Harry Connick Jr. Clashes with Blackface Jackson Family on Aussie TV
Apparently enough time had elapsed since Michael Jackson's death that a cheeky comic tribute to him and the Jackson 5 seemed in good taste. At least it seemed that way a troupe of Aussie TV performers, who rounded out last night's performance as the "Jackson Jive" in full-on blackface. The crowd ate it up, but an American judge who knew better ground the show to a halt until somebody apologized. Video after the jump.
It wasn't supposed to be like this for Harry Connick Jr. or the iconic Aussie variety series Hey Hey It's Saturday, for whom the midweek show represented a much-anticipated reunion special. But there they were: The Jackson Jive, all Afro wigs and black face paint, led by their late superstar brother, Michael, done up with a pasty clown visage and aviator sunglasses. Not cool, said Connick: "If they turned up looking like that in the United States, it'd be like Hey Hey There's No More Show," the crooner spat, giving the group a score of zero in the episode's mock-talent competition. (The Aussie judge beside him was much more forgiving, allowing for a smile and a 7.)
The host brought Connick -- who'd appeared on the show before -- back out after the break for an official mea culpa: "I know that to your countrymen, that's an insult to have a blackface routine like that on the show, so I do apologize." Connick thanked him, adding, "I know it was done humorously, but we've spent so much time trying to not make black people look like buffoons, that when we see something like that, we take it really to heart." As if this weren't the year two-thousand-and-freaking-nine. "If I knew that was going to be part of the show, I probably - I definitely - wouldn't have done it."
Our Aussie moles tipped us to the full video below, but feel free to skip ahead to 2:15 if cringeworthy ethnic tone-deafness is NSFW, or if you just want Connick's priceless reaction, or both.
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Comments
I'd like to see how many of you would be outraged if it were black people painting their faces white. Oh wait, none of you would be, because it's ok to be racist against whites.
Go and wring your PC hands a bit more wanker !
Great skit - Even funnier is the response from America. More face paint for all. GET A LIFE and stop living in the past!
It's so sad that when some fools look at a person, they see the color of their skin as something other than just the color of their skin.
Ben, who apparently comes to this site everyday (lucky bastard!), we haven't all used Google to find this, A Herald Sun article linked me to it, flog.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/world-covers-hey-hey-its-saturdays-red-face-over-blackface-jackson-jive-skit/story-e6frf96f-1225784091474
The indigenous Australians were not brought to Australia as slaves. Just because they are dark skinned does not automatically qualify them to be likened to African Americans. A comparison to American Indigenous would be far more fitting. Please stop USING Australian Indigenous to prop up self serving weak argument debate. THAT IS RACIST.
And please America, stop trying to RUN THE WORLD.
Ex American (indigenous)
Jack,whether or not the skit was racist I don't really care,there was no harm intended so I think not.
But you are one of quite a few people here bagging Australians as racist for the treatment of Aboriginals & I like to point a few things out.
Every year billions of our tax dollars go to trying to improve the lot of these people,we put university places,jobs,TAFE positions(community college) aside specificly for Aboriginals.All government forms ask whether you are of aboriginal decent so you can be treated in a culturally sensitive way.
We build houses,medical centres,schools in the middle of no where to try and improve their lot.
It is their choice to destroy these facilities as they do
It is their choice to never clean their homes that are built for them
It is their choice to live where there is no work & never will be
It is their choice to abuse alcohol,do drugs, sniff petrol
It is their choice to beat their wives & sexually abuse their children
It is their choice to allow their children to skip school & remain uneducated.
We try & give them the every opportunity to be a success & give their children better lives but they refuse to help themselves,so why are their personal choices used to brand our nation as racist.
WOW! So that was Harry Connick Jr playing Robert Downey Jr. playing a black man! He SHOULD have won the Academy Award!!
Just for the record, of the 6 performers, 2 were Indian and 1 was Lebanese. They are all in the medical profession. It was a skit that was not racist but merely poor judgement. Today's society wont tolerate this humour any more, even though it was rammed down my throat as comedy as I grew up. If it was meant to be racist they would have put primitive bones through there noses - see the difference.
Actually the joke was that MJ is now white. You don't even get it.
