DAAS Kapital
Encyclopedia
DAAS Kapital was an Australia
n television comedy
series written and performed by comedy
trio the Doug Anthony All Stars
. The show starred Paul McDermott
, Tim Ferguson
and Richard Fidler
, along with Flacco
, Michael Petroni
, Bob Downe and Khym Lam.
The first season of seven episodes was broadcast on Australia's ABC
network in 1991. Despite poor critical reviews, a second series was produced and went to air on the ABC in 1992. The title is a reference to Karl Marx
's economic treatise Das Kapital
.
that relied heavily on a variety show
format. For example, in each scripted episode, there would be cutaways to television shows—typically Shitsu Tonka News, Troy The Invincible and Wayne Kerr—along with guest appearances by Flacco
, Bob
, Bob Downe and stop motion
animation sequences, along with one or two songs performed by The Doug Anthony Allstars.
The stories themselves usually consisted of very loose ideas—Cinderella
/Alice in Wonderland based stories—which would feature all the above segments strung together with very quick jokes and stories told by the Allstars.
The show itself takes place in the year 2006 as the All Stars (Tim Ferguson
, Paul McDermott
and Richard Fidler
) are placed in a submarine with all the world's artwork and treasures and their "assignment is to catalogue history." Some time later they become lost, their whereabouts unknown and their existence is denied by the Shitsu Tonka Corp.
In the final episode of season 1, it becomes apparent that Shitsu Tonka deliberately sabotaged the ship, placing Richard on board as a robot implanted with a bomb. He was to self-destruct and completely destroy history. Instead, the blast propelled the submarine into space, providing an opportunity for more sci-fi based storylines and parodies in the show's second season. In the final episode of this season, the ship returns to the ocean.
.
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n television comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
series written and performed by comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
trio the Doug Anthony All Stars
Doug Anthony All Stars
The Doug Anthony All Stars were an Australian musical comedy group who performed together between 1984 and 1994. The band was an acoustic trio comprising Paul McDermott and Tim Ferguson on main vocals and Richard Fidler on guitar and backing vocals...
. The show starred Paul McDermott
Paul McDermott (comedian)
Paul McDermott is an Australian comedian, actor, writer, director, singer, artist and television host. He currently hosts the satirical news-based 'Good News World' a follow up to quiz show Good News Week which airs in Australia on Network Ten...
, Tim Ferguson
Tim Ferguson
Timothy Dorcen Langbene "Tim" Ferguson is an Australian comedian and television presenter.- Background :...
and Richard Fidler
Richard Fidler
Richard Fidler is a well-known Australian Republican and Australian ABC TV and radio presenter. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as a member of the Doug Anthony All Stars , an Australian musical comedy group also comprising Tim Ferguson and Paul McDermott...
, along with Flacco
Flacco
Flacco is a fictional character played by Australian author and political cartoonist Paul Livingston.Livingston created the character in 1985, when he got up on stage as part of a bet, and the audience mistook his nervousness for a comedic character...
, Michael Petroni
Michael Petroni
Michael Petroni is an Australian film writer and director.Petroni worked in the early 1990s as a comedy writer and performer on Australian television, and appeared as "Psycho Bob", an American serial killer character, in The Big Gig and DAAS Kapital .In 1994, he moved to Los Angeles to study...
, Bob Downe and Khym Lam.
The first season of seven episodes was broadcast on Australia's ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
network in 1991. Despite poor critical reviews, a second series was produced and went to air on the ABC in 1992. The title is a reference to Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
's economic treatise Das Kapital
Das Kapital
Das Kapital, Kritik der politischen Ökonomie , by Karl Marx, is a critical analysis of capitalism as political economy, meant to reveal the economic laws of the capitalist mode of production, and how it was the precursor of the socialist mode of production.- Themes :In Capital: Critique of...
.
Format
DAAS Kapital was a sitcomSituation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
that relied heavily on a variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
format. For example, in each scripted episode, there would be cutaways to television shows—typically Shitsu Tonka News, Troy The Invincible and Wayne Kerr—along with guest appearances by Flacco
Flacco
Flacco is a fictional character played by Australian author and political cartoonist Paul Livingston.Livingston created the character in 1985, when he got up on stage as part of a bet, and the audience mistook his nervousness for a comedic character...
