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Tim Ferguson, 25, and his fellow Canberra friends, Paul McDermott, 24, and Richard Fidler, 24, are probably the funniest trio to git Australian television in years.
But the only progressed into comedy through "a brass military cadet band which we performed in at the age of 14 - and it was the only way we could get out of waving bayonets at stuffed dummies in cadet training."
"As the years went by we lost our loathing for girls and each other and decided that comedy was the only way to go," Ferguson said.
"We started as a busking trio and told jokes between songs. But after a few months we had to go overseas as the only way to succeed in Australia is to go overseas and then come back and say how successful you were."
Ferguson finds it frustrating that DAAS had to go overseas before they received any recognition here.
"We sold out venues in London and performed really well at the Edinburgh Festival, but when we came back to Australia it was as if no one would believe us," he said.
But through the ABC's The Big Gig, hosted by Wendy Harmer, DAAS have shot to fame in rapid time.
Ferguson believes they are now famous because DAAS manipulated the public into believing they were famous and so everyone believed them.
Television can be a deceptive medium as DAAS appear to have formed for the sole purpose of fighting, drinking and robbing banks.
But over the telephone Ferguson talks quietly and rarely becomes animated in contrast to his riotous behaviour on The Big Gig.
Ferguson said they called themselves The Doug Anthony All Stars after their manager of the same name.
The problem with interviewing comedians is that you never know if they are being sarcastic or truthful.
Previous interviews with DAAS said they got the name from the former Country Party leader and one time Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Doug Anthony.
But in this interview they labelled him "a nobody" and said "despite the fact we grew up in Canberra, we know nothing about politics.
"People keep saying to us why call yourself the DAAS, and in a way that is our cross to bear - but then again we all live in a hellish world we didn't create so we will just have to put up with it," Ferguson said.
Another self-inflicted millstone they have to bear is writing a book, wittily titled Book, that people expect to be funny. Ferguson says it is influenced more by Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment than comedy.
"Their expectation of reading a comedy ruins their enjoyment of the first two chapters which are very dark and nasty," he said.
"Once they forget it is actually written by us, they will probably enjoy it - I tell people to read it from back to front."
Ferguson said they hoped to release another three books at three-monthly intervals and defended himself from accusations of exploiting their new-found fame, saying: "We started writing books well before we were doping anything else.
"People find it funny that we have written a book, but comedy is basically all about reading out loud to an audience."
Ferguson said their next book would be called The Book of the Film and would be followed by Gods and Icon.
He said they were having a lot of legal problems with Icon in "Thatcher's Britain" due to their views on the political situation in Europe and their position on church ideology.
The Doug Anthony All Stars will play at His Majesty's Theatre at 8pm today and at 6pm and 9pm tomorrow and Saturday.
"God, I was lucky to get out with my balls intact!"
No, Tim Ferguson speaks not of the death-defying stunts he performs as part of the Doug Anthony All Stars' new Airport '90 show. He refers to a speech he was commissioned to make in Melbourne recently to launch International Arts Week.
"You can imagine how humourless Arts administrators are," he says in his defence. "You know the old saying: Those who can do; Those who can't won't; and the rest administrate. Arts administrators are some of the most cheerless, hapless, bow-tied people on the planet…"
The gist of Mr Ferguson's address, for the record, was that the Arts are a complete waste of money, peopled as they are by fat singing women and drug addicts, and the money presently wasted on them should be redirected to manufacturing bullets for the impending Gulf War.
"Arts administrator: the lowest of the low, the worst of the worst…"
No malice was intended, of course. Tim was only representing his best interests. If you're a comedian, the harsh reality is that a war is far better for business than another Arts grant. Comedy booms in times of turmoil. Frankly, now that Mr Hawke has finally uttered the "R" word, The Doug Anthonies are in clover.
"You bet!" enthuses Tim (the lanky, apparently lobotomised one) "Comedians all over the country are now putting deposits on porches and houses in the country. There's nothing quite like a recession to hurl comedy into boom times. People have got to laugh. Comedy's virtually recession proof.
"Now there's a war coming up things are looking even better for comedians!
