Alice Coster: Silvio Berlusconi’s death evokes Mick Molloy’s Triple M bunga bunga party memories

With the death of former Italian politician Silvio Berlusconi in the news, the mention of his name has brought two words to mind: Bunga Bunga. And bizarrely, the name Mick Molloy.

Triple M’s Bunga Bunga party with Mick Molloy and The Angels.

Reading of the death of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi evoked what could almost be described as a PTSD reaction.

The mention of Berlusconi’s name instantly brings two words to mind: Bunga Bunga.

And then bizarrely soon after, the name Mick Molloy.

For those who aren’t across Berlusconi’s work, he was a billionaire media tycoon turned politician — think Donald Trump before Donald Trump.

He served as prime minister in four governments and classed Vladimir Putin as a long-time friend.

Not surprisingly he liked Trump and also had dazzling white chompers and his own plasticised image to match.

Talking of tans, he once said then US president Barack Obama was easy to get along with as he “is young, handsome and … tanned”.

You get the picture.

While allegations of corruption always circled him, he was most renowned for his “bunga bunga” parties which were basically sex parties held at his lavish villa outside Milan.

Berlusconi was accused of having unlawful sex with a 17-year-old nightclub dancer known only by the moniker “Ruby the Heartstealer”.

He was acquitted on appeal in 2014, after several women testified that his bunga bunga parties were merely er, “elegant dinners”.

The finger of blame to the comical sounding phrase and bawdy joke has been laid upon

Eddie McGuire arrives at Triple M’s Bunga Bunga party.

Berlusconi’s other good mate, Libyan dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, who hosted parties involving “harems” of young Western women.

As for the Molloy link, the comedian loved Berlusconi and organised a bunga bunga party in his honour in Melbourne back in 2012.

Say what?

The mere thought of that event at South Melbourne’s former Motel nightclub, which was later dubiously razed to the ground, just rams home how far we have come as a society, and what is and isn’t acceptable now.

This party, which was put on by radio station Triple M, who Molloy worked for at the time while on Hot Breakfast next to Eddie McGuire and Luke Darcy, would simply not have happened today.

Think dwarfs, now called people of small stature, dressed in royal garb. A Shetland pony, porn stars and a performance by Miss Nude World.

The guest list was topped with now cancelled names including then football manager Ricky Nixon, who had only recently been embroiled in his own schoolgirl scandal. Wayne Carey and Barry Hall were also there.

It was the year when peplum skirts reigned supreme at Flemington, Psy’s Gangnam Style Korean pop had just become a viral sensation and the swimmers had bombed out at the Olympics in London.

Maybe it was the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon sparking the “mommy porn” revolution, but everyone seemed peak randy.

Well, everyone except Geoffrey Edelsten who was constantly making headlines after marrying his US-born, buxom, scene-stealing wife Brynne.

Ricky Nixon and Tegan Gould.

Anthony Lehmo Lehmann meets a Burlesque dancer.

This showbiz reporter had been sent out to interview the good doctor, who was head scratchingly spruiking one of his medical centres the very morning after his opulent nuptials. When asked how the consummation had gone the night before (remember it was a time when such questions were readily put on the table) Edelsten replied it hadn’t and that he had gone to bed early and tucked himself in.

We digress.

Brynne was on the bunga bunga invite list with her elderly, since divorced, now deceased, groom Geoff. Molloy was heard on radio at the time threatening to “cut his lunch”.

Sam Newman hadn’t yet been put to pasture and was smoking bongs on air as The Footy Show host, after the AFL banned marijuana as a game-day substance.

Newman was dropping his good mate McGuire to the bunga bunga party in one of Lamborghinis.

Shannon Bennett and Luke Darcy with a pony.

Mick Molloy gives the order to frisk Eddie McGuire.

Sam has since been boned himself and pot, or CBD, is now a well-used substance taken by the likes of former Richmond coach Damien Hardwick and Adelaide player Paul Seedsman for legitimate medical purposes.

There was even a VB fountain and a croquembouche (very 2012) made from mini meat pies.

Porn star Ron Jeremy, who in a shock development is now in jail, was an 11th-hour special guest who was made available for interview, with the PR person advising this reporter to “bring your own rubber gloves” to the hotel room photo shoot.

Cringe.

While it was all a little cringey, cringe, cringe at the time, the amazing thing was it was not just acceptable, we wrote about it constantly and Molloy was lauded for his party idea.

He took his role as Berlusconi seriously, decking himself out in an all-white tuxedo and dark sunglasses, which the PM wore in parliament.

It’s easy to now look back with a tinted tut-tutting lens much like the glasses Molloy wore to the bunga bunga party.

It wasn’t all that long ago. But the world has woke-n up since.

No wonder we have PTSD symptoms when thinking back.

But that also has a new overused 2023 phrase: Triggered!