Swing in public mood shocks jock
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday August 8, 2009
KYLE SANDILANDS is the Malcolm Turnbull of entertainment. Turnbull is the Sandilands of politics. Both are so on the nose they are perceived to taint any brand they are associated with, which makes it impossible for them to perform their functions (Opposition Leader and shock jock).Both are being held to unprecedented high standards of behaviour because both are victims of a change in national sentiment. If this was 2001, they'd be winners. But Australians are leaving this decade in a very different mood from the way they entered it.Back in 2001, a British producer named Simon Cowell helped to create a talent quest format called Pop Idol (which was soon franchised as American Idol and Australian Idol). Idol's appeal was its mixture of sadism and inspiration. Before being voted upon by viewers, would-be singers were analysed by a panel of judges who fitted three archetypes €“ the Bitchy One, the Waffly One and the Kindly One (usually a woman).Cowell was the prototype Bitchy One. In the Australian version, his clone was a music producer named Ian Dickson. Dicko's putdowns were not as witty as Cowell's, but he had a capacity for self-mockery that tempered his shredding of the contestants. Australian Idol was Australia's most watched series of 2003 €“ the same year Mark €śHeadkicker€ť Latham was riding high in the opinion polls as Opposition leader.The Waffly/Kindly/Bitchy formula was successfully repeated in a host of other TV talent quests. In 2005 Dicko left Idol, and the Bitchy One became Sandilands. He replaced Dicko's brutal humour with raw aggression. Sandilands resembles Latham (and Turnbull) in apparently having no capacity for self-criticism, but this was not a problem while TV and radio audiences enjoyed macho competitivenessNow we come to 2009, the Year of Living Lovingly. Seven weeks ago, this column quoted a perceptive reader named Wazza, who had sent in this comment about MasterChef: €śI much prefer to watch something constructive and which builds people's self-esteem rather than something that is destructive and tears people down. I'm glad they aren't going down the road of 'Game on, molls!' bitchfighting of Big Brother. That is soooo 2006.€ťPart of MasterChef's success seemed to derive from replacing the Waffly/Kindly/Bitchy judging formula with Practical/ Kindly/Eccentric. This column remarked: €śJudging by TV tastes, the economic crisis seems to have put Australians in the mood for constructive co-operation and gentle generosity. If so, this is not a good time to be Malcolm Turnbull.€ťAs it turns out, this is also not a good time to be Sandilands. The radio stunt that led to his removal from Idol €“ getting a 14-year-old to discuss her sexual experiences €“ was premised on sadism. Sandilands further failed to read the national mood when he offered excuses instead of apologies €“ just like Turnbull over revelations about Godwin Grech.Does this mean Australia now prefers Opposition leaders who do not attack and shock jocks who do not offend? Sandilands and Turnbull are entitled to ask: €śYou hired us to go in boots-and-all and suddenly everyone is wearing woollen socks. What do you want from us?€ť We might reply: €śWell, it would help if you'd just shut up for a while.€ťGo to blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare to join this discussion.
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald