Would that be funny?: Growing up with John Clarke
Lorin Clarke
John Clarke was best known as Fred Dagg in New Zealand and for ‘The Games’ and ‘Clarke and Dawe’ in Australia. He was a performer, actor, writer, satirist and commentator.
But he was also a father and a husband. In this delightful book, his daughter Lorin tells the story of growing up in the Clarke family: with John, her mother Helen, her little sister Lucia. This is the insider’s view of the million little things that define any family, not just its in-jokes or secret slang, but the triumphs and traumas that define generations.
In Would that be Funny? Lorin Clarke, author of the celebrated podcast The Fitzroy Diaries, brings her idyllic and nerdy childhood to life, and draws a fascinating portrait of the private man behind the household name.
INTERVIEWS and REVIEWS
3MP: Great Australian Lives
ABC Radio National: Late Night Live
ABC Radio Melbourne: Breakfast
ABC Radio Sydney: Drive (0:38:00)
ABC TV: 7:30 Report (YouTube)
Age: Eight books to read: A powerful novel from Africa and living with John Clarke
ArtsHub
Australian Tumbleweeds
Conversation
Inside Story
Monthly: On our selection: The Monthly Awards 2024 (Andrew Denton on the Audio edition)
andWould that be funny?
‘A delight: Funny, tender, warm and familiar in a singular way.’
‘This beautiful memoir honours love, grief, and riotous fun. An utter joy to read.’
‘Marvellous stuff…a memoir to be grateful for.’
‘Builds a kaleidoscopic picture of her childhood and her father…Full of tender and wacky anecdotes.’
‘Luminous… dances on the tightrope of tone that memoir demands, and succeeds with vim and lucidity. The Clarkes’ humour is polished to a fine edge, but it welcomes anyone who wants to laugh with those who dream of a juster and kinder world.’
‘Amusing, witty and honest.’
‘Would that be Funny? is both adoring and authentic, the kind of clear-eyed, open-hearted writing that’s a privilege to read. Whether you’re a lifelong fan of John Clarke or couldn’t pick him out of a line up, this book is a delight.’
‘A generous, intimate and very funny account of her dad [John Clarke] and a deeply sad story of family love and loss.’
‘A talented writer herself, she weaves this memoir of a loving and hilarious family with the story of her father’s life in New Zealand, England and Australia.’
