Australian comedian Vince Sorrenti has been slammed for singing an ‘outdated and unacceptable’ song about Maori live on the radio – and the shame-faced star agrees.
Mr Sorrenti, 60, was being introduced on the 2GB show, Saturday Night With Rob Duckworth, when he launched a string of puns based on the old song, That’s Amore.
But after a couple of innocent gags about Moray eels and tuna mornay, the humour took a twist with the Sydney stand-up funnyman’s final joke.
To the tune of the 1953 Dean Martin hit, Mr Sorrenti sang: ‘When you’re hit by a thug, in a tough Kiwi pub, that’s a Maori.’
The studio can be heard bursting into laughter in the background as Rob Duckworth – standing in for regular host Bill Woods – tries to move quickly on.
Australian comedian Vince Sorrenti (pictured)has sparked a row after singing an offensive song against Maori live on the radio
‘There you go, Vince Sorrenti, he’s on fire already,’ he said, before asking the comic actor – who was one of the stars of Fat Pizza and Housos – about his latest gigs.
Mr Sorrenti is a patron of Immigration Place Australia but was previously embroiled in a race row when a 2011 TV advert he did for Tyreright mocked the Chinese accent.
Now fuming Maori have told the Sydney stand-up comedian to bring his act into the 21st century after the gag was branded outdated and unacceptable.
‘In today’s day and age, that’s definitely not acceptable,’ said a member of Sydney’s Maori Wardens community. ‘He needs to reconsider his material in the future.
‘Maybe in his day it was acceptable. Back in the dark ages maybe it would have been fine, but nowadays you have to consider things other than people’s ethnicity.
‘It’s not acceptable. It never has been, but it’s really not acceptable now.’
Vince Sorrenti, 60, was being introduced on the 2GB show, Saturday Night With Rob Duckworth (pictured), when he launched a string of puns based on the old song, That’s Amore
He added: ‘The world’s changed and cultures are starting to react to any kind of approach to their identity that puts a comedy slant on it.
‘Even if they’re just joking about it, it’s just no longer acceptable any more. It’s starting to become a stronger issue for Maori and other Pacific Island cultures.
‘It really is just a matter of him reconsidering how he approaches that sort of thing in the future.
‘I grew up with it and I’m used to it – but that doesn’t make it right.’
On Tuesday, Mr Sorrenti admitted the Kiwi critics had every reason to be upset and apologised.
‘Those Kiwis are right,’ Mr Sorrenti’s spokesman told Daily Mail Australia. ‘That humour is outdated and unacceptable.
‘I just spoke with Vince and he is embarrassed and very remorseful. It’s a very silly and meaningless ditty and was never intended to hurt or offend. He is going to apologise on air this weekend.’
They added: ‘It is a very old parody he used to sing in the 1980s.
‘When he was introduced on air the other night, they played the “That’s Amore” music and he sang along without thinking. It was wrong and he is sorry. I’m surprised he even remembered the words.
‘Believe it or not he even sang that parody on TV in New Zealand all those years ago. It’s a reminder of how much times have changed.
‘Thanks for bringing it to our attention.’
Fuming Maori have told the Sydney stand-up comedian to bring his act into the 21st century after the gag was branded outdated and unacceptable (pictured, Maoris perform a haka)
Hardy McLean, chairman of the Maori Wanderers, said he was happy to take the joke as an attempt at humour.
‘It’s something we get all the time,’ he told Daily Mail Australia. ‘Somebody else would probably see it differently but not me, personally. It’s just a joke.
‘We’ve got to be able to have a laugh at ourselves every now and again.’
Nine’s 2GB declined to comment.