Happy birthday Barry Humphries

Every 17 February we wish the Greatest Living Australian a happy birthday. Today is his 77th.

One week ago he was named Oldie of the Year by Richard Ingrams’ excellent Oldie magazine.

Oldie readers of this blog will remember Ingrams as the editor of Private Eye, which published the Barry McKenzie comic strip written by Humphries and illustrated by the New Zealand-born cartoonist Nicholas Garland. There was later a film or two, but as Wittgenstein put it, “Whereof we cannot speak, let us remain silent.” Or as my mother would say, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”

In the same Oldie awards Prince Philip was awarded Consort of the Year. Phil the Greek, as Private Eye dubbed him, may be an appalling racist and all-round shit but he is also a good sport – he accepted.