THE MIND EXPANDING UNIVERSE OF BIG LEZ

A couple of months ago, my friend Scott asked if I'd ever watched Big Lez. I confirmed that not only had I not seen it, I had absolutely no awareness of it whatsoever. He didn't give too much away, other than to say that I should watch it because I'd like it. He was absolutely right.

Big Lez is Australian in origin, an animated web show launched in 2012. The majority of the work is credited to Jarrard Wright, who conceived and scripts the show, draws and animates it, provides most of the voices and does the music. An initially crude but brilliantly DIY affair, Wright drew and coloured the show in (of all things) Microsoft Paint and then animated the frames using stop-motion. At the beginning, he even used a free laptop provided by the Australian government when they were trying to promote greater computer literacy. Refinements in technology have progressively made the presentation smoother and more sophisticated, but it remains rambunctiously rough and ready in a slick and seamless world. Indeed, that quality is an important part of its appeal.

The Big Lez Show (and the Big Lez Universe - there have been five spin off series so far) centres around Brown Town, a quintessentially rural coastal place that is home not only to hard living Aussie blokes (there are virtually no women in the series) but also to aliens and ancient interdimensional beings, mainly Anthropoidipes Ameriborealis, i.e. Sasquatches. They all live together in raucous and mutually supportive harmony. A massive amount of drugs are consumed. I mean, all of the time. Side quests include an ongoing war with crazed invasive mutants, skateboarding, surfing and sugar gliding tournaments, and lots of gun play. It's preposterous, surreal, violent, foul mouthed - but also good-natured and extremely funny.

If you want a gentle wade into the warm waters of Big Lez, try Donny & Clarence. It will surprise you how quickly you stop wondering why a balding Sasquatch and a green guy with a head like a jacket potato are doing in the Outback, let alone running a convenience store. Just go with it, it will more than repay your suspension of disbelief.

If you want to just dive in at the deep end, start with Sassy The Sasquatch. This series provides an origin story to one of the Big Lez Universes best loved characters, an immortal, permanently stoned Big Foot who moves aimlessly through time and space for millions of years before finding a home in Brown Town. This series is both hilarious and genuinely profound - like all great mythologies, it says something important about the human condition. 

I've been totally converted, and now I'm obsessed enough to start tapping on doors and spreading the word. Next chance you get, investigate further, you'll be doing yourself a big favour, mate.