Smearing the Greens — a side-splitting comedy routine from Matthew Hooton
STAND UP COMIC Matthew Hooton — he works part-time as a political commentator — had me howling, breathless with laughter at his latest comedy routine on RadioLIVE earlier in the week.
Under the deeply ironic title of ‘The Political Panel’, talkback radio hosts Willie Jackson and John Tamihere sometimes give a platform to budding comedians like Matthew Hooton to try out their untested gaglines (you know: I *think* this is funny but what do you reckon?)
In conversation with Willie & JT and guest leftie Matt McCarten, here’s Matthew Hooton trying out his farcical mock smearing of the NZ Green Party and its leader Russel Norman.
Listen for Matthew’s rollicking and riotous gags …
Like: Russel Norman is not just a Communist but a ‘Trotskyite’, a ‘committed Marxist Leninist’ who came to New Zealand, has ‘infiltrated’ the Greens and hijacked the party, taking it over to make it look mainstream through ‘tremendous discipline’ while remaining true to his secret Leninist principles.
Hooton also riffs that Greenpeace headquarters in Amsterdam co-ordinates the entire Green movement globally! {snort!} He says not enough credit has been given to Norman for the ‘long term, committed, dedicated, almost fanatical way he has infiltrated and taken over the Green brand’. …Priceless!
Listen here:
Matthew Hooton and Matt McCarten on Willie & JT Radio LIVE MP3 file here (5:30 2.5 MB)
— courtesy of RadioLIVE 6 October 2011 (You can listen to audio of the last 7 days on RadioLIVE.co.nz.)
We’ve discussed Matthew Hooton before (see ‘With one swift blow, Kate knocked the wind out of the duplicitous toady …‘). I found his outrageously transparent spin/routine really funny. He’s got a bright future in stand up comedy, in my opinion. The Billy T James of NZ political commentary?
Willie Jackson’s thigh-slapping take-down (“right wing fascist mongrels like you”) is entertaining too!
I find Willie & JT's 'Political Panel' on RadioLIVE *really* entertaining. Which one is Matthew? (pic: flickr CaitruinaM- click)
– P
I tried – but gave up listening. It wasnt funny at all.
Lets never forget that the left wing arose out of exploitation and oppression for very good reasons.
In my view the Greens arent left wing – many of their policies (as i understand them) arent good economic sense (people have to eat and have a job while crapping on their composting toilets) – and Russel Norman seems a very genuine guy who is extremely intelligent and makes a lot of sense when he is interviewed. Yep – he “normalises” the Greens – and i think thats cool by me.
That radio session was depressing. I hope kids dont listen to it – they would begin to question the validity of adulthood and adults presuming to lead the way for the next generation.
And the taxpayer bailed out the parent of this radio station – for this bullshit. And dont get me on the subject of how the taxpayer funded Platinum fund of NZ on air funds those highly paid Key ass-kissers on The Nation and “Holmes and Eh?”
The Parent company of that radio station is now technically a state owned asset – can we sell that off?? I mean a cheap comedic radio station should be worth something to someone? Would Stevie Joyce agree to that. After all he isnt that interested in a growing Oil Slick off the Tauranga coastline is he??
So, not to your taste, Ivan? Never mind. I laughed like a drain. – P
Nah Pete – not to my taste mate … i read your post as slightly derogatory toward the broadcast and not in favour of it. It was cheap and sort of offhand (the broadcast) – to me – and to think people actually got paid for that mindless bullshit.
Back to the equally (equally when compared to a certain privately owned media group) taxpayer funded concert programme – at least i only have to suffer a little bit of elitist poncy bullshit from Eva Radich before the music really gets good.
I found that broadcast depressing Pete – to think the fate of western civilisation ends up in the hands of such people. Gods help us.
“I found that broadcast depressing Pete”
I know what you mean. The head-bashing partisanship is kinda awful.
Nevertheless, I was entertained/gobsmacked by Hooton’s deliberate, elaborately-languaged spin/smear of the Greens and Norman as a “highly disciplined Marxist Leninist Trotskyite infiltrator” dishonestly posing as a Green (portraying the Greens as mere puppets of the Amsterdam Greenpeace HQ).
I don’t know Matthew, he may sincerely believe those patently ludicrous statements and feel it’s his mission to warn voters of the (implied) communist conspiracy … but it seemed like an act to me. Does he expect listeners to buy the BS? Dunno.
It was good, entertaining radio, from my point of view. (No accounting for taste.) I heard it in the car — I really did laugh out loud … and I don’t think it was just because of the sniggers and derision of the other ‘panel’ members.
– P
Pete i know and have met, people who believe that bullshit and they listen to it pre the action of belief.
I really have – and they live near you – in pubs, clubs, supermarkets and places you would not dream of.
And they vote.
Among them are the intelligent people .. who say “but he is a money man he has to have the answers …”
Unfortunately many of those people pete who say that – are the ones with enough money to not suffer through the aftermath.
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