Long-haired, charismatic American comedian Tommy Dean is making his much anticipated return to Sydney Comedy Festival.
Tommy's known for hilarious TV and radio appearances all over the place. You'd have seen him everywhere – from 'Spicks And Specks' to 'Good News Week', and even scenestr's own web show 'The Blender'.
The comedian has spent a few wild years back in the land of oversized meals, flags and churches – the USA. . . And now he's back.
Before his show 'Spangled' at Sydney Comedy Festival, Tommy's gone all meta on us and has decided to list his top five list. . . Of lists!
One
The Ten Commandments. A banger of a list that still resonates to this day. Sets the template for listing, and also highlights how interpretive lists should be treated; don’t get caught up in the numbering! Your number one may be someone else’s number seven. How else can we accept Thou Shalt Not Kill at number five?!? Lead with that one so no one gets out of hand with how the rest of the list plays out!Two
The 12 Days of Christmas. This swinging ditty puts one of the nuttiest lists front and centre in the carol that demands to be sung by every Christmas choir ever, yet from the very first phrase of the song you know something isn’t right. Who in the history of ever gave their true love a partridge in a pear tree? And thus the stage is set for one of the most passive aggressive two weeks of gift bombs that ever transpired. By the time 12 drummers drumming arrive, Christmas is well and truly fracked.Three
Triple j Hottest 100. A list that made itself an institution. It started as a lark, refocused to take in a year of music, and now is one of the great days of youth; as tribes come together to listen, reflect and rock on! I arrive in Australia in 1992 and the Hottest 100 takes flight in its true form in 1994. From the weird fact that Denis Leary’s novelty song was number one that first year through to the rise of Australian acts and then onward. Even becoming a force for political change regarding Australia Day. I have aged and grown away but now my daughters listen, vote and gather with their tribe each year. The Hottest 100 is the sharpie marks on the door frame of my Australian life.Four
George Carlin’s seven words you can’t say on television. A pioneer, a visionary, perhaps as close to prophet as you can get? George Carlin was a force in stand-up comedy. His seven words routine is a triumph of writing and observation while also encompassing the righteous underpinnings of conservative America. While some of the pillars have fallen, it is still a pretty complete list that broadcasting still fights over to this day.Five
The Bill Of Rights. People get hung up on the second amendment, but taken together it is one of the great documents of political forethought. Every one of them hotly debated and argued over in the 200 plus years of the USA’s existence. . . But one of the very few Americanisms that I believe Australia should really think about adopting. If you really want to get trippy, look into that ninth amendment! You can’t be 'Spangled' without it!Tommy Dean plays Factory Theatre (Sydney Comedy Festival) 17 and 19 May.
