No action against Fringe comedian Lawrence Mooney after abusive tirade against Advertiser reviewer

COMEDIAN Lawrence Mooney says he has no regrets about his Twitter spat with a critic and was only speaking figuratively when he threatened to “hang the review around your neck”.

• Read Mooney’s tweets — and see how our readers reacted
• Read Isabella Fowler’s review here
• Chief arts reporter’s analysis: He broke the golden rule
• Isabella Fowler’s response: ‘I reviewed his show in good faith’

COMEDIAN Lawrence Mooney says he has no regrets about his Twitter spat with an Advertiser critic and that he was only speaking figuratively when he threatened to “hang the review around your neck”.

Mooney spoke about his tirade on Triple M radio on Tuesday morning after refusing to comment through his manager on Monday.

“Look, I have no regret really about it. You know, it happens and Twitter to an extent is a blood sport,” he told the Roo & Ditts For Breakfast show.

“There’s a lot of people out there who are in their PJs and off their meds sitting on the couch just wondering what to do next. It’s like, previously there’s a huge amount of people who didn’t have a way of expressing themselves or venting their spleen - well now they do.”

The 50-year-old comedian, father of two and ABC TV personality took to Twitter on Monday to attack The Advertiser reviewer Isabella Fowler after she gave him a score of 3 out of 5 for his Fringe show and described him as “just a funny guy under a spotlight’’.

A spokesman for the Fringe said it would not discuss the issue with Mooney because it was not illegal to threaten and call Ms Fowler “deaf”, “an idiot”, “a f...ing amateur”, “a knob”, and a “deadshit”.

When Ms Fowler, 23, complained about the tirade on Twitter, Mooney responded: “Don’t play victim deadshit you wrote the piece of crap so I’m going to hang it around your neck.”

On Tuesday morning Mooney, who made headlines last year when he lost his driving licence for 12 months, told Triple M it was not a gender issue and that the neck threat should not be taken literally.

“I never made a gender division. I couldn’t care whether Isabella’s a man or a woman. And there was nothing gender-based about it at all. In one tweet I did say, it’s your review, I’m going to hang it around your neck. Figuratively speaking. I’m not going to put it on a placard and find a chain for the love of God. Let’s not be too literal about this whole thing,” he said.

“And like I said, it’s a bloodsport, tit for tat, we were having a go at one another and Isabella was fully engaged and so was I and it didn’t go for hours, it went for about half an hour and it was over.”

Melbourne comedian Lawrence Mooney.

Mooney drew some support from friends and fans as a Twitter war erupted over the issue, mostly condemning his behaviour.

Fringe management said: “The issue is between the artist and the reviewer and unless something illegal has occurred, it is not our role to intervene. It is not our role to either support or condemn Mooney’’.

Festivals Adelaide CEO, Christie Anthony said it reflected more on Mooney than the Fringe.

“I would say it would probably reflect on himself as it would with anybody who uses aggressive language in any public forum’’, she said.

Fowler said she felt sorry for Mooney but he went over the top.

“It was confronting reading, especially the hanging it around my neck, but it is easy to get carried away on Twitter. No hard feelings, I’m happy to move on.’’

Fellow comedian and The Advertiser columnist Amanda Blair said Mooney had a reputation for being a “good bloke” in the industry, but the “hang it around your neck” tweet made him “look bad”.

“I can’t help but wonder if he would have sent that tweet if the reviewer was a man,’’ she said.

Operator of the Fringe’s Rhino Room, where Mooney would perform for the next two weeks, Craig Egan said he “loved” Mooney’s work and so did audiences.

“I haven’t seen the tweets but they sound aggressive and I would not use that language but artists are passionate people and I have heard a lot worse,’’ he said. .

ABC management refused to comment on the issue because Mooney, despite being a star on two shows, was not employed by the national broadcaster.

But fellow ABC identity, and Sunday Mail columnist Peter Goers was highly critical.

“Mooney lacks humility and the review is measured and by a good critic doing her job,’’ he said on Twitter.

Adelaide author and performer Quentin Kenihan, who has succeeded despite living with a degenerative bone disease since birth, tweeted: “@lawrencemooney first world tantrums because of a bad review? As entertainers we need to have a thick skin not head!’’

Comedian Mick Molloy said Mooney was entitled to “return serve” following a less than favourable review.

Originally published as No action against Fringe comedian Lawrence Mooney after abusive tirade against Advertiser reviewer