1997–1998: Race Around the World

Safran's first experience of national fame came via Race Around the World, a television competition for young documentarians run by the ABC. In his audition tape, Safran was required to submit ten seconds of black, but instead he submitted ten seconds of Black Sabbath.^[9]

Safran started the race off timid and tame, being locked inside an Osaka subway station in his first entry. However, he quickly broke what he called the "fear barrier" to film his now famous segments. He ran streaking naked through the streets of Jerusalem wearing only the scarf and beanie of his favourite football club, St Kilda, to prove that God is Jewish (St Kilda's only Grand Final win fell on the same day as Yom Kippur).^[8] He was baptised and placed a Voodoo curse on his ex-girlfriend in the Ivory Coast.^[8] He sneaked into Disneyland via a work area and attached information plaques he made about founder Walt Disney to a display (highlighting little-known Disney "facts" such as Walt Disney's alleged early support for Adolf Hitler) and got a Catholic priest to review death metal music.

Safran's segments scored well with both the judges and the public audience, Safran topped the viewer poll. He was, however, disqualified for a segment taped in a confessional booth (the program forbade hidden camera footage); the disqualification of the segment and subsequent loss of points meant that he finished last in the first season of Race Around the World.

1998–2002: After The Race

After this brush with fame, the ABC commissioned two 30-minute TV pilots from Safran.

One pilot called John Safran: Media Tycoon focused on the media industry, airing in 1998. It became famous for a segment involving Ray Martin, then host of tabloid current affairs TV show A Current Affair, where Safran harassed him in the style characteristic of A Current Affair by sorting through his bin, which was later satirised by comedian Shaun Micallef. Martin had set up members of the Paxton family. Safran and one of the victims, Shane Paxton, turned up to Martin's home. Martin and his wife Dianne physically threatened Safran.^[8] Martin's wife ripped apart Safran's papier mâché hat and Ray grabbed Safran by the collar, prompting Shane Paxton to intervene. Martin was in contact with the ABC and specifically warned Safran in the segment that he had spoken to Roger Grant, who was then Head of Corporate Affairs at the ABC.^[10] Martin's connection with this executive at the ABC is suspected to be a reason the series never made it to air. The Ray Martin segment was later played on Media Watch, John Safran: The Lost Pilot and on YouTube.^[10] In 2014, Martin still appeared bitter about the incident, calling Safran a "serial pest".^[10]

The second pilot was titled John Safran: Master Chef. This pilot focused on the food industry. Notably, it featured a cooking segment where Safran prepared a beef dish. The twist comes when he arrives at an abattoir and shows detailed footage of cows being slaughtered to complete the dish.^[11] Though all unsuccessful, the pilots became hits via the Internet among university students.^[12] Safran also recorded a parody of Baz Luhrmann's song "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" entitled "Not the Sunscreen Song", which includes lines such as "Never live in Adelaide, it's a hole" and "Remember, you can't get pregnant the first time you have sex". It peaked at No. 20 in 1998 and was nominated for an ARIA. In Triple M's 2005 Greatest Songs Ever Written and Performed Since the Beginning of Time poll, "Not the Sunscreen Song" came in at #706 – one spot above "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder.^[13]

Safran also presented segments for the Seven Network's now defunct The Late Report, some were also screened in the United Kingdom with Channel 4's Disinformation program. Safran attained police attention for a stunt to try and coerce cricketer Shane Warne into breaking a "no smoking" clause in an advertising contract with a nicotine gum manufacturer. Safran drove a remote controlled seagull with a cigarette onto the MCG pitch during a match. He was arrested for "pitch invasion", but the charges were dropped.^[8]

2002–2003: Music Jamboree

In 2002, Safran launched his documentary series John Safran's Music Jamboree. On one occasion Safran and his crew stormed the courtyard of his former school and amid shocked religious students and teachers, he and his crew began to dance to the song "Footloose". He was also able to gain entry into an exclusive Melbourne night club by dressing up nine men as the band Slipknot.^[14] Screened on SBS on Saturday nights, it opened Safran's work to youth 12 to 20 years old, who had not seen the original Race Around the World material. The show won the AFI award in 2003 for "Best Comedy Series".^[15]

2004–2005: John Safran vs God

In August 2004 he debuted his new show John Safran vs God, also on the SBS television network. The first seven episodes were typical Safran informative satire. The series' finale featured Safran being exorcised of demons which had supposedly possessed him during his dabblings with world religions. The exorcism was performed by well-known Christian fundamentalist Bob Larson. In an interview with an Australian radio personality, Safran said that he "felt something was going on", and that "there was something about the expression on my face". In an interview on Andrew Denton's Enough Rope program, he claimed that he had no memory of the events during the exorcism, and stated that the footage shown on the show was merely the most interesting from hours of footage. John Safran vs God won a 2005 AFI Award for "Best Comedy Series".^[16]

Before the exorcism, Safran went to Mozambique to have a curse, previously placed on the Australian national football team by a now-deceased witch doctor, lifted. He and former Australian football team captain Johnny Warren were covered in chicken's blood in the process. Subsequently, on 16 November 2005, Australia qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1974.^[17]

2005: Speaking in Tongues

In 2005 and 2006, Safran co-hosted a television talk show entitled Speaking in Tongues with Father Bob Maguire, a Catholic priest who was featured in John Safran vs God. The 12-part series broadcast on SBS Television and began on 7 November 2005.^[18]

2007–2010: Race Relations

Safran spent portions of 2007 in Los Angeles shooting a pilot entitled John Safran Saves America for American MTV in which he tried to convince emos to fight in Iraq, hit the couch^{[colloquialism]} with therapists who claim they can cure people of racism, and attempted to become gay to increase his standing in Hollywood.^[19] Safran stated in an interview that he had not heard back from the production company Reveille Productions whether the program has been purchased for production or not but as time went by, "the answer isn't getting any yesser".^[20]

In 2009 John Safran's Race Relations, an eight-part comedy documentary television series, was picked up by the ABC.^[21] As part of this series, on 10 April 2009, John Safran took part in a devotional crucifixion, an annual event occurring on Good Friday in the Philippines. Safran was crucified in Barangay Kapitangan, Paombong, Bulacan, just outside Manila along with three other men and one woman.^[22] He had nails driven through his hands and feet and hung on the cross for five minutes before being taken down and given medical treatment in a nearby tent set up for the purpose.^[23] It was nominated for a 2010 Logie Award in the category of Light Entertainment.

Bibliography

Filmography

Discography