I'm embarrassed as an Australian by the clip, by Darryl Somers' comment that 'overseas', 'some people' might find it offensive, and further embarassed (but not surprised) by the thin-skinned whining from other Australians suggesting that those offended should 'get over it'.
International readers please note - Australia is still recovering from 12 years popular rule by our most racist Prime Minister in history (John Howard) who set up a policy of locking up legitimate refugees (including children) in desert concentration camps, ostensibly as a deterrent to other refugees but more directly as a dog-whistle vote puller to get the most bigoted and conservative morons in this country to revote him back in during each election. Our longest lasting national magazine, The Bulletin, had AUSTRALIA FOR THE WHITE MAN emblazoned on its masthead until well into the 1960's. Recently our current Prime Minister and other politicians have dashed to India in damage control mode to retain a multi-billion dollar Indian student investment after the media there decided that repeated bashings of young Indian students by white gangs in this country might not be a good thing. A large number of Australians are bewildered by anything more culturally complex than Australian Rules football and reassuring TV commercials that play jingoistic jingles back at us over shots of happy white families smiling at the camera.
On top of all that, Australians dimly think that all the above is great, and that a bunch of talentless dudes prancing around in blackface in front of an American musician who had numerous African-American musical peers die in the waters of New Orleans is 'just a bit of fun'. All the Australians who think that Connick Jr overreacted should put together a fund to appear together with those dancing idiots from the clip onstage live at the Apollo and see how well it goes down with the audiences there.
Final note to international readers. If you want to really make some of the clueless Aussies here irate, post your detailed comments and then simply write the line AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE, OI OI OI! at the end of it. It's a national moron's sporting chant down here and its repeated use will surely and justifiably annoy Australian readers, hopefully reminding them what figures of mirth they are to readers elsewhere who have long since abandoned the notion of ocker crassness as something to be proud of.
The most offensive thing I can think of is to be called racist by an American. A few points:-
America contributed significantly to the black/white race issues by importing the Africans to be slaves
The Ku Klux Klan emanated from America and there are still white people in America running around with sheets over their heads
The White Australia policy was nothing compared to the segregationist policies of the U.S. As far as I know Australia has never had black only locations, simply because of colour. Yes, we have had black bars in the north but that has been based on the koorie intolerance to alcohol and the subsequent behaviour. I know I have never seen a coloured person asked to ride in the back of the bus.
I have yet to hear of a black Australian being killed simply because of his or her colour
America exported the 'blacking up' acts like the black and white minstrel shows all over the world. If they cringe because it is still seen then surely that is their cringe factor not anybody else's
America also exported the Jackson Five and Michael Jackson all over the world.
In both cases Americans made a lot of money from selling these acts to all other parts of the world, including Australia
This skit was never intended as a slur on any race, colour or creed. It was simply intended as a send up of an entertainment group that has been parodied the world over. The members of which continue, even after the death of their most famous member, to provide further fuel to continue being parodied with.
While Harry may well have found it offensive that is his interpretation and his alone. He needs to assess the act on its intentions not on his interpretations and experiences from his life in another world separate from ours.
I'm based in Melbourne and what Liz and Timmy above stated is absolutely true--nobody thought this skit would offend anyone.
The segment is called 'Red Faces' that had been part of "Hey Hey It's Saturday" for many years, similar to the type of acts appeared on "The Gong Show" in the US in the 1970s and early 80s, (with acts that were just as politically correct), Cate Blanchett got her start as a contestant on "Red Faces", a clip of her performance was shown before this act last night.
The second Harry mentioned he was offended was the second everyone realised that something like this could offend someone--we've never had racism in Australian television and probably the only other incident similar to this was with Bert Newton and Muhammad Ali on the 1979 Logie Awards (it's sure to be on YouTube) -- Bert Newton for years on live variety shows used to do commercials for KFC dressed as Col. Sanders and speaking like Foghorn Leghorn -- he'd always thank the host of the tonight show by saying "I like the boy!" It became one of his trademark sayings and he would use the 'I like the boy' line in general conversation, if someone said something complimentary about him.
On the night of the Logie Awards, Muhammad Ali said to Bert, who was hosting the show, that it was likely he was going to win the 'Gold Logie' and joking said that it when people know who's going to win that it would be a shock, meaning he had it in the bag.
