Triple M celebrates its 21st birthday

THERE was booze, sex stories and quips about Garry Lyon, with the jokes at the blokey Triple M Footy 21st birthday celebrations derailing into awkward territory.

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TRIPLE M Footy’s attempts at dropping what one of its bosses said was its sometimes “neanderthal” brand of humour took a few hits at its 21st birthday celebrations.

Billy Brownless and James Brayshaw were picking up a few laughs from the testosterone-laden crowd when the gags started to degenerate.

Gazza “was ‘a mischievous f---er’,” Brayshaw said.

Billy Brownless and James Brayshaw at Triple M’s 21st.

Brownless, who fell out with best mate Garry Lyon after he hooked up with Billy’s former wife, agreed that Gazza was indeed, “a mischievous f---er”.

In a what quickly became a disastrous attempt to change the subject, Triple M Footy commentator Jason Dunstall weighed in.

Dunstall is known as the “Chief”, but also the “Silverback”, which Page 13 is told is a reference to a gorilla in danger of extinction.

He rattled on about the old days on the station, saying he had to “surreptitiously explain to Sam Newman” the intricacies about a sexual act that even this column had to google. Hmmmmmmmmm.

“For the next half-hour, if you were listening to radio, all you could hear was laughing. Sam and I had tears coming out of our eyes”, said Dunstall.

It must have been a savvy guest list because the reference was recognised by more than a few in the haw-hawing crowd as something unsavoury.

Frantic wind-up and kill signals started coming from Triple M Footy boss Mike Fitzpatrick.

Chris Judd saved the night. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Garry Lyon was a subject of the jokes. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

“Fitzy” had only just been waxing lyrical to Page 13 on how “progressive” Triple M had become when Brayshaw kept demanding to know the ins and outs of what Dunstall was talking about.

Brayshaw and the Chief got the message but Brownless (who is so old-school he should be wearing knickerbockers) could not be stopped, pressing guest North Melbourne Football Club chairman Ben Buckley, on what he thought Dunstall was humming on about.

Then there was the one about then federal treasurer Peter Costello being invited into the Triple M box during a match to provide special comments.

Garry Lyon, who was to make the comments then, made a special one of his own over the link to the producer, saying if he didn’t get “that f---wit” out of the box he would “throw the f---er out myself”.

Just to repeat, this wasn’t a 1960s pie night at a bush footy club. It was Triple M Footy’s 21st birthday party, but then 21sts can get out of hand.

Luckily, Chris Judd is just so woke he put the progressive back into Triple M Footy when he stepped on stage.

The former Carlton skipper, who said he was surprised people thought he was so boring during his footy career, proved there is such thing as having a quick wit

He got a laugh without, in his words, “offending too many minority groups.”