TALK LIKE MIKE

International Talk Like a Pirate Day is so passé. Today, thanks to a wonderful discovery on the internet, we celebrate International Talk Like Mike Carlton Day.

The Sydney Morning Herald columnist is an opponent of royalty and posh folk. He frequently mocked former foreign minister Alexander Downer as “Lord Downer”, for example, and is ashamed that “we still acknowledge the English queen as our head of state”. So it was a great delight to find sound files online of Carlton’s British radio show from the early 90s. It turns out that when he was employed by the London-based LBC, Sydney boy Carlton bunged on such a plummy British accent that he made Downer sound like a Brisbane bogan. Carlton was already in his mid-40s when he took up the London gig, so it’s quite the mystery how he suddenly became Viscount Mike, Earl of Morning Radio. For the appalling audio evidence, please hit these links: • His royal Mikeness appears at 11:28 • Sir Michael appears at 9:12 • Lord Mike appears at 1:33 Interestingly, a couple of Carlton’s Fairfax colleagues have indicated that they too will be joining in the fun of Talk Like Mike Day. Participants are encouraged to answer the phone with a jaunty “air hellair!” and otherwise speak like a total upper-class knob.