Rottofest 2014, the sixth annual weekend festival of comedy, film and music on Rottnest Island curated by Vulture Culture has announced its best line-up yet, with over 25 comedy performers and 12 music acts set to perform across five venues on the island with an exciting new opening comedy gala on Friday 19th September through to Sunday 21st.

In a time of festivals galore, what makes Rottofest so special is that it’s the perfect festival for music and comedy fans alike, including comedy talents such as Chappelle show writer Donnell Rawlings, our very own John Safran, Troy Kinne host and creator of the new 7mate comedy sketch show “Kinne” and musical talents Andy Bull, Coin Banks, Panama and New Navy just to name a few. To celebrate Rotto Fest’s six event we asked some of the performer on the line up to nominate what they believe to be ‘the funniest song of all time’.

Andy Bull

Musician
“Well, I’ve probably written some unintentionally laughable stuff in my time, but let me think. My mind has gone to that scene in Boogie Nights where a washed up Dirk Diggler is recording ‘The Touch’ from Transformers. Or maybe Arrested Development is good for this; i.e. Gob Bluth’s ‘Business Model’ appearing to ‘Solid As A Rock’ (which sounds a lot like ‘Solid As Iraq’), or his magic routine to The Final Countdown.

I guess it’s all about context, because the melodrama and earnestness of the music is so at odds with the desperation and banality it’s scoring. Another TV show, of course, is The Office; David Brent’s Americana guitar songs are pretty spot on (Cadillacs, pretty girls, cowboys crying etc…), as is his use of Tina Turner’s ‘Simply The Best’ in his motivational seminar. Oh, which brings me to Bowie’s song in Extras… ‘”Pathetic little fat man/ No one’s bloody laughing/The clown that no one laughs at/They all just wish he’d die”…. perfect”

Clare Hooper

Comedian
“My funniest song has to be Guru Josh’s ‘Infinity’.

It’s not just because of the saxophone, although saxophone generally makes a song funnier.
I remembered this song just the other day. I said to my old man, Wade, “hey, wouldn’t it be funny if every time I walked on stage I played Guru Josh’s ‘Infinity’?”He didn’t get it because he DIDN’T KNOW THE SONG. How can you have lived through the 90s and missed that? And how could I marry a person who had?

I played it to him immediately and shit it’s funny. Every four bars you get to say, ‘It’s about to get EVEN better’. And it sure does.

Here’s a mental health tip for you: If you’re ever feeling a bit down, go for a drive with it ready on the stereo. When you pull up at a traffic light, wind down your windows and crank the Guru Josh to an unapologetic volume. No matter what, keep facing straight ahead with a neutral expression as pedestrians turn to stare and wonder to themselves ‘what does this amazing moment mean?’

It means it’s the 1990s, and it’s time for the Guru.”

Coin Banks

Musician
“Funniest song? Beastie Boys – ‘Netty’s Girl’. I remember when I first heard this song, I was still in primary school and it had me on the floor laughing. I probably listened to this another 20 times before my mum burst into my room and told me turn that noise off! Ha.

I cant really explain why its funny for other than the obvious reasons. I love the dialogue in the song – ‘kick, pop, pow! boomin system up top and in the back’. I love the little q-tip cameo in the clip too. I think this was probably around the time they recorded ‘Get It Together'”.

Sean Conway

Comedian
“I recently had the opportunity to gig with Comedy Legend Chris Franklin. We were performing at Settlers Tavern in Margaret River and the following night in Geraldton. It was a long drive and I’d burnt out the conversation with Chris a couple of hours into the drive, so we drove in silence. I was lucky enough to borrow my mum’s car, because mine wasn’t up for the long trip. I had to really focus on the drive as we were on some pretty rough roads going up the coast.

I didnt notice Chris going through my mum’s CD collection, with Susan Boyle, The Sunny Cowgirls, and Keith Urban. Chris must have thought he was in the car with Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs. So Chris decides to put in an unmarked CD and cranks the volume, and out of the speakers comes the party starting vocals of the one and only Cher. Before I got the opportunity to explain that this is my mum’s car, Chris in his husky brute voice belts out ‘If I Could Turn Back Time”. It would have sent chills down Jimmy Barnes spine. I lost it, I had to pull the car over and wipe the tears from my eyes I was laughing so hard.

The next four hours was one of the Greatest Tributes to Cher that two straight men could have produced. With the volume set to 11, we had Surfers and Fisherman over taking us, not sure what they were witnessing, but they loved what they saw. To this day, I don’t know what those people thought, but I like to think they were asking themselves ‘Do You Believe in Life after Love’? and after this road trip, I can honestly say….sure why not.”

New Navy

Musician
This song is by no means universally funny but for me it brings back funny memories. When we first moved to the big smoke of Sydney about six years ago we moved into a house in Redfern that was proportionate to our financial status at the time. In other words, it was a hole and was infested with fleas.

We would always try to catch and crush the fleas between our fingers. However, we came to learn that fleas don’t crush easy, as no matter how hard we tried, when we released the pressure, the flea would always spring right out of your fingers and back to its family within the crevices of the lounge. Anyway, the Fantasy Black Channel [by Late Of The Pier] album was on high rotation in our house at the time and for us, the wobbly synth hook in The Bears are Coming often synced up perfectly as the voice of the flea as it fled from captivity. It was as if it was laughing at our pitiful attempts to defeat them. “Nice try ya big dumb human. Enjoy the eggs I just laid in your bed… cackle, cackle, cackle.”

Troy Kinne

Comedian
‘Medium Pace’ by Adam Sandler, because it’s absolutely ridiculous.

Dayne Rathbone

Comedian
“Ok I will tell you about the funniest song ever! It was when me and Ivan [old school friend] were in grade 6 and the old music teacher Mrs Barnard played the piano and taught us to all different songs. The once song was called ‘Let the River Run’ by Carly Simon but me and Ivan changed all the words to rude ones and called it ‘Let the River Cum’.

Because the whole class was singing it the teacher couldnt hear the rude words so me and Ivan tried to see who was the bravest one and who tried to sing it the loudest. But then the song goes:
It’s asking for the taking
Trembling, shaking
Oh, my heart is aching

And Ivan screamed “Oh, my dick is aching” too loud and Mrs Barnard heard it and she stopped playing the piano and shouted at me and Ivan. Then she started crying and just left us there. We didn’t know what happened but later the the principal came and told us that her husband died.”

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