source : the age
Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie has defended the creation of a “cringe” Dolly Parton tribute video that was posted by a fellow MP then quickly taken down.
Bleijie, a flamboyant entertainer famous for his Elvis Presley impersonations, told media on Friday his colleagues’ lack of singing ability reflected poorly on his theatrical prowess.
The video was posted by MP Ariana Doolan and features Bleijie, Multiculturalism Minister Fiona Simpson and various backbenchers singing Parton’s 1980 hit 9 to 5.
“I asked for it to be taken down because, quite frankly, my other colleagues make me look bad, because they can’t sing,” Bleijie said. “And I can, and so I think it was good that it got taken down.”
Bleijie said he loved the late US country music star, and had been to one of her concerts, but suggested pitch-correction be used in future parliamentary performances.
“I think a lesson has been learned and AutoTune for those members of parliament that can’t sing,” he said.
“And for people like me that love entertaining and theatre and was born on the stage, and who can sing, incidentally, maybe leave it to us to do the songs in the future.”
When pressed about the appropriateness of MPs dedicating time to film each other singing during a sitting day, with legislation before parliament, Bleijie said the video was created during a lunch break.
However, a clock on a wall in the footage of MP David Lee singing displays a time of 4.30pm.
“The arts community is a huge feature of the Crisafulli government,” Bleijie said. “I think members of parliament do all sorts of things in a sitting week.
“I think a reasonable Queenslander would understand one member of parliament walking to a meeting, stopping, singing one line from a song is not too much out of their day to do.
“It was like 20 seconds, literally.”
Bleijie would not comment on who the worst singer was.
“But there were some shockers, absolutely shockers. And I’m not sure if AutoTune even would have corrected [them] by the way, so that’s why we took it down,” he said.
“However, I will say as well, as Ariana Doolan said, Tim Curry also passed away, and Tim Curry did Frank-N-Furter, Rocky Horror Picture Show, one of my favourites, and I’m going to do that video next.
“With fishnets.”
Other MPs in the video include Kerri-Anne Dooley, Bree James, Sean Dillon, James Lister, David Kempton, Bryson Head and Nigel Dalton.
Earlier this week another Queensland politician, federal MP Anika Wells, was criticised for a TikTok video in which she used Ooshies to explain the housing market.
“Thank you for explaining it to us like we are two,” the top comment on the video said.
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