The unabashed Chester Missing brings his road show to KZN. Latoya Newman couldn’t resist the oppor-tunity to pick his brain about a few things…
There have been a few occasions when you have hit a nerve with the ruling party and opposition alike and the related backlash has been along the lines that you are just a mouth piece for the white man. Are you a white man’s puppet?
I am, and it’s pissing me off! I am looking for a black ventriloquist with an MA in social anthropology to take the reins, because this guy needs to bugger off.
You’ve interviewed the who’s who of our politics. What was your most memorable interview?
My most memorable interview is probably the first interview I did with Gwede Mantashe (ANC secretary general), just because he’s such a character and was such a senior politician being willing to talk to a puppet. Outside of the politicians who are themselves puppets.
While there are a lot of positives going for South Africa, there’s also a great deal of unhappiness. As a political analyst, do you think voter apathy, frequent public (and poo) protests and the like are a sign of a healthy democracy or democratic armageddon?
We are a country trying to find its way out of apartheid. Our real problem is that we aren’t dealing with inequality… for people and puppets!
What are you hoping to achieve with your road show?
It’s a road show. It is its own achievement. I want to tell South Africans what’s going on in our politics, and expose this Conrad Koch character for the bastard puppet abuser that he is!
The Saftas recently wrapped up, but we think they got some of the nominations wrong. Surely Best TV Drama should have gone to Sona (the State of the Nation Address) 2015 and Best Comedy Series to Parliament. Your thoughts?
Sona wasn’t a comedy, it was wrestling. It’s not WWE, it’s WWEFF!
Conrad Koch
Given the allegations Chester made against ventriloquist Conrad, we thought it only fair to chat to him too…
Who is the boss of this relationship?
Chester is in charge. He gets all the fame, attention and bookings. It’s actually getting me down and I’d prefer we didn’t talk about it.
Are you ever shocked or embarrassed by what he says?
He embarrasses me all the time! He tells me I benefitted from apartheid in front of thousands of people. I am just surprised he hasn’t thrown poo at me, Rhodes-style. He’s such a puppet. I can’t control him because when you live in a suitcase, what do you seriously have to lose?
Your most memorable moment with Chester?
I have two events. The one was us getting recognised by Ahmed Kathrada for fighting racism. The other was when Thuli Madonsela waited behind to get a selfie with him. It went to his head!
Tell us about your other puppets who feature in the show: Ronnie, the lunatic green monster; and Hilary, the outrageous diva ostrich.
Hilary is a rock ’n’ roll feminist ostrich who rips apart myself, the audience, Chester and also a bottle of Moët. Ronnie is a green maniacal monster who is in danger of peeing on the audience. He’s done it before!
What attracted you to ventriloquism – the art or its use as a tool in your social anthropology career?
I was a little kid when I started the ventriloquism, and just never stopped. Who wouldn’t want to be able to throw their voice as a kid? The social anthropology and ventriloquism just happen to coincide nicely.
• Chester Missing, South Africa’s most famous, contentious political puppet from e.tv’s Late Night News with Loyiso Gola, brings his road show to the Izulu Theatre, Sibaya Casino on April 10 and 11. Book through Computicket.