The Fence-Painting Fortnight of Destiny: A memoir by Meshel Laurie

Author:Meshel Laurie
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: BIO000000, book
ISBN: 9781743435250
Publisher: Allen & Unwin Australia
Published: 2013-08-31T14:00:00+00:00

Linda Haggar and Fahey Younger in the background—together they are ‘Miss Itchy’. Me assisting Kim Hope in the foreground, backstage in the Melbourne Town Hall during Comedy Festival 1998. (Photograph—Peter Milne, courtesy of M.33, Melbourne.)

Corinne and I were professionally produced by Token Productions, which was a very big deal. Token was actually two guys, Kevin Whyte and Angus Bell, who sat in a room in Fitzroy, using old doors as desks, establishing Australia’s first artist management agency catering specifically to comedians. These two were in their early twenties, but were already managing the careers of the superstars of the day in Greg Fleet, Anthony Morgan, Sue-Ann Post and Judith Lucy, who were not only substantially older, but also had personalities I’ll describe politely as ‘larger than life’.

Token was a gutsy crew and everyone wanted to be associated with them. Since arriving in Melbourne, I’d had somewhat of a dream run. I’d put together some good jokes during my fourteen months in Brisbane, so while everyone thought of me as brand-new, I actually had some experience behind me and stood out from the newbie pack. I was starting to pull some great gigs and Token was throwing a lot of work my way—including a two-week support spot with Judith Lucy, which was amazing.

I was thrilled when Token offered to produce a show for me, and let me choose my co-star. I’d seen Corinne perform a few times, and thought her guitar would come in handy, so Angus came to The Espy one Sunday to check her out, and it was on.

Not for the last time, I did myself a mischief by assuming I knew what would happen next. I thought that by festival’s end, I’d be the newest and youngest member of the Token family, that my name would join that illustrious list of talent, and my photo would be Blu-Tacked to the Fitzroy wall alongside theirs. None of that happened. By festival’s end Wil Anderson and Corinne Grant’s photos were on the wall, and I was back on the outside looking in for the next few years.

I must have been an arsehole during that season of ‘Dairy Belles’. I don’t remember being one, and I just couldn’t bear to ask anyone directly, but I must’ve been to have been passed over like that. It was an incredibly painful lesson in what happens when I count my chickens before they’ve hatched. I wish I could say I learnt my lesson, but I’ve had to learn it so many painful times since then that it’s just embarrassing.

Over the next two years Rove, Hughesy, Merrick and Rosso, and Peter Helliar joined Wil and Corinne on the Token wall, and on the line-ups of the best gigs in Australia. They started pushing into television as hosts, where comedians had previously existed only as writers and guests, and radio was paying attention too. They were also making some real money. I was so broke I used to walk home from The Espy with my eyes glued to the ground, hoping to spot some change with which to buy dinner.

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