
Alan Jones – or The Parrot – as he is affectionately known has gone into hiding.
This is by no means a bad thing, especially those with whom he works who are forced to put up with his foul mouth, impatience and bad temper.
Whilst Jones’ relevance in an age where people are becoming less reliant on the opinions of aging conservatives is on a slippery slope to nowhere, he does hold the ear of a noisy minority who seem to have the ability to drive public debate and shape public opinion.
It may be coincidental that he chose the week in which the unauthorised biography “Jonestown”, written by Chris Masters, was released to disappear, however it is unlikely.
Jones has made a career (and a lot of money) out of making public his (quite conservative) views on many public matters and indeed on persons both public and private yet has traditionally been hyper-sensitive to any kind of analysis or criticism of himself.
The Sydney Morning Herald published an excerpt from the book, a brief, somewhat amusing snippet of which is seen below:
“On the first Saturday of the school year King’s held its Commemoration Day. Parents were invited along to inspect the school, meet the teachers and observe emerging talent. Everyone remembers Commemoration Day 1970, according to one of the minglers: “The whole school was flabbergasted.” Resplendent in flared trousers and orange cravat Alan, unannounced, got to his feet and belted out a number from the West End musical Pickwick, If I Ruled the World. His choice of song still amuses. “His prayer, you might say,” murmured one of those who would later clash with Jones. The aspiring tenor, who takes his singing seriously, was devastated when a few of the staff burst out laughing. The King’s community had not waited long to experience their first Jones moment.”
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