Chooka tantrum blown “way out of proportion”
AGT pianist Chooka Parker says a tantrum incident was blown way out of proportion and host Grant Denyer had only “got two per cent of the story right”.
- Published by David Knox
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Yesterday media were all agog at Australia’s Got Talent contestant Chooka Parker throwing a “massive tantrum” backstage after being eliminated from the show.
Both Sunrise and The Morning Show covered the story, with their websites claiming “Chooka Throws Massive Tantrum” and “Chooka Loses His Head.” Other media followed suit.
AGT host Grant Denyer, who admitted he hadn’t seen the outburst, told Sunrise, “When he was voted off, backstage in the hallway he wrapped a jumper around his hand and started punching into the walls and windows of the production offices which scared a lot of the staff around there and there were small children …there at the time,” he said.
There was a fleeting reference to “other problems.”
“At the end of the day violence is never the answer to any solution or situation.”
But yesterday Parker told The Courier the claims were completely false, although he did admit to knocking on the window of the producers. He said the incident was blown way out of proportion and Denyer had only “got two per cent of the story right”.
He said the producers edited his final performance.
“The producers took out a crucial part of my song. They pretty much destroyed my piece,” he said.
“I went backstage to ask them why they did it but they wouldn’t listen to me. I just hit the window, I definitely didn’t wrap my hand in a jumper and smash it.
“You’ve got to hear my music from start to end. By changing it they made it sound as if I had made a mistake.”
The country pianist has proven enormously popular with audiences, with his self-taught talent at odds with his farm upbringing.
At just 17 years old he is unlikely to be seasoned in the tough world of Reality competitions. Indeed, a Seven spokeswoman even told the Courier Mail, “Chooka’s family have acquired a TV since he became part of the show and he has understood how the show and fame works since he started.”
Yesterday he also told Today Tonight he was upset that segments of his performance had been edited down.
“I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t get through. I was not overly worried or anything, and I was not angry at the judges or nothing – that’s just something I’d like to emphasise. Kyle and Brian, I was not upset at you at all,” he said.
Seven defended the edit claiming his performance ran over the allocated time afforded to all contestants.
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- Tagged with Australia's Got Talent, Sunrise, The Morning Show, Today Tonight
34 Responses
Here here Moanique & Jono!! (although Monique Chooka was my favourite :)) I think the way Channel 7 treated him is appalling, how this so called story even got airtime is beyond me – and all on third hand accounts – there was no justification in releasing this and I think the things they said about him are appalling Brian and Grant both should be ashamed of themselves for their part in this – I think an official apology should be released.
judge dred – you may be a music therapist, but it would seem you are not a musician nor do you have great knowledge of improv playing. It is not “physically impossible as the brain cannot work that far ahead of the fingers that do the key pressing.” , my son plays keyboard (predominately self taught – he has never had a piano lesson) and has made more than pieces as he goes. If it were ‘physically impossible” for the brain to work that far ahead of the fingers, how would any of us write? We don’t think what we write one letter or even one word at a time, we know what we want say and start writing it……
You also contradict yourself first you say “I think this bloke is doing exactly that..banging the keys in an almost random way” then you go on to state that “He would have to have had practised his performance several times prior to going on the show to (a) recognise what is not dissonant and (b) know what works as progression of notes so it can be perceived as ‘musical’. ” either you feel it was musical or ‘banging the keys in an almost random way” it can’t be both.
Being self taught, he is probably better able to hear the music in his head better than those with formal tuition as he will have learned to play by what sounds right.
Well done Chooka and shame on you Channel 7
judge dred. Take Mozart….He could write a whole score without mistake from start to finish. He could also hear a piece of music once and repeat it note for note, How does that equate to your impossible
Wow! The really amazing story here is that Grant Denyer is married to a small child. He says
“…and there were small children, including my wife, that were there at the time.”
If the director of Australia’s Got Talent had a Picasso, he’d quarter it and frame each part, claiming the value of the parts would be greater than that of the whole. He has no more clue what genius and true talent are than my pet rock. If Australians continue to permit foreigners to determine what constitutes talent in Australian, they deserve to be afflicted with fiascos like the Chooka affair last Tuesday. Surely, there must be three native Australian with the expertise to judge true talent and sit on the panel for Australia’s Got Talent to evaluate their countrymen and their abilities.
Sorry guys, one last comment. That excuse of Seven’s that Chookas performance had gone ‘over’ the allocated time is Lame. You’re telling me they can’t improvise? What, no creativity? How about you cut the crap in between. I’d way rather watch Chooka than listen to the judges um and aah over decisions – cut the blanks out of those moments rather!
/rant over.