, Bob
Michael Petroni
Michael Petroni is an Australian film writer and director.Petroni worked in the early 1990s as a comedy writer and performer on Australian television, and appeared as "Psycho Bob", an American serial killer character, in The Big Gig and DAAS Kapital .In 1994, he moved to Los Angeles to study...
, Bob Downe and stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
animation sequences, along with one or two songs performed by The Doug Anthony Allstars.
The stories themselves usually consisted of very loose ideas—Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
/Alice in Wonderland based stories—which would feature all the above segments strung together with very quick jokes and stories told by the Allstars.
Characters and casting
In addition to Tim, Paul and Richard, numerous other recurring characters appeared throughout the series. These included:- FlaccoFlaccoFlacco is a fictional character played by Australian author and political cartoonist Paul Livingston.Livingston created the character in 1985, when he got up on stage as part of a bet, and the audience mistook his nervousness for a comedic character...
(Paul LivingstonPaul LivingstonPaul Livingston, popularly known as his alter ego Flacco, is an Australian comedian who has regularly appeared on many television shows, predominantly on ABC TV and Network Ten, including Good News Week, The Sandman and Flacco Special, The Big Gig, DAAS Kapital, The Money or the Gun, The Fat and...
): a strange alien being with a high-pitched voice. He spends most of his time talking to his pet (animated) cockroach, Ross. - Psycho Bob (Michael PetroniMichael PetroniMichael Petroni is an Australian film writer and director.Petroni worked in the early 1990s as a comedy writer and performer on Australian television, and appeared as "Psycho Bob", an American serial killer character, in The Big Gig and DAAS Kapital .In 1994, he moved to Los Angeles to study...
): an American serial killer and psychotic who has somehow stowed away on board. He usually has a ranting monologue to camera ending with his catchphrase: "I'm Bob, and I'll be back." Tim is the only member of the crew to have seen or encountered him. - Thulgore (animated): a giant crab who lives in the engine room.
- The Shitsu-Tonka newsreader (Khym Lam): the boys' only contact with the outside world is broadcasts from Shitsu-Tonka's television network, including regular bulletins from a female Asian newsreader.
- Bob Downe (Mark TrevorrowMark TrevorrowMark Trevorrow , is an Australian comedian, television host and media personality.He has developed the flamboyant alter ego "Bob Downe" - a cheesy, safari-suit-wearing lounge singer with dazzling teeth, and host of the fictional regional daytime TV show Good Morning Murwillumbah...
): a cheesy cabaret singer who is a TV personality on Shitsu-Tonka. - Wayne Kerr (Tim Ferguson): along with his sidekick pals, Spinner (Richard Fidler) and Paddlefoot (Paul McDermott), are characters in the most violent program on Shitsu-Tonka ("with a G-5 violence rating!"). Spinner and Paddlefoot may be references to the sidekicks of Clutch CargoClutch CargoClutch Cargo is an animated television series produced by Cambria Productions and syndicated beginning on March 9, 1959. Notable for its very limited animation, yet imaginative stories, the series was a surprise hit at the time, and could be seen on 65 stations nationwide in 1960.- Plot :The...
. - Troy the Invincible (Paul McDermott): appears on Shitsu-Tonka. Performs acts of violence on himself to demonstrate the invincibility of his working-class principles.
- Uncle Biff Happy (Richard Fidler): a used car salesman whose ads appear on Shitsu-Tonka.
Scenario
By the year 1998, the Shutsu Tonka Unitocracy has taken over the world. "Competition between nations has been made redundant by the universal 'Common Cents' currency and rezoning and decentralisation of much of the world's population. By homogenising the various races of the world, the petty nationalism that has plagued civilisation since the Dawn of Man has been diffused...all [minorities] are allowed to flourish in the macrosociety we have imposed."The show itself takes place in the year 2006 as the All Stars (Tim Ferguson
Tim Ferguson
Timothy Dorcen Langbene "Tim" Ferguson is an Australian comedian and television presenter.- Background :...
, Paul McDermott
Paul McDermott (comedian)
Paul McDermott is an Australian comedian, actor, writer, director, singer, artist and television host. He currently hosts the satirical news-based 'Good News World' a follow up to quiz show Good News Week which airs in Australia on Network Ten...
and Richard Fidler
Richard Fidler
Richard Fidler is a well-known Australian Republican and Australian ABC TV and radio presenter. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as a member of the Doug Anthony All Stars , an Australian musical comedy group also comprising Tim Ferguson and Paul McDermott...
