John Clarke, An Actual Comedy Genius

Fred Dagg & the Trevors, as photographed by director Murray Reece while making Dagg's 1974 Country Calendar episode, in Whitemans Valley. From left to right: John Banas, unknown, Gary Smith (a farmer in real life), John Clarke, Michael Haigh, unknown and unknown.

It was the last year or so of the previous century and I was flying back from Sydney to home, Wellington. It's a three hour flight from wheels up to the squeal of wheels down and I had settled back into my aisle seat.

Must've been an hour into the flight when the first person came over, learnt across me and said to the fella next to me, "Just wanted to say, thanks so much for the laughs". This first person opened the floodgates and for the next 45 mins every few mins someone got up and came to the guy wanting to shake hands, say thanks, and generally praise him.

If there had been smartphones it would've been selfies galore.

After the fourth or fifth I turned, "Um, sorry to ask, are you famous?"

"I used to be on New Zealand TV a long time ago, I was a comedian."

Ah, that explained it, we chatted and he told me how he'd moved to Australia to get away from it, try new stuff, and this was one of his few (maybe only) times he'd been back, "I hate flying, terrifies me". He was going back for a reunion of some sort, hadn't seen a lot of his old mates for a while and was really looking forward to it.

All this before Google and YouTube and I had no way of looking him up so I just told my mates who were blown away, "Oh God, Fred Dagg, he was brilliant", and I got played a few of his famous songs.

I have been immersed in his work ever since, especially Fred Dagg in New Zealand and Clarke & Dawe from Australia.

For an excellent collection of NZ John Clarke check out the NZ On Screen John Clarke Collection!

Thanks John Clarke, you were a funny funny genius of a comedian - thanks for all the ongoing laughs.

Oh, and in the national museum, Te Papa, here in Wellington you can see this ...