Pauline Pantsdown

Simon Hunt, sometimes known as Pauline Pantsdown, is an Australian satirist and Australian Senate candidate who parodied Pauline Hanson, a controversial member of federal parliament, in 1997 and 2016.[1] His birth name was Simon Hunt, but he changed his name by deed poll so that he would appear on the electoral ballot as "Pauline Pantsdown"; he later changed back to "Simon Hunt". He is the son of David Hunt, a retired Chief Judge at Common Law of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.[2]

As Pantsdown, he is a drag queen whose taste in fashion parodies Hanson's, and is best known for the songs "Backdoor Man" and "I Don't Like It". The song "Backdoor Man" was a huge hit on the youth radio network Triple J after its release in 1997, being played almost hourly due to a massive number of requests, making it into the 1997 Hottest 100 list at number 5. However, less than a week after its release, Hanson obtained a court injunction against the song, claiming it was defamatory.[3] In September 2004, after Hanson launched a campaign for the Australian Senate, the ABC was reported to be planning a challenge to the injunction. However, after public criticism from Hanson, the ABC backed down.

Early life and activism

Born in Sydney, Hunt began playing in bands when he was 12 years old.[4]

Hunt became influenced by arts-activism work around the world as a young adult, particularly the group ACT UP.[5]

Prior to parodying Hanson, Hunt had successfully lobbied the Office of Film and Literature Classification to remove homosexuality from its list of "adult themes", and produced a parody track collage of Fred Nile's voice.[6]

In the 1990s, Hunt was a casual university teacher.[7]

Homebake appearance

The resulting controversy resulted in Pauline Pantsdown making an appearance at the 1998 Homebake live music festival, complete with apparently gay half-naked Asian dancers. He was booed and pelted with objects and later claimed "Homophobia is alive and well in Sydney".[8]

Songs
Sample of "Backdoor Man"
A 23 second sample of Pauline Pantsdown's "Backdoor Man"
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Senate run

Hunt changed his name by deed poll so that he would appear on the electoral ballot for the 1998 senate elections as "Pauline Pantsdown";[10] he later changed back to "Simon Hunt".[11] On the night of the federal election, Pantsdown performed at the Mardi Gras Sleaze Ball, and a Pauline Hanson Mardi Gras float was exploded.[12]

2010s

Pantsdown performed a remixed version of "I Don't Like It" at the 2011 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Party during Bob Downe's 'Retro-Gras' DJ set just days before Hanson announced her candidacy in the 2011 NSW state election. Pantsdown also performed a remixed version of "I Don't Like It" on Channel Seven's The Morning Show on 22 May 2012. Nearing the end of the performance, Hunt undid a rainbow-coloured button-up shirt and revealed a T-shirt with the slogan "ABBOTT is INSIDE me" written on it, with a caricature of Tony Abbott's head beneath it.[13] In an interview following his performance, he claimed that he was partly inspired by the "hurt and pain" that, in particular, the communities Hanson targeted at the time felt, and "wanted to give them an opportunity to laugh back". Kylie Gillies also noted that Hunt now lectures at a university (Media Arts, at the University of New South Wales College of Fine Arts, or COFA).

Hunt also campaigned against opera singer Tamar Iveri, who was released from a performance of Othello after making homophobic comments on social media. After Hanson won a place in the senate in 2016, Hunt considered a return as Pantsdown.[14]

Hunt maintains a Facebook page as Pauline Pantsdown, and is concentrating on the plebiscite and the Australian Christian Lobby.[15]

References

  1. ↑ Marr, David (12 May 2003). "Defamation joke". Media Watch (TV program). Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  2. ↑ Hanson stung by the peril of Pauline, by Robert Milliken, at the Independent; published 3 October 1998; retrieved 11 July 2014
  3. ↑ "Supreme Court Library Queensland". sclqld.org.au.
  4. ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/08/30/i-dont-like-it-the-pauline-pantsdown-story/ (~1.00 timestamp in the video)
  5. ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/08/30/i-dont-like-it-the-pauline-pantsdown-story/ (~1.59 timestamp in the video)
  6. 1 2 Johnson, Bruce (January 2003). "Two Paulines, Two Nations: An Australian Case Study in the Intersection of Popular Music and Politics". Popular Music and Society. 26 (1): 53–72. doi:10.1080/0300776032000076397.
  7. ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/08/30/i-dont-like-it-the-pauline-pantsdown-story/ (~4.04 timestamp in the video)
  8. ↑ "Albums by Pauline Pantsdown: Discography, songs, biography, and listening guide - Rate Your Music". rateyourmusic.com.
  9. ↑ http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/10296/20010907/www.dot.net.au/_galconv/back%20door%20man.mp3
  10. ↑ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/hanson-wins-pantsdown-song-case-1201329.html
  11. ↑ http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/08/30/i-dont-like-it-the-pauline-pantsdown-story/ (~9.10 timestamp in the video)
  12. ↑ https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/pauline-pantsdown-making-comeback-and-value-political-satire
  13. ↑ https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/pauline-pantsdown-making-comeback-and-value-political-satire
  14. ↑ http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-03/election-2016:-pauline-pantsdown-creator-considering-comeback/7565890?WT.tsrc=Facebook
  15. ↑ https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/pauline-pantsdown-making-comeback-and-value-political-satire

Pauline Pantsdown on Facebook

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