THERE were comparisons with the character Animal from The Muppet Show when Agro was first fashioned as a puppet, but the cheeky character created by Jamie Dunn took the puppetry to a different level with Agro’s hilarious references to a hand up his back and his lifeless legs and arms.
With that irreverence Agro could get away with almost anything. It is a brand of humour sorely missed on television these days.
“Yes Animal looks a lot like me, or let’s do the real thing, I look a lot like Animal,” Agro said.
“It took me years to work out whether I was a male or a female, but these days it doesn’t matter. I can actually compete in the Olympics in the women’s javelin.
“It is a funny time. Just have a look at the cost blowouts and everything they are building and knocking down this and we need a bigger stadium there. I don’t know about the woke campaign. I don’t know, it’s all changed. I prefer the old days.
“There is so much going on. I’d love to be on television now.
“As for the Muppets, most of them are Premiers now. Whoever the muppet was that closed down East Brisbane State School and shifted it to Coorparoo to make the stadium bigger, what a clever person that is.
“Seriously, at the cost of the Olympics, do you think you’d put that into hospitals and schools? No, let’s tear a school down. Come on, please.”
Well, it’s good to see nothing has changed in Agro’s world, with that uninhibited, witty humour and sarcasm.
Agro first appeared on television screens around the country on Boris’ Breakfast Club and Wombat more than 40 years ago before hosting Agro's Cartoon Connection from 1989 to 1997.
“I’m all grown up. I am 43 years old. The beauty of being a puppet is you don’t age physically. All my co-hosts, all of those beautiful young blonde ladies, their skin doesn’t fit anymore.”
Only Agro could get away with lines like that these days.
“Well, it’s an adult show and there won’t be any children at the Civic Centre. It’s just a good night. But if you’ve seen any of the outtakes that are on YouTube from the television show I did before I realised that they were going to invent YouTube, you know what you’re in for.
“The outtakes on YouTube had four and a half million hits. Where do you get an audience like that overnight? Back in the day I used to perform to 100 people and thought I was doing great, but the way technology is now, you say something stupid and you’ve got a million hits straight away.”
Agro shares the stage with Ranger Stacey who appeared on Agro’s Cartoon Connection.
“I am looking forward to it. She is the loveliest person ever. And if she thinks it is going to be an easy night, look out.”
The Agro Up Late show is back for two venues in southeast Queensland, Ipswich and Redlands, after those shows were cancelled due to illness. That was an unlucky break after Agro’s big return to the stage, and a welcome escape from the suitcase he is stored in to get out on a national tour in 2022.
“I remember doing shows during COVID and the audience had to be four or five feet apart.
“I don’t really have to wear a mask because I don’t have any nostrils.”
Returning to Ipswich is familiar territory for Jamie Dunn who started out as a drummer and regularly played at Teen Scene which was housed in Ipswich’s old ten pin bowling alley.
Asked if he would let Dunn take the spotlight at the show Agro said it was not likely any of Dunn’s fans would be there.
“No, we’re not letting walking frames in,” he said.
“I’m happy to let Mr Dunn have the spotlight. In fact, the show is several different stages, Ranger Stacey does a piece by herself to the audience, then she brings Mr Dunn on, interviews him like there’s no tomorrow asking the hard questions and then there’s a few clips and videos from behind the scenes and then I do a piece.
“Mr Dunn has specifically hired a guy – and it’s worth coming to the show just to see this – at the end of the night, a man will come on stage and help Mr Dunn back to his feet to stand up in front of the audience. He can get down to do an Agro show, he just can’t get up again.”
§ Agro Up Late comes to the Ipswich Civic Centre on September 22.