) are placed in a submarine with all the world's artwork and treasures and their "assignment is to catalogue history." Some time later they become lost, their whereabouts unknown and their existence is denied by the Shitsu Tonka Corp.
In the final episode of season 1, it becomes apparent that Shitsu Tonka deliberately sabotaged the ship, placing Richard on board as a robot implanted with a bomb. He was to self-destruct and completely destroy history. Instead, the blast propelled the submarine into space, providing an opportunity for more sci-fi based storylines and parodies in the show's second season. In the final episode of this season, the ship returns to the ocean.
Season 1 (1991)
All episodes are named after the seven deadly sinsSeven deadly sins
The 7 Deadly Sins, also known as the Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins, is a classification of objectionable vices that have been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct followers concerning fallen humanity's tendency to sin...
.
| Title | Plot | Songs |
|---|---|---|
| Avarice | It's Paul's birthday, but it looks as though everyone's forgotten. | Mummy Dearest |
| Sloth | It's Bastille Day Bastille Day Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July of each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale and commonly le quatorze juillet... on the Titanic II, and Tim and Richard finally decide to do something about Paul's alcoholism. |
I Love The French, Mexican Hitler |
| Gluttony | It's Sunday, and everyone is bored... that is, until they decide to play a few 'games' to fill in the time. | Sunday Mornings, Big Dirty Mongrel. |
| Pride | The ship is infested with cockroaches and Paul sets out on a quest to fix the problem... However the Ferguson family curse starts to catch up with Tim as he slowly morphs into a cockroach himself. | Happy Endings, Bob Downe for Jesus |
| Envy | After a scout jamboree, each of the boys must go through their own personal journey of self exploration. Richard must overcome his demons to gain courage, Tim must find a brain, and surely Paul has a heart somewhere inside him? | Maria, Catholic Girls On LSD. |
| Lust | Tim and Paul are to attend the Rhino Ball, but alas Richard will be stuck at home cleaning... that is until his fairy godfish offers him a little help. | Living With Girls, Rhino Songs |
| Anger | It's the last day on board the Titanic II, however there is a problem... one of the boys is a robot set to self-destruct before they can leave. | Cosmic Cowboys of Doom, Three Steps to Heaven |
Season 2 (1992)
All episodes are named after the seven heavenly virtuesSeven virtues
In the Catholic catechism, the seven catholic virtues refer to the combination of two lists of virtues, the 4 cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, restraint or temperance, and courage or fortitude, and the 3 theological virtues of faith, hope, and love or charity ; these were adopted by the...
.
| Title | Plot | Songs |
|---|---|---|
| Faith | Now drifting through space, the boys must fill out an official census. Meanwhile, Tim has decided to run for Shitzu Tonka World Leader. | I'm Sick |
| Humility | Earth has declared open season on jazz Jazz Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th... musicians, so the Marquis de Sade Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat, revolutionary politician, philosopher, and writer famous for his libertine sexuality and lifestyle... travels to space to avoid being killed. The boys decide to use their collection of jazz records to get back to Earth. |
That's Jazz, Warsong |
| Felicity | After the boys discover a miracle, the new Pope Pope The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle... pays them a visit, while Tim and Richard prepare for the corruption of the Brain of St Peter. |
Bless Me Father, I'm A Psycho Killer |
| Chastity | When the Titanic II is confronted by a UFO, they discover that Paul is, in fact, an alien. Another alien asks him to help complete experiments on Tim and Richard, but can Paul go through with it? | Carnal Carnival |
| Charity | A mysterious 'comet' flies over the Titanic II on Christmas Christmas Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days... , leading the boys to find a baby in a manger. |
Away In The Manger, Good Night Sweet Prince |
| Hope | A planned picnic on Friday the 13th Friday the 13th Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year... results in the boys hopelessly lost, confronting gremlins, a witch and a prince. |
Party In Hell |
| Patience | The boys discover they have ten hours until they are to be hit by a meteor METEOR METEOR is a metric for the evaluation of machine translation output. The metric is based on the harmonic mean of unigram precision and recall, with recall weighted higher than precision... shower. With the engine out of commission, they also must cope with a strange visitor. |
Drugs |