I’m a breakfast radio producer, so I spend countless hours scouring the internet for comedy gold. I’d love to say outside work I’m decidedly offline, joyously pursuing real-world activities such as jogging, baking and not being perpetually afraid of the news. But that would be a dirty stinking lie. Nope, this 21st-century gal is hooked! And if compiling this list has taught me anything … it’s that I’ve been glued to the interwebs for quite some time.
So, in honour of my crippling decades-long addiction, let’s start with a few gems from back in the good old days of dial-up. Cue old timey modem sound!
1. Charlie and friends go to the mysterious Candy Mountain
Up first, a video that YouTube tells me is 16 years old. 16! Take that, misplaced feelings of lingering youth! It’s … Charlie the Unicorn. Remember this? My sisters and I would watch this almost daily when we were in school, quoting “shun the non-believer” loudly at my dad until he left the house. What fun.
2. Jurassic Park theme song (melodica cover)
Here’s another classic. It takes something I love (a brilliant film) and makes a mockery of it by introducing a melodica into the mix. PS: I’m aware that you’re probably already worried about my sense of humour. I hear you, but bear with me.
3. RIP the people’s poet
I absolutely adore Rik Mayall. He’s one of a group of British comedians who very much formed my sense of humour: Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Laurie … you get the gist. In this clip, we see a young Rik Mayall performing his poem – Theatre – to a live audience. I love seeing the evolution of the Rik character as time progresses: you can watch here for another rendition of the same performance. RIP the people’s poet.
This is a review of Dan Brown’s book, Inferno, written in the style of Dan Brown. It’s cruel, unnecessarily bitchy and fucking wonderful. Favourite lines include: “The critics said his writing was clumsy, ungrammatical, repetitive and repetitive.” “Renowned author Dan Brown smiled, the ends of his mouth curving upwards in a physical expression of pleasure.” If you haven’t read any Dan Brown and, therefore, don’t get the references, I envy you.
5. Liza Minnelli tries to turn off a lamp
Every list of online comedy gold needs a solid, yet overly long SNL sketch in the mix. It’s the rule. So for mine, I’ve gone with Kristen Wiig’s bewilderingly funny Liza Minnelli Tries to Turns Off a Lamp.
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6. W.U.G.
Chris Fleming is an American comedian and actor. He’s done a whole bunch of stuff online, and I adore it all. But Wildly Unlikable Guy is particularly brilliant. It makes me feel less bad about some of the conversations I’ve had at parties (which really is saying something, because I feel bad about most conversations I’ve had at parties).
7. Never say no to Panda
I like it when typically “good” things are naughty. Doggos tearing up entire sofas. A small child running with a knife. Never say no to Panda was a series of commercials for Arab Dairy’s Panda Cheese. They feature a giant, friendly-looking panda who cuts sick when people (politely) opt not to use his brand of cheese. Here are a few of my favourites from the campaign.
8. Shooting Stars
OK, I’ll be honest … I watch a lot of AFL memes (particularly those on the Carlton Memes Instagram account, and particularly after we’ve won a game). But last season, a player named Tom Hawkins was pushed on ground and put a little too much sauce on the fall, if you catch my drift. Almost instantly this video popped up online. And for whatever reason, it hit a funny bone and I’ve been chuckling at it ever since.
9. Rejected lyrics to HBO’s Succession theme
Demi Adejuyigbe is a brilliant comedian, who I first discovered online thanks to his hugely successful September video clips. He truly set a new bar for exceptional online content. This clip is far more lo-fi, but just as brilliant. Fair warning: once you watch the video, you won’t be able to stop singing this song, and it will ruin Succession for you. But I still think it’s worth it.
10. Men and tampons … in a perfect world!
Finally, I want to leave you with Men and tampons, by Watson. Watson was a comedy trio I was a part of for some years. And I know what you’re thinking … she’s just tooting her own horn here! First of all, I’m insulted that you’re even thinking about my horn, let alone me tooting it! But really, Adam McKenzie and Liam Ryan are two of the funniest people around, and I love watching them do their thing.
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Tegan Higginbotham is a comedian and screenwriter who executive produces Triple M’s Marty Sheargold Show. She is also a contestant on Big Backyard Quiz, a gameshow premiering on SBS and NITV on Saturday 13 July at 7.30pm, during Naidoc Week