous comedy designed to mock Christmas carols and pair it with themes of pubic hair. Rather, it was released to coincide with Decembeard – a fundraising campaign designed to garner some dollars for Bowel Cancer Australia.
Though there were never too many charity songs that cracked the Best Comedy Release category over the years, this was likely one of the more deserving ones that got overlooked.
Megan Washington – Just Jesus (feat. Chris Ryan) (2020)
Lost To: Anne Edmonds – What's Wrong With You
By the time that Megan Washington was nominated for what would become the final Best Comedy Release category, she was already a two-time ARIA Award winner, having taken out Best Female Artist and Breakthrough Artist – Release off the back of I Believe You Liar in 2010.
In fact, by the 2020 ceremony, she'd nabbed 11 nominations, and would even take out Best Cover Art that same year. However, it's likely no one expected her name to be associated with the comedy genre.
However, few also expected her to be involved in the CrossBread podcast, which emerged in 2020. Featuring Chris Bryan as Josh 'MC Cross' Burns and Washington as Joan 'Dr. Bread' Burns, the pair comprised the eponymous Christian rap duo, despite not being Christian.
The concept was wild, the songs were impressive, and the fact that Just Jesus didn't take out the final Best Comedy Release is a travesty of biblical proportions.
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
