Billy T James: Masters student gets an A for his thesis on the Māori ‘superstar’

Billy T in 1985. Photo / New Zealand Herald

By Kelvin McDonald of Whakaata Maori

Masters student Dan Burgess (Ngā Puhi) has just completed the first-ever scholarly examination of the comedy of Billy T James, receiving an A grade for his thesis on the much-loved Māori comedian.

Burgess, 26, who lives in Greymouth and studied for his Master of Arts degree through Massey University’s distance learning programme, says his research was a way to begin thinking about what constitutes Māori humour and how humour can be used by Māori in popular entertainment.

“James performed in a Pākehā-led industry to a majority Pākehā audience, which meant he had to make his comedy accessible to Pākehā within an established production format. However, as a Māori person, James’ identity allowed for further political and cultural meanings in his comedy, including an ability to speak to racism and the process of colonisation in Aotearoa New Zealand.”

Burgess says Billy T’s success came at a time when the country was ready for a “superstar” Māori entertainer.

Master of Arts student Dan Burgess (Ngā Puhi), at his 2019 graduation, has written his thesis on Billy T James. Photo / Supplied

“As evident by interviews he gave, James was aware that his comedy was well-suited as a descendant of the Māori oral traditions, which he implemented in a highly performative, communicative and engaging manner. In this way, he became part of the lineage of entertainment while he navigated and shared his cultural history and lineage with a broad audience in an accessible and humorous fashion.”

Billy T had a way of disarming audiences and getting his messages across through humour, says Burgess.

“Billy was able to make comedy out of Hone Heke chopping down the British flag at Kororāreka in 1845, utilise te reo Māori on a show viewed by a million people that was contemporary to the ