“You mustn't judge Australia by the Australians.”
―Dame Edna Everage
Do we even need another book on the histories and cultures of Australia?
Well, no. We don't. And we especially don't need another one from the likes of me, a Jesus-loving hello boys rock star from outer space with high hair.
Just kidding. I'm not really Richard. Although I once was, for a while. In the tradition of Doing a Barry.
As a tradition, Doing a Barry is uniquely Australian. Can you imagine an Englishman in a dress?
And it's also about being a beautiful soul of the 21st century enlightenment who's prepared to walk a mile in another man's stilettos.
Come to Australia and you'll see it everywhere. And not just in parliament. Drop in on any end-of-season piss-up in any small country town and if you've got your trousers on you'll find yourself the odd man out. Because when those boys hit the bathroom before a big night, their wives don't get a look-in.
Which brings us to this book.
Because to get a gig as a contributor on any of our books on the histories and cultures of the world, skills and experience in Doing a Barry are essential. In other words, if you cannot get yourself into characters as far apart on our cultural spectrum as are our Tony "Borders" Abbott ...
... and our Clementine "No" Ford ...
... then we can't use you. Because our books are about histories and cultures in the plural, not the singular. And they rise or fall depending on how good we can be at escaping our own contexts.
So, love or leave "that", girls!
Oh.
I cracked that joke just now to set myself up for some image or other of Aussie Rules footballers dressed as women. And then I entered into my browser the text "Aussie Rules footballers dressed as women" and ... oops! I forgot. Aussie Rules footballers include women, now.
And with that and various other cultural features we boast here in Oz already hinted at, we are off and running on the histories and cultures of … Australia. G'day.
We actually do say "g'day" sometimes. But more and more as we go along I'm hearing people say "hey" instead. Like Americans.
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