I am Lazy Susan from Drag Race Down Under, and I have a confession: this article is the pinnacle of my career – everything I have ever aspired to. After this moment, nothing else will compare. For years, I’ve been a devoted fan of the Guardian’s 10 funniest things column: sometimes finding joy, sometimes critiquing the mediocre taste of people more successful than me, but always captivated by its unique insight into the human mind. During many long nights as I toiled away in lipstick-sodden obscurity, I would gaze at the sky and dream of the day I’d finally have the chance to write my own list of 10 things.
Now, riding the wave of newfound celebrity – ascending to a status reserved only for the likes of TikTok comedians, Fboys, and Muster Dogs – I can finally say it: I am Lazy Susan, and THESE are the funniest things from the internet.
1. Lady Gaga: Volantis
In 2013, Lady Gaga commissioned the world’s first flying dress, Volantis. She took her maiden voyage inside a Brooklyn warehouse to coincide with the release of her album ArtPop. This was Lady Gaga at the height of her hubris – the moment before everything began to unravel.
While Icarus was punished by the fates for flying too high, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta was punished for flying too low. The sound of her “flying dress” scraping along a concrete floor for several meters, in front of a sea of New York press and glitterati, is one of the funniest things in the world. This video is perfection.
2. Hot Department: My Mum Makes Me Milo
It’s almost gauche to point out that Hot Department is funny at this stage. They are spectacular and are about to become far too famous for their own good. They are at their best when they are at their most absurd – which is, thankfully, 100% of the time. Please enjoy this Milo ad.
3. Lady Red Couture sings Rich White Woman
Lady Red Couture is a drag legend who served as the sidekick on the drag talk show Hey Qween for many years. This is her song Rich White Woman, in which she imagines herself as, well, a rich white woman. This is the highest form of drag. It’s cutting, filled with a deep rage that’s paved over by sequins and a smile. Losing Lady Red in 2020 was devastating, but she will always be an icon.
4. Jenny Slate in Catherine
The story I heard about this show is that it was born when very stoned comedians were challenging each other to act like “normal people”. What resulted was Catherine, a story in 12 parts. I don’t want to spoil this, but Jenny Slate and Dean Fleischer Camp have created one of the most twisted pieces of internet storytelling that exists. I watch this in its entirety every six months, and it never fails to leave me heaving with laughter.
5. Cole Escola’s Pee Pee Manor
Before their breakout turn on Broadway with Oh, Mary!, Cole Escola was putting out some of the best content YouTube has ever seen. Pee Pee Manor is a pilot for an imaginary show that feels like Twin Peaks’ weird gay stepson. It’s no wonder Cole has become one of the comedic voices defining our generation.
6. Jenny Nicholson reviews the Hallmark YouTube channel
If you’ve spent any time on the internet in the last few years, you know who Jenny Nicholson is. She’s a culture critic who takes deep dives into obscure corners of the internet, generally with some kind of numbered list (familiar). This video takes us into the six videos created for the Hallmark YouTube channel in their bid to create fun online content. As a former social creative who made slurry content for big brands, this is triggering – and so satisfying. If Carl Sagan ever made another golden record to send into space to represent this moment in human history, I’d nominate this video.
7. Coco Peru plays Grand Theft Auto
Let me ask you a question: have you ever watched a drag queen play Grand Theft Auto? Coco Peru is easily one of the funniest drag performers of all time. She embodies everything I aspire to be. Once you’ve finished this, seek out her performance in the absolutely savage film Girls Will Be Girls (2003).
8. Kimya Dawson: Mariah and the Haunted Forest
Folk musician Kimya Dawson tells the story of working in a haunted corn maze in her home town when Mariah Carey comes to visit. This story is equal parts funny and heartbreaking. So much of what I find funny has a deep rage running beneath it, and I love how petty and angry this story is.
9. Ruby Rai P.I.
Someone at ABC needs to get fired for not turning this Fresh Blood project into a series. Vidya Rajan, who co-created this short, is such an exciting voice in the Australian comedy landscape. Her work is whimsical, biting, and so smart. When so much contemporary comedy feels self-consciously derivative, Vidya insists on creating idiosyncratic pieces of art. Give her a show already!
10. Bob the Drag Queen – Celine Dion lip-sync
This is the best lip-sync performance ever. Point blank. Bob is immaculate, and her control of the form is unmatched. Without any props or theatrical effects, she creates a whole world for this song. If you’re considering starting drag, this is the performance you should study.
Drag Race Down Under season four season finale premieres Friday 20 December at 5pm on Stan. Listen to Lazy Susan and Zelda Moon’s podcast Death To Everyone wherever you get your podcasts.
