Valvoline, bourbon and a touching tribute from Russell Crowe: radio star John Laws farewelled at state funeral | Australian media

It was left to Academy Award-winning actor and John Laws’ good friend and neighbor Russell Crowe to bring an irreverent twist to the traditional state funeral held in the broadcaster’s honor on Wednesday.

In the rarefied atmosphere of Sydney’s St Andrews Cathedral, Crowe described Laws’ undoubted talent and loyalty, as well as his political views and role in the 1999 pay-for-comment scandal.

Crowe also revealed that Laws gave his son a bottle of bourbon for his first birthday party.

“On the card it said ‘John to Charlie,'” Crowe said. “I opened it. Inside was a bottle of Wild Turkey. That’s when afternoon tea ended and the celebration really began.”

Laws, known as “Golden Tonsils” for his sweet baritone and seven-decade career, died on November 9 at the age of 90.

Laws’ famous golden microphone was placed on his casket during Wednesday’s ceremony.

In his eulogy, Paul Warren said his friend of 55 years was more than just an extraordinary broadcaster: “He could do almost anything. He wrote songs, sang songs, made albums, acted in films and even appeared in Skippy.”

“He could sell anything from Valvoline to Toyotas; on top of that, he was a poet, a passionate music promoter; he proved time and time again that there was very little he couldn’t do, and he did it very well,” Warren said.

“At its peak it had over 2 million listeners and won 92 consecutive radio polls… It interviewed 16 prime ministers and scores of prime ministers.”

One of those prime ministers, John Howard, was among more than 800 mourners, along with former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, New South Wales premier Chris Minns and the state’s governor Margaret Beazley.

Trucking billionaire Lindsay Fox, broadcasters Ben Fordham and Richard Wilkins and Olympian Dawn Fraser were among the mourners; among them were Laws’ elderly listeners.

The Rev. Michael Jensen said in his sermon that he encouraged Laws to read the Bible after the death of his wife, Caroline, in 2020. “At lunch, I gave John a Bible and suggested he read the Gospel of John again,” Jensen said. “I said Johnny Cash recorded it and you could listen to it.”

Despite his immense wealth and love of the finer things in life, Laws retained the common touch, Jensen said.

“It’s a long way from Wooloomooloo to Walgett. But John spoke Walgett fluently.”

Crowe, who has been Laws’ neighbor in Woolloomooloo for 23 years, said the two men rarely agreed on anything but that did not hinder the friendship.

“We were often on opposing sides on any issue,” Crowe said.

“But we agreed that we enjoyed each other’s company, and our different perspectives never stopped us from making each other laugh. She had an eye for composition and beauty, a nose for a good story, and the heart of a lion.”

Like singer John Williamson, who sang True Blue, Crowe revealed that Laws asked him to attend his funeral a long time ago.

The actor teased that he would pretend to say those words “without his mind”.

“It’ll take some acting. We’ll see how I go. It’s like getting paid for commentary, but less obvious.”

He touched on the seeming contradiction of a kind man who offers “insulting opinions” on the radio but also ends his show with the words “be kind to each other.”

According to Crowe, this was all part of the performance of the great showman who called himself an entertainer, not a journalist.

“Poetically, he would end every argument with the same catchphrase, the same mantra, to let you know his true priorities as a person,” Crowe said. “Today’s performance is over. The show is over. Be kind to each other.”

“My close friend was a very kind man.”