The Monkeys and Bombora Film & Music Co. Team Up To Release Mambo Documentary
The Monkeys has joined forces with Bombora Film & Music Co. and writer/director Paul Clarke to create a one-hour ABC documentary special that tells the story of how a group of comical and contrarian troublemakers and misfits became Australia’s most popular art collective of the 80s and 90s.
Mambo: Art Irritates Life documents how Mambo came to be – from the hitchhiking journey of the brand’s founder, Dare Jennings, to Sydney to set up a screen-printing studio for t-shirts and posters, which was called Phantom.
Phantom became a music recording label, releasing independent local acts at the centre of a riotous rock scene, largely ignored by the big record companies. It was in the early 1980s that Jennings realised he could combine the irreverent artworks produced by artist friends and musicians, with surf wear to release his first run of board shorts under the name Mambo. The board shorts were a hit and Mambo was born.
Clarke said the doco was great fun to write and direct in collaboration with The Monkeys.
“They have wonderfully silly ideas, including a printed t-shirt titles and end credits,” he said. “The artists at Mambo really related to them.”
“When you really get to think about it, there probably hasn’t been a good doco about the 80s in Australia featuring that sense of excitement generated by all the ratbags in art and music rattling the establishment cage, and really enjoying themselves, so hopefully that’s what we’ve made.”
The Monkeys’ co-founder and executive creative director, Scott Nowell, said Mambo came into being at a pivotal time in many of the crew members’ pubescent lives.
“Growing up on the Northern Beaches, I can remember my first pair of Mambo shorts and how quickly Mambo captured that larrikin voice, sticking it up the big surf brands, then taking on much bigger targets with humour and a violent lack of respect,” he said.
“Looking back, it’s hard to overstate how important that became to us as a nation.
“We went from Keating’s creative nation to little Johnny and the Cronulla riots. Over those decades the Mambo voice remained steadfastly politically incorrect and we have beer monsters, farting dogs and Australian Jesus entrenched forever in our culture as a result.”
The Monkeys’ senior creative, Scott Dettrick, a former Mambo art director and production designer on the documentary, was also instrumental in getting the film off the ground.
“He had been working as an art director at Mambo for 10 years and came to us with the idea to tell the story of Mambo’s impact on Australian popular culture,” Nowell said.
“The idea immediately connected, and not long after we met with writer/director Paul Clarke from Bombora Films and pitched him to produce a documentary outlining the social history of the 80s and 90s as told through the lens of Mambo, Australia’s modern art movement that we all wore on our backs.”
Mambo: Art Irritates Life is set to air on The ABC on Tuesday at 9:30pm.
DOCUMENTARY CREDITS
Writer and director: Paul Clarke
Producer and script editor: Scott Nowell
Production company: Bombora Film & Music Co.
Executive producer: Jo-anne McGowan
Line producer: Katherine Hristoforidis
Editor: Antoinette Ford
Production designer: Scott Dettrick
Art director: Wayne Golding
Associate producer: Sonia Borg
Narrator: Celia Pacquola
Latest News
The Unapproved Climate Certification Allegedly Causing Mass Greenwashing
Are you left flummoxed in the canned tuna & free range eggs aisle? Just wait till this green certification gets up.
TV Ratings (22/04/2024): Fans Mock “Over The Top” Reaction To New MasterChef Judges
MasterChef returns for its 2024 season. B&T stands by putting peppercorns in Gravox & no one will be any the wiser.
Dentsu Restructure: Muddle, Harvey & Johnston Take Leadership Baton As Bass & Yurisich Exit
A large broom has swept through Dentsu's local ops this morning, taking with it some big names & the air con's cobwebs.
Industry Shares Trends Shaping The Industry This International Creators Day
B&T's asking adland creators to reveal their top trends. And it's not good news for your Jenny Kee cardigan collection.
Mable Extends HOYTS Sensory Screenings Partnership
Mable has extended its HOYTS sensory screening partnership. Vigorously defends its two-star Oppenheimer review.
Orphan Launches ‘They Need Our Help. We Need Yours’ For Children’s Cancer Institute
Anything to do with childhood cancers has B&T's 110% support. That said, we do ignore the red meat & alcohol warnings.
Smile Team Orthodontics & Keep Left Collaborate On Smile-Inducing Campaign
As parents would attest, given the cost of orthodontics you'd expect this campaign to be a lavish production indeed.
Opinion: How Video Calls Neglect Learning Diversity
Need an excuse to duck out of a video call this arvo? Show this to your boss.
DoubleVerify Achieves First-Of-Its-Kind Responsible AI Certification From TrustArc
DoubleVerify receives responsible AI certification. However, not its robotic vacuum that's been seen menacing the cat.
Smile For A Good Cause: The Social Media Campaign Giving Back To The Community
Are you known as the office Austin Powers? More for you teeth than shagability? Get snappy new fangs with this news.