"And Bondy's going to trial, that's all good news for comedians 'cause we can write about it 'til the cows come home."
Half your luck. US print journo types have fairly strict laws forbidding that kind of behaviour… Do the Dougies run their material past legal advisors to detect contempt of court potential?
"Oh no, we sail as close as we like and if someone wants to sue us they're quite welcome to try," Tim says with just a hint of a swagger. "But on the whole I think people think the best thing to do is just leave comedians alone. It's bad publicity to go and kick the head of somebody who makes people laugh."
And make people laugh they do. This is the trio's third visit to Perth since hitting multi-media big time in 1989. Forsaking the cloistered surrounds of His Majesty's for the first time, DAAS go al fresco this time at the spectacular Quarry Amphitheatre, a "venue so good they put it underground and then dug it out again."
"Airport '90 is a huge show, it's a Boeing 747 of an evening," Tim promises. "We'll be re-enacting Peter Brooks' Mahabarata - the short version, that is. His took 45 hours which is just far too long. We'll be doing the concise Mahabarata, and of course a few scenes from the Airport films. I get to play a pregnant Barbara Cartland holding on to a liver which is headed for Idaho. Paul gets to be Charlton Heston admitting he's gay to his mother. It's extremely exciting."
Sounds like the full conceptual theatre piece, yeah?
"Oh no, no. If our concepts last more than 30 seconds they must be very good ones. No, we never hold onto anything for more than a minute maximum."
And the possibility of aircraft actually appearing on stage?
"Well, only if one's passing overhead and has an accident. We can only hope that the QANTAS fish curry will go sour and the pilot will have a fainting attack and ram a plane into the back of the quarry or something, killing the 35 skinheads who will be boycotting the venue boisterously…"
That wouldn't have anything to do with the latest DAAS press statement, would it? "Skinheads are wimps and woosies who can't get girls," it says. "Skinheads are wanker trapped in the bodies of dickheads."
It's controversial statements like that which make every DAAS gig an edge-of-seat (or at the Quarry, edge-of-esky) experience.
Not content with filling that hole on the ground two nights running the All Stars will also do an in-store appearance at Brash's in Murray Street at 2pm Saturday. And Sunday they'll be taking the streets in Hay Street Mall to draw attention to a worthy cause:
"The basic theme is 'Bondy Is Innocent, The Dingo Did It'," Tim explains. "We invite anybody and everybody to join us at the top of the mall and march with us.
"I hope they don't make a martyr of Bondy," he adds with a quavering voice. "The man's been sweating blood for this country for years now. I think it's very unfair - or maybe he should kill himself! The only good martyr is a dead martyr…
"It's Herscu that I really feel sorry for," he adds as I attempt to replace the receiver. "Gives a couple of dollars to a slightly overweight and balding Queensland mate of the Premier's and look what happens! I mean, we sent a few grand to Russ Hinze ourselves! There's no bloody justice…"
They met as three young children in the Paris Military Embassy - one the son of a rich and powerful man, the other two from poverty-stricken backgrounds.
In the Pigalle, among the whorehouses ad sex shops, they busked during the day when all the sleaze dens were closed.
When their parents went back to Australia, they too returned, keeping up their busking and later forming a teenage punk band in Canberra.
Paul McDermott, Richard Fidler and Tim Ferguson - better known as The Doug Anthony Allstars - could never be called boring or lukewarm.
Gearing up for a five-night season at His Majesty's Theatre in early October, the Allstars have notched up considerable marks on their punkified belts since they were last in Perth in 1987.
Familiar faces on Two's The Big Gig, the brawling trio have since starred in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and returned with a reputation and a half.
One particular incident reportedly had them inciting a Scottish crowd into a credit card burning frenzy, while a few libel suits and a couple of counts of assault are also on the rumour mill.
The Paris stint, according to Allstar Tim Ferguson, is totally true, although sorting out what is and what isn't as the rest of the interview progresses is a task in itself - but an enjoyable one.
Interspersed with second hand marriage proposals from Tim's German flatmate, Gunter (who wants an Australian woman so he can stay in the country), and constant interruptions and four-letter words, this interview, I can truthfully say, is one of my most bizarre yet.
