The Cave #9

Welcome to the Easter edition of The Cave.

You want hot cross buns? We’ve got Katy Perry in space. Fancy some chocolate? How about a take on whether the dullness of the election campaign is actually a good thing. A delicious lamb roast? Nah, read about punching up in comedy instead.

Happy long weekend!

Comms

Nailing the perfect line 

We’ve all been there. The moment arrives, we strive for the perfect line…and we fall short. 

But very occasionally, when the sun is out, the sky is blue, and all is right with the world, you nail it.

Enter Rory McIlroy. After eleven years of waiting to complete a historic grand slam, McIlroy sunk a putt in a sudden death playoff to win golf’s Masters and achieve his lifelong dream. His line to friends? "I gotta go get a Green Jacket." Instantly iconic.

Others, not so much.

Having completed the first all-female space flight in more than 60 years, celebrities including Katy Perry and Lauren Sánchez returned to Earth to be met by the world’s media. 

Perry: "I feel super connected to love."

Sanchez: “I had to come back. I wanted to come back. I’m getting married. [The alternative] would be a bummer for me”.

(The alternative presumably being a choice between the cold, ceaseless emptiness of space and a fiery end on the way up or down).

This is not to pass judgement, but to demonstrate how truly difficult it is to find the perfect words. After all, even Neil Armstrong’s timeless quote was apparently prepared in advance. 

It’s all indicative of a modern media environment where authenticity is valued above all, but the tiniest mistake will be dissected in detail. 

There’s no perfect solution here - no amount of media training can teach someone to be genuine, and authenticity is inherently imperfect. 

So perhaps, in the age of endless AI-powered, smooth-edged adequacy, we should proudly embrace being wonderfully, uniquely flawed - whether returning from space, achieving our lifelong dreams, or simply attempting to communicate an important message.

The alternative would be a bummer.

Culture

Punching at the right angle

The White Lotus star, Aimee Lou Wood, this week crticised SNL for a sketch in which Sarah Sherman appeared in prosthetic teeth to mock her appearance as  “mean and unfunny”.

The ensuing furore once again raised the question of what is appropriate humour, and the concept of punching up and down. It comes hot on the heels of a similar debate following Ryanair’s clapback to a bald passenger.

There’s no point trying to define the rules of comedy here, but it’s probably worth saying Wood didn’t deserve such treatment (although the painfully dull third season of The White Lotus surely did).

It’s a difficult time for making people laugh. 

Award-winning Australian comedian, Alice Fraser, cancelled a trip to the US over fears she could be stopped at the border due to previous jokes about the Trump administration.

At the other end of the spectrum, Chris Lilley is attempting a comeback via a subscription podcast, although unsurprisingly they’ll be no Jonah from Tonga or Ja'mie King.

The idea of punching up has obvious merit, but when the perpetrators often have thinner skin than victims (looking at a certain US President) the rules are upended, or at least ignored.

Calculating exactly what angle to punch at to be funny and relevant, while avoiding being cancelled or ridiculed (or deported, we guess) is both tougher and more important than ever.

When the world seems so consistently dark, a little lightness is essential. Just not about teeth. Or baldness. Or the leader of the free world. 

We just hope Katy Perry isn't on that list.

(Campaign) Curiosities 

Pedestrian is a privilege

We’re not going to complain about the campaign this week, because it turns out there’s plenty of people doing that for us.

Step forward Greg Sheridan (“This is the worst election campaign I’ve ever seen”), Ross Gittins (“This election is one of the worst I’ve seen”), and The Guardian’s First Dog on the Moon (“Is this the worst most boring election campaign ever?”). 

They all offer somewhat varied takes on the same theme - that against a backdrop of global angst, technological revolution, and social fracture, the two major parties have retreated to uninspiring retail politics designed to offend as few people as possible.

The premise is undoubtedly fair, and you’d be hard pressed to find someone who has been inspired and uplifted by the last three weeks. Last night’s debate only underpinned the point.

But… 

A forgettable campaign isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, to be pedestrian may well be a huge privilege. A largely transactional election is surely preferable to a poll where the future of the nation is on the line - we only need to glance across the Pacific to see that.  

That’s not to say there aren’t more dangerous structural issues at play here, but for now, perhaps we should count ourselves lucky to be able to bask in glorious indifference.

P.S. Six weeks ago we discussed the return of diss tracks and speculated how long it would be before brands got on board. But we were wrong. It’s so, so much worse.