Bert, knowing this said conspiratorily "Ahh, I like the boy...." -- and you don't say this to Muhammad Ali....and live....
"Wait a minute, did you say 'roy' or 'boy'? Who are you calling 'boy'?" Muhammad asked, with the audience, including guest Florence Henderson, frantically caling out "Roy! Roy!" in order to save Bert being pulverized on live television. "I like the boy--what's wrong with saying that? I like the man!" Bert went on, fearing for his life "Hey I'll do anything, I'll change religion for you!" he said trying to apologise. Everyone to this day is pretty sure Muhammad knew it was an honest mistake and no harm was ever meant.
That incident has gone down into Australian television legend down here and what happened last night was the only time since then such an issue has come up and cause this much controversy. It wasn't meant to offend anybody but I fear this will become something of a lightning rod down here on Australian television from now on.
Leaving the politics and history of Australia's Aboriginal population and how it's totally okay to wear blackface there, could we focus on the actual issue here?
The show invited Harry Connick Jr, a man raised in New Orleans and heavily invested in their jazz scene, to judge a show. And then, apparently with total disregard to the ABSOLUTELY OBVIOUS cultural background of their guest, the producers sprung a MINSTREL SHOW on him. He's not piping up about something he just saw on TV and got snitty about and decided to elbow in with his American opinion, they invited him! Not only that, but he had no idea this was coming until it was happening and he was already on TV.
Can none of you Aussies see how this is a problem? They blindsided a Southern man with a minstrel show! Of COURSE he had to say something about it afterwards -- he wasn't given a choice about participating in that situation, and he certainly wouldn't have been there had he known about the blackface nature of the routine. This is the equivalent of throwing a surprise bullfight for a Hindu, or serving veal to a vegetarian. It's that level of vomit-inducing taboo. That the producers didn't realize Connick would react this way (and believe me, he is being restrained) is astounding.
Couldn't care less about Aussie talent shows, but if you're going to invite someone from a different culture to judge, don't get your noses bent out of shape when he sees the act through the prism of his culture.
Yeah, but have you ever had a black president?
AHHH, got you on that one, didn't I??
Yeah, but 20 years ago, did they ask a Southern jazz musician to be on the panel?
I believe that they didn't think this was racist, but it's incredible that no one put together that springing a minstrel routine on a man from New Orleans is a hideously bad idea.
Connick clearly had no idea that blackface was even a possibility on this show, why would he? But I'm not surprised that he felt the need to explain his reaction; it must have been a huge shock to suddenly find himself associated with a blackface skit.
Thorne
Heres another Australian expression.
Fuck off you wanker!!
BTW, I'd like to welcome the pommey bastards to God's own Earth, and remind them that we don't like stuck-up sticky-beaks here.
Yes, enjoy the moment America. Like a mother who smugly watches another child hanging out of a trolley pulling cans off the shelves.
It was a regrettable incident and it was a monumental blunder for the producers not to pull it from the show, but it was more an act of extraordinary ignorance rather than racism.
Until recently, Australia has had no strong history of African migration. So cultural sensitivity of this kind is not something which has had to be practiced. But this is no excuse, they should have known better, and it's an embarrassment to all those involved.
OLDTOWNTAVERN, the children who were taken during the stolen generations were not forced to work as 'free help'. They were raised by the state, church institutions or foster families. It should also be mentioned that many of these children were rescued from truly horrendous conditions, and that many were given up by their families for a chance at a better life.
Attempting to link this with America's slave history is utterly ridiculous.
Your article is wrong.
First of all as everyone else has said - the apology wasn't issued straight away.
What on earth is it with Americans that make them think they are so innocent. Robert Downey Jr. was 'black' in Tropic Thunder and the American people love it - as soon as some Australians do it and you guys all have a sook.
Just ridiculous. Australia is a multi-cultural society, we don't have the same racism issues as America does because we are a tolerant bunch of people.
a television show called 'hey hey it's saturday' that screens midweek? that's always going to be a little behind the times!
AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE OI OI OI!
