Article - Adelaide Now, August 11th 2008
William McInnes Wows Adelaide
Samela Harris
WILLIAM McInnes dismisses his massive popularity among women with a grin, a sigh, a laugh.
"It's all just fun," he says.
After all, much of the content of his three books has been about sport, a subject McInnes loves to write about. Then again, he writes a lot about politics.
He has written about both in his latest book That'd Be Right.
In Adelaide on a national author's tour, he ponders the new collection of memories, observations and anecdotes in the book, subtitled "a fairly true history of modern Australia".
McInnes wants to make it clear that history is an important aspect of life and culture.
"Ask people who was Prime Minister before John Howard and most of them don't know," he says.
"When I played Curtin in a movie, I was talking to someone about Curtin and the war and they said `the Iraq War?'
"You don't have to be swallowed by the past but it is good if you know about it, if you know where you've come from."
McInnes, well known on screen in films such as Look Both Ways – directed by wife Sarah Watt – and on television in series such as Sea Change and Blue Heelers, writes tales of characters and events in his life and the things he was doing during significant moments in Australian history – the election of Malcolm Fraser, Gough Whitlam, John Howard among others.
At the age of 44, the author finds himself growing less judgmental – a good thing, he says.
"It's time everyone was more tolerant. They need to give others a bit of slack – like John Howard. It's not his fault he won all those elections. Now people want a bob each way on him. A lot of people did well out of him." He quickly adds: "I'll be voting Labor until I'm carried out in a box."
The new book, however, hints at his evolving philosophy. He likes people of moderate views.
He dislikes jingoistic flag wavers. He hates "tub thumpers". He loathes winners who pump the air with their fists.
"If the world had more Australian people, people like Australians, it might be a better place," he says.
Then again, there are a lot of "boofheads" in Australia and McInnes wonders if he is one.
He suggests that men should be more sensitive, less blokey, "do more listening".
"This comes from a man who is about as sensitive as a house brick."
Samela Harris
WILLIAM McInnes dismisses his massive popularity among women with a grin, a sigh, a laugh.
"It's all just fun," he says.
After all, much of the content of his three books has been about sport, a subject McInnes loves to write about. Then again, he writes a lot about politics.
He has written about both in his latest book That'd Be Right.
In Adelaide on a national author's tour, he ponders the new collection of memories, observations and anecdotes in the book, subtitled "a fairly true history of modern Australia".
McInnes wants to make it clear that history is an important aspect of life and culture.
"Ask people who was Prime Minister before John Howard and most of them don't know," he says.
"When I played Curtin in a movie, I was talking to someone about Curtin and the war and they said `the Iraq War?'
"You don't have to be swallowed by the past but it is good if you know about it, if you know where you've come from."
McInnes, well known on screen in films such as Look Both Ways – directed by wife Sarah Watt – and on television in series such as Sea Change and Blue Heelers, writes tales of characters and events in his life and the things he was doing during significant moments in Australian history – the election of Malcolm Fraser, Gough Whitlam, John Howard among others.
At the age of 44, the author finds himself growing less judgmental – a good thing, he says.
"It's time everyone was more tolerant. They need to give others a bit of slack – like John Howard. It's not his fault he won all those elections. Now people want a bob each way on him. A lot of people did well out of him." He quickly adds: "I'll be voting Labor until I'm carried out in a box."
The new book, however, hints at his evolving philosophy. He likes people of moderate views.
He dislikes jingoistic flag wavers. He hates "tub thumpers". He loathes winners who pump the air with their fists.
"If the world had more Australian people, people like Australians, it might be a better place," he says.
Then again, there are a lot of "boofheads" in Australia and McInnes wonders if he is one.
He suggests that men should be more sensitive, less blokey, "do more listening".
"This comes from a man who is about as sensitive as a house brick."
posted by Sleepydumpling at 6:20 PM
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