Elon Musk Mocks Albo After ESafety Wins Court Injunction Against X
Albo's 2024 from hell continues - Rabbitohs in crisis, down in the polls and now feuding with world's richest man.
Real Estate Developer In Hot Water Over “Sexually Exploitative” OOH Campaign
Real estate agents again tops in the 'least trusted profession' polls, nudging used car salesmen & ad creatives.
Epsilon’s Shane Hanby: Post-Cookie Era Relies On “Teamwork” Between Brands, Marketers & Tech
This pro predicts more "teamwork" in a post-cookie era. Which spells bad news for the uncooperative or plain stubborn.
Entries For Five Decades Of Advertising Graduates Awards Close On Monday
Entries for the Five Decades of Advertising awards close Monday. And no extensions! Any bribery is open til Wednesday.
Cadbury Extends Commitment To Women’s Sport With Sweet New Wallaroos Deal
Rot your teeth, get fat and support women's sport all at the same time with this sweet new sponsorship arrangement.
Campfire X & Nando’s Partner To Acknowledge Traditional Land Owners Across Australia
Chicken chain unveils important First Nations initiative. The actual chickens more concerned with the Adani coal mine.
Lisa Ronson, Naysla Edwards & Ben Hill Join MFA Awards Signature Judging Panel
MFA Awards adds some serious clout to its judging panel. Still no confirmation Paulini will be performing on the night.
Connect Hearing ‘Sounds Good’ Platform Via Bread Agency
Every office has that one hard of hearing person that's oblivious to the fact. Ramp up their insecurities with this.
Ipsos Iris Data: Australians Prioritise Entertainment & Sports Over Serious News In March
Data shows Aussies prioritising light entertainment over hard news. And who can blame them if you've seen the hard news!
Fur Media Partners With Mad Paws To Support Advertisers
It's never good if your office smells like faeces & brine chunks in aspic. Not if you're pet-friendly agency Fur Media.
MAXIBON Drops Epic Flavour Collaboration Via SICKDOGWOLFMAN
There are few pluses to be had with global warming, except the extension of ice-cream eating season.
Sling & Stone Scrubs Up With Lush Account
Got friends at Sling & Stone? Expect the dreaded loofah and bath bomb for birthdays/Christmas this year.
SBS’s The Cook Up With Adam Liaw Produces ‘Fewer CO2 Emissions Than Industry Average’
SBS could go full vegan for Adam Liaw's seventh season and reduce its TV audience and emissions by 99 per cent.
GumGum & Playground xyz To Merge Media Portfolio, Creating “Powerhouse” Ad Suite
GumGum & Playground xyz tap into consumer mindset. B&T prefers tapping a keg, but whatever works.
All The Winners & Grinners From The TikTok Young Lions Awards Night!
Last week saw every part of the human experience: Exalted, devastated, exhausted & stuffing sausage rolls in the corner.
TV Ratings (21/4/24): Farmer Wants A Wife Wins Sunday Prime Time
Farmer Wants A Wife does make the country life seductive. Apart from the manure stench & the bleating roosters at 5am.
Australia’s Automotive Industry Shifts Gears With CTV
How much was CTV responsible for Australia's record car sales in 2023? Or those horrible oversized American utes?
Australia’s C7EVEN Communications Launches Services In Japan With New Tokyo Office
Aussie comms agency unveils its Tokyo plans. Confirms it's still getting the hang of the toilets over there.
Daniel Goldstein Promoted To Head Of PR At Example
Try as he may to surreptitiously blend in with the wall in his photo, this PR fellow still relatively easy to spot.
Marie Claire & Volvo Partner For The Planet: Nominees For The Inaugural Marie Claire Sustainability Awards Announced
Fashion bible Marie Claire unveils its Sustainability Awards. Yet still refusing to recycle 2023's maxi skirts trend.
Sefiani Unveils A Wave Of Promotions & Appointments
Life's good in PR/comms as Sefiani unveils new hires. Well, bad news for media sites obsessed with redundancy stories.
Yahoo Launches Identity Solutions For CTV
Connected TV just got a whole lot more exciting with this innovation. Bar the incessant Friends re-runs.
Infosum Launches Data Clean Room Solution With Samsung Ads Australia
Infosum & Samsung Ads launch a data clean room solution that's a lot more than a Wettex & squirt of Ajax.
Fast 10: Bread Agency’s Amaury Treguer On Its “Unrivalled” Social Commerce Focus
Bread Agency's Amaury Treguer takes B&T's Fast 10, as he reveals why he won't be sandwiched up against the opposition.
X And Elon Musk To Sue Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Over Sydney Stabbing Takedown Order
If this all wasn't traumatic enough, Elon weighs in to prove he's the world's richest man & world's biggest dickhead.
CRA Siren Award To Be Presented At B&T Awards 2024!
Often attend award nights & think "I wish this night would never end"? Well, B&T's just got that tiny bit longer.