Interview Time - As a Dodo Authors
This month I was lucky enough to meet the guys behind the infamous online blog – As A Dodo. George Poles and Simon Littlefield get a kick out of writing fictional and satirical obituaries – dedicated to the memory of life's little annoyances. They also contribute their witty words of wisdom to British comedy institutions such as Have I Got News For You and Smack The Pony. In that context here's what happened when I sat them down for some caffeine fuelled Interview Time.
As a Dodo is a bit of an online phenomenon, so I'd like to pick apart where it all started. Where did the concept come from and what was it that inspired the fictional obituaries?
George - I think it started in a pub like all good ideas. We were sitting around thinking about how we could try and really get out there and move into new areas. We'd been thinking about doing a Blog for a while. It was an idea that started with three of us actually - me, Simon and Paul Mckenzie and so we just started spit balling ideas. Nobody's done fictional obituaries.Simon - We actually started the website about 18 months ago. George frightened me into doing it. He bought the name and I wrote an obituary for David Beckham's football career - which funnily enough is back in the headlines now.
In terms of a time frame - when would you say it really took off?
Simon - Steve Irwin's death. That was pretty huge. Before that we were having 15, maybe 16 hits a day so we did an obituary for Steve Irwin, written by his mate the crocodile and suddenly we had about 1000 hits in one night, mostly from New Zealand and Australia. We got picked up by the Guardian website too which really helped. The Guardian were very kind to us actually. They mentioned us in the Guardian Guide and we got a tiny review of the book in the paper itself. We were one of the ones that weren't bad!
I personally love that you go for the jugular - with literary guns blazing, but I'm sure there are a few people out there who don't appreciate your style – so - what are the most memorable controversies - provoked by As a Dodo?
Harry Potter fans seemed to react quite a lot to us doing a piece on his death – when the book was finishing obviously – so I think that's probably the biggest one. But it's supposed to be like that - we have a go at just about everybody and that's what we're there for. It's a bit of fun and a bit of politics.
And if you were each to combat the individuals who were offended, using ten words or less, what would you say?
George – Oh for fuck's sake grow up.
Simon – I think George has said it all in six words.
Your work isn't confined to commemorating the demise of Gordon Brown's Dourness and Tom Cruise's Major Studio Deal - you also work on shows like Smack the Pony and Have I Got News For You. In terms of this TV work, who are the most outrageous and entertaining characters – you've encountered to date?
Simon – I think the most fun people are on radio and a lot of the most exciting people are behind the scenes – there's a whole range of eccentric producers and directors. I've worked with Anne Robinson which is certainly an experience. You have to admire the way she works – a show like The Weakest Link couldn't work without her. She goes out there and films three shows in a day and it's bloody hard work. Davina McCall is absolutely great too.
On the As A Dodo website there's a link to log.tv, which show cases, among other things, male prostitutes being hunted like foxes. What's the story behind this online TV project and what's your involvement with it?
Simon - Well log.tv is a new internet TV channel, with lots of very short TV programmes – we do the news log aspect of it and there's a very good team there. We do satirical news, so we're still doing satire and we get people to dress up as giant mice - which is great fun. It's nice to be visual - as well as just writing for radio and TV. That's getting a very good response and the people behind it want it to be a very fun and a very successful project
What's more fun for you guys – script writing for the TV shows or developing As a Dodo?
George – Well As A Dodo is fun but it depends on the job. I really like working on the news logs.
Simon – Yeah I think one complains about it . . .
George – One complains just a little bit about it?
Simon – The collective noun for writers is a winge, but writing is great fun. The news quiz is great – we all sit together in a room - with satirical ideas. With As A Dodo we'll ring each other a six in the morning and say we have to get this out by 9!
Are there any new obituaries in the pipeline?
Well because we've been so busy with other projects we're having a bit of a break at the minute. We'd like to have done the presidential elections, the stock market crash, the rogue trader and we've only really had a bit of time to play around with Gordon Brown's reputation. And of course Derrick Conway – that is a fabulous, fabulous story.
Imagine if you will that you have the ability to go back in time and change one pivotal moment in history. What do you change and what would be the desired outcome?
Simon – I'd like to go back to ancient Rome and see the moment when Caesar is assassinated – that would be cool. Maybe nudge the assassin's elbow.
George – Somewhere in France in 1980 for the Police Concert. I'd travel back 28 years to see one gig in France with The Police and The Beat.
Would either of you consider a career in politics?
George - No way.
Simon – The frightening thing is that we've reached that stage now where some of the people in Parliament - are the same age as us, and we know people, who know these guys. From that you can determine that these guys are just utter idiots and obviously we've been approached by all the parties – saying please go away!
George – Yeah and please stop writing satirical comedy. How about drafting speeches to make the House of Commons a bit more entertaining?
George – I wouldn't no. I feel like I'd be compromising something. I'm not sure what.If Bevin were alive I'd write speeches for him – but he'd probably be better at it himself.
I once asked Martin Bell what in his opinion had a greater impact - a career in politics or a career in journalism. He refused to answer on the grounds that he was: “Far too modest.” I'm hoping you guys are going to come down on one definite side of the fence. Politics or Journalism?
Simon – I think Politics is more influential, but it's influenced by Journalism and as long as politicians are so het up about the way they're seen - then they're handing their power over to journalists. But the Politicians actually have the power – they're the ones who can change the law – Journalists can't.
In your informed opinion, who's career is going to be finished off by the media firewall first – Britney or Amy?
Simon – Britney because she's an extraordinary slow motion, car wreck. Amy Winehouse is an extraordinary fast motion car wreck. I think people just want Amy to get better now – whereas with Britney there's this lingering and morbid fascination.
What have each of you got lined up in terms of future projects?
Simon – At the moment I just finished writing a play and I'm working on a family show which I can't divulge anything about – largely because no-one's bought it yet. As for the play it's a very pretty pretentious one hander.
George – I'm sure he's right. I'm sure it is very pretentious. Well I'm siphoning off all of George's royalties and moving abroad soon. Somewhere hot! At the moment I'm working on some screen plays and putting some film ideas together. I've started writing a thriller set in London during World War Two which is great fun to write. I got to blow up a house last week and kill several people - and then stop and have lunch. It's an idea I had a couple of years ago - it's been knocking around in my head and I thought I'd quite like to write that.
On the St Christopher's travel website we have a daily news Blog - where we mix just about everything into a daily post. What kind of comedy would you Blog to a predominantly, international backpacking audience?
George – Is there a universal humour?
Simon – I think there is and I think we do it in a way - it's Schadenfreude. There's nothing else like the shameful joy of watching somebody else's misfortunes and that's what satire is in many ways. There is joy in saying this man is a fool – let's all laugh at him. When it comes right down to it – that's what we do.
Just before we finish, what are the top five books that you'd recommend to the travellers, bored out of their skulls in airports and train stations?
- War With The News by Carol Chopeck.
- Confessions of Zeno by Italo Svevo.
- Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett.
- The Slaves of Solitude by Patrick Hamilton.
- The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse
Finally – you each get one chance to throw a cheesy, over-worked joke into one of our upcoming Podcasts. What's it going to be?
George – I can never remember jokes – I write so many but I can't actually tell any!
Simon – There's a bloke goes to a door – knocks on it and a kid answers. The kid has a balloon glass of brandy in one hand, a party hat on and a huge cigar in the other hand. This man says to the child: "I'm sorry sonny, are you're parents in." The kid replies: "I fucking hope not."
- Rob Savage
