In 1880, Kelly was hanged for the murder of a constable, and subsequently became a national folk hero who was famously portrayed on film by Mick Jagger and, somewhat less famously, by Heath Ledger.

@Steve M—Indeed, Kelly is practically a cultural/artistic genre of his own. I only cited the two modern films in keeping with my theme of badly-bungled heroic art.

It’s a shame that most attempts to dramatize his life have been unsatisfying; but I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that he only wore the armor once, and not to particularly good effect. Also, as with a lot of historical figures who were basically knockabouts and felons, the anti-Colonial populist image is a bit of a dodgy retrofit on a guy who was basically a hooligan and a bank robber.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Much of American history would be a parade of petty criminals, if not for the intervention of earnest hagiographers. Legends aren’t born, they’re just heavily edited.

In fairness, this isn’t an entirely awful piece of musical wallpaper—kind of a low-fi Koyaanisqatsi of Australian independence…without the Philip Glass chorus of female voices singing “hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo” and all the doodley-doodley keyboards.

I am, however, still trying to wrap my heas around the bucket-head-over-chromakey road-trip concept.

Interesting fact regarding John “Red” Kelly, Ned’s father, he was from the same town as my father and the man whose pigs he stole, leading to his deportation, is an ancestor of mine.  Well, probably, we can’t be 100% sure.  If you think it’s hard trying to find records on Kenyan usurpers, try digging up documentation on Irish tenant farmers in the 1840s.  You’re welcome Australia.

@Shut up, that’s who on—Actually, that’s a fascinating piece of personal history. Theoretically, you have rights to at least one of the four suits of armor, and first dibs on a chance to slug Mick Jagger for playing an Australian.

That would have been a pleasant little tour of roadside Ireland, if it hadn’t been for the upended paint-bucket in the foreground.

SU, that is a beautiful piece of metalwork. Just a pair of tin snips for the eye-slit and you’re good to go.

Ok. Well, then—I guess there actually is a worse song about Ned Kelly.

Don’t forget the hilarious version of the story by Yahoo Serious! One of the funniest throwaways was, everytime a kangaroo or wallaby hopped by, there was a “boing boing boing” sound effect.

I interviewed Eddie Izzard about twelve years ago and he said he always had wanted to do a Kelly biopic. For reals.

Eddie can do anything he wants as far as I’m concerned, O.

Someday, someone will get it “right.” Or, someone will make an astounding, totally a-historical version where Ned Kelly wears the armor all the time, quotes Homer and can fly. Feature the armor, lose the beard, set the whole thing in 10th Century England and let Mel Gibson direct.

Ok. Well, then—I guess there actually is a worse song about Ned Kelly.

No, what you posted was worse.  I guess my question is can we get back to posting videos where people play banjos made out of cigar boxes again?

And srsly why is Ned Kelly floating backwards the whole time in the first video?  I mean, that’s not actually scary or stuff.

I wondered about that, Marin. Perhaps things would have gone better for him if he’d faced forwards.

But hindsight is sometimes 20/200!

can we get back to posting videos where people play banjos made out of cigar boxes again?

Philistine! Every lefty blog does that! Only we have bad Ned kelly Tribute videos. That’s pretty fookin’ elite.