"Let it be said that none of us have room in our lives for romance," says Tim.
He reveals that he's been dying to tell me this as that's what all the stars say when interviewed by "TV type mags".
The Allstars are bringing an all-girl Melbourne comedy trio, The Fat Sluts from Belfast, who Tim describes as "wild and malicious", along with them to Perth.
"Mind you, they're comedians, which we like.
"We hate actors and truly believe that all of them should be taken out and shot.
"Last time we were in Perth, we noticed how economically boring and creatively troubled the city was
"Obviously the place has got too many actors."
Tim admits that the Allstars occasionally tend to get a little over-excited.
"We all make mistakes - I've punched people in the head - who hasn't?
"In Edinburgh we tried to pick a fight and got all the English and Irish stirred up
"Sometimes people try to drag us to court but they find nobody wants to be a witness."
Describing the Allstars' brand of humour as "autonomous", Tim admits that at times it may seem violent, malicious, hypocritical and ill-thought-out "on the surface".
"But underneath, we put in a great deal of thought," he stressed.
The comedy trio took its name from manager, 70's comedian Doug Anthony, who has also written material for Edna Everidge and Garry McDonald.
"We scooped him up and called ourselves after him just for the hell of it," said Tim.
"The story we tell on how we met up with Doug varies depending on how many pharmaceuticals we've taken at the time."
Allstars fanatics will be pleased to hear that the boys are putting their thoughts on paper soon to release a book, simply entitled Book.
According to Tim, it's based on the writings of Antonin Attaud and his Theatre of Cruelty concept of the innocent being tortured by ruinous forces.
"It's not a funny book - it's dark and brooding," he admitted.
The Doug Anthony Allstars are presently doing the second series for The Big Gig which Tim believes will just keep "going and going and going."
They will also be heading overseas again to ply their considerable humour.
According to Tim, the English find them refreshing while Americans find the frightening yet exhilarating.
"Australian comedy is different from either English or American," he said.
"It's harder, dryer and far more cynical and sceptical.
"By the way, don't forget to tell your readers that we have no room in our lives for romance - Paul will like that."
Now they've got their own television show and will be in Perth this week for their Hell No We Won't Go national tour.
The Allstars spit in the faces of those that love them - and those that don't.
They insult icons, savage sacred cows and verbally vilify anyone or anything that appeals to their wicked wit.
And they spin the most fantastic yarns - seemingly tall, whim-inspired tales, but on closer inspection they're just telling it how it is, or how they perceive it to be.
The Doug Anthony Allstars are a chaotically comical crew, three sons of Canberra beaurocrats who took to busking on the clinical streets of our national capital and ended up as stars.
It's been four years since they were spotted at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival, an event which led to their appearance on the London comedy television show, Friday Night Live and later their own BBC show, Blam.
That prompted Wendy Harmer to sign them up for The Big Gig and now they're getting their own show on the ABC - DAAS Kapital.
DAAS Kapital is a seven-part sci-fi boasting the Allstars usual combination of filth, violence and high arts.
The series is expected to go to air in June and will feature animation and clay-mation devised by DAAS, as well as new Japanese video techniques.
Dark Side
Allstar Tim Ferguson describes the show as a journey into the dark side of the human psyche.
"It's based on old Mary Tyler Moore scripts as well as other American comedy scripts we've managed to get our hands on because they're out-of-date," he said.
"We've taken various characterisations from the shows and changed the impetus of roles to get a different orientation."
But DAAS Kapital will not be the only project taking up their time this year.
After their current tour, the Allstars will be heading for Europe to make a second series of Blam for the BBC and to perform at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival for the fifth time.
They will also be working on a follow-up to their debut album, Icon, as well as a sequel to their book, Book.
Ferguson said the year would be busy, but the Allstars thrived on diversification.
"With the 90s opening up, it looks like there will be even greater opportunities to do more work in different areas," he said.
"We're also interested in getting into medicine by investing in chemical plants in Germany.
"Richard is a bit of a biochemist and we're looking at doing our own research into pain-killing drugs - similar to aspirin."
It all sounds a bit of a gig!