All the best Chooka
What Jonno said is so true. AGT is over as of episode 16. The final will be a formality now, the spark is gone. And it’s not Chooka’s fault, we just saw a side of the producers that absolutely took the spark away.
@Kaz, you might be the only one. Anyone who actually plays music will realise just how much ear Chooka actually has. You dont just bang the piano and make it sound the way he does. Complimentary and contradictory melodies that just work… creschendo and de-creschendo… stunning stuff.
It’s totally regrettable that Seven saw fit to give its loyal viewers less than Chookas full performance especially since he was probably the biggest surprise the entire franchise has got since Susan Boyle.
He doesn’t have to be your cuppa tea to appreciate his wonderful and unique talent. Anyway, Chooka is young and it’s about live and learn. Hopefully it just makes him stronger, besides, farming trumps showbiz Every time. You can’t eat a good performance, the world needs more farmers and less hollywood.
Ed, it’s quite possible a neighbour or relative has a TV and told him about it. Just saying…
This is unbelievable. I love Chooka Parker and how do I write a complaint to Channel 7?
Kaz. agree completely. As a professionally trained music therapist , I think this bloke is doing exactly that..banging the keys in an almost random way, but he’s worked out that the adjacent keys are dissonent [or ‘don’t sound too good’ in bogan speak]. As for his claims that he makes it up as he goes, this is physically impossible as the brain cannot work that far ahead of the fingers that do the key pressing. Think of short term memory in reverse. you can only remember about 7 or 8 serial events in short term memory. Equally so, you can only randomly “play” a few piano keystrokes in advance at a time without learning it as a whole sequence of music. He would have to have had practised his performance several times prior to going on the show to (a) recognise what is not dissonant and (b) know what works as progression of notes so it can be perceived as ‘musical’. By his own admission the editor chopped out the key change so he definitely knew what he was going to play. Concert pianists practise and remember complete symphony scores in chunks, sometimes several hundred key presses in a row, along with timing and force nuances and it takes them thousands of hours to do it. Chooka is a fraud.
With all the talk about how he’s never watched TV or had a computer, how did he even know this show existed, or how to apply to be on it? Were there print ads as well? Just saying…
Unbelievable – even people who are supposed to be part of the 7 ‘family’ will get dragged through it for ratings / attention / dollars?
Gee the people who work at 7 must be half dead inside.
Chooka was so boring, I didn’t even notice an edit! I was cheering, however, when he was booted from the competition.
Thanks Chooka. It was a shame not everyone understood you. Talent will always win out. AGT is now only for semi professionals. This show was a must see all season but since they stabbed you and your fans in the back it lost its soul. RIP AGT.
Dear Grant Denyer,
You are a red hot muppet.
It’s so obvious that you get bullied by Kyle and Brian on that show.
Ps. Why are you sent to po dunk towns around the country? I get the feeling you get bullied by the sunrise producers too.
He was good at first but didn’t change up his act – he played it too safe and wasn’t as good as the other acts.
I like the guy but I’m not surprised he didn’t make it to the grand final. The Australian public agrees to, as he received the lowest number of votes last week.
Seems like Seven backstab the AGT performers if they speak out of line.
Welcome to the TV business.
I’m with Kaz. I thought he was crap. No structure at all and he can’t repeat a performance.
It definitely looks like a minor incident has been exaggerated to get more attention for AGT, which to me weakens the show, which didn’t need such things anyway.
Chooka was definitely talented, but after the first few performances, it just all seemed to be repetitive and uninspiring, which was what Brian was getting at when he chose Instant Bun.
He was told to keep to a time limit, which he didn’t, and his was one of the acts that could be edited to fit, so it happens.
Once again, one of those examples of people wanting to be a star, but not realising what it takes to be one.
It’s pretty unfair for producers to edit his performance, and if each contestant is allocated an amount of time to perform, why wasn’t that just enforced on the night? The editing must have been pretty good because I did not notice at all.
Chooka wasn’t my favourite contestant, but he isdefinately very talented. Grant Denyer should apologise for getting the facts wrong. Very poor treatment of a young person.
whats this, a TV station blowing something up to get more promotion, surly not, I dont beleive it for a second, not channel 7. they wouldnt do that. Its not as though they would also show this “story” on Today tonight. they never show this show on TT.
If the funds or know-how are available to produce and market your own content, then do it yourself and be the one that takes the lead. Otherwise, if you sign up to go on any of these sort of shows, you’re on their show and they’re giving you the spotlight. The producers have their own agenda as to how their shows pan out. Anyway, most contestants use these shows merely as a stepping stone to get exposure, and do so effectively.
Grant Denyer is married to a small child?
Am I the only one who didn’t see a prodigy when ‘Chooka’ sat down at the keyboard? All I could see was a bloke bangning on the keys???