First up let me applaud Mr Connicks conviction here. You don't see that level of conviction today from world stars who are worried about upsetting anyone. However, that being said, I find it amusing reading all the American replies in this thread which are trying to justify how Australia is so racist though overlooking the fact that they have ongoing problems still.
Sure you have a black president. Personally I cried that the majority of the American public voted in a black president. Well done America!But to use this as some illustration of how American's have turned their society around is a joke. I've lost count this year alone of how many news accounts of some new right wing group seeking to assassinate Obama because his black.
Some here have tried to justify how Tropic Thunder was perfectly okay and was totally different to the Black face skit. NO ITS NOT. Its actually rather funny that people are trying to explain that its different. LISTEN UP PEOPLE, your not fooling anyone!
Oh and can some American please post up a site where it outlines an official apology made to black Americans for all the past wrongs to them? I'm still trying to find it....
The issue that you have discovered is that Australians are not as raciest as Americans.
You see here we don’t pretend not to be raciest so we can be seen as saints. While some racism does exist, most Australians would have found the skit funny, not because the participants had blacked their faces but because it was a comedic take of a well known act.
If you asked most Australians was it in bad taste, they would probably tell you a little because it was so close after Michael’s passing.
So what you are saying is in the USA you could do a funny skit imitating a band from the past as long as the band wasn’t African American or Mexican or Women or …! what about Russian or English or even Australian is that OK.
You see here in Australia we are not that raciest as to think we are actually putting someone down because we imitate their look while doing a comedy act.
What is raciest is where supposed comedians like Michael Richards refers to his African American countrymen using an offensive term. I would have been the first to leave that performance.
Don’t be misguided most Australians had the utmost respect for Michael and his brothers (though we ain’t so keen on the father), And the guys doing the skit would not have been doing it to make fun of someones race.
But you tell me how would you do a comedic skit of a band who’s members are African American. I mean if you don’t black your face are you obviously avoiding the issue and would still offend someone. So maybe you just avoid the issue and pick a white band to do a comedic routine about. You see in Australia that decision would be a raciest one. You just ruled someone out because of their skin colour.
So I suppose in Australia we might have to modify our behavior until raciest country’s like USA catch up.
Regards Tim
Considering one of the chief protectors of the Aborigines had a policy to "breed out the color". I'm not sure it's so far fetched.
And I doubt, the Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd would give a four minute apology for a good cause that saved children.
“For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry...To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry. And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.”
So Australia and America aren't friends anymore? such a sickening hatefest going on here. The whole "but you did this" and "you guys did that" however many years ago is ridiculous and this is why the world can't move forward past anything.
"Australians are racist!" - Not any of the Australians I know, "Americans are racist!" - Not any of the Americans I know.
These guys were impersonating the Jackson Five because they are a famous musical group, not because they are black, just the same as if someone puts on huge sideburns and glittery suits to impersonate Elvis. I don't believe they were being racist any more than I believe Harry Conick was implying we are a racist nation.
Grow up the lot of you.
Australia had segreation until the late 1960's aboriginals were required to live on the missions (which were black only locations) and had to get permission to live outside from the government, they also had to get permission to take their children with them because the government had legal custody of all aboriginal children not their parents (there are many proven instances of denail to give permission for parents to leave the mission to visit their children in the hospitial).
Indigenous Austrlains were not given citizenship and counted in the census until 1967!
Before that legally they were not people in Australia.
As for Australia not having a history of slavery, we do.
After the american civil war and slaverys abolishement in America and the offical condemnation of slavery by the British the pacific islanders were taken from their islands on what were called 'work contracts' they told they would be returned home in 5 years and paid for working on the Queensland banana and sugar cane planations. The Kanakers as they were known were never returned or paid. I tried to find a link for people to find out more but Australias ignorance and cover up of it shamful past is complete all i could find was a refernce to 'forced migration' of the islanders.
If Australia was a country where every thing was equal there would not be such a huge difference in the life expectancy, infant moratality rate and literacy rates between Indigenous and none indigenous Australians.
Yes the performers of the skit honsetly didnt mean to offend, but that is the problem that they are so naive that they done recognise the inequalities and casual racism that occur everyday in Australia.
Yes Kevin Rudd apologised, but that apology does not fix the legacy that the stolen generation gave the Indugenous Australians.
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