The Catastrophe Continues: Twenty-one Years of Interviews

John Clarke

Jan 2009 · Text Publishing

About this ebook

For twenty years, Bryan Dawe has been trying to get some sense out of John Clarke. In 1987, John and Bryan began to broadcast on radio a series of weekly interviews in which prominent and newsworthy figures spoke openly about issues of the day. This noble public service soon took to television screens, where their weekly report has brought a welcome splash of colour to the week's events for over two decades. To celebrate this milestone, Text is publishing the very best of these interviews in one volume for the first time. All the stars of the era are here- Keating, Kennett, Howard, Costello, Latham, Ruddock, Rudd. John, as the prominent or newsworthy figure, deals with matters as he sees fit. Bryan persists with dignity and strives for understanding.

About the author

John Clarke was born in Palmerston North, New Zealand, on July 29, 1948. He was a comedian and satirist. He created the persona Fred Dagg, a gumboot-wearing farmer. He was best known for his 27-year collaboration with Bryan Dawe producing weekly satirical political interviews on A Current Affair and later on 7.30 Report. He was a prolific scriptwriter and actor. He appeared in or worked on The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, Footrot Flats, Death in Brunswick, and Spotswood. He wrote several books including A Dagg at My Table, The Howard Miracle, The 7.56 Report, and The Tournament. He died on April 9, 2017 at the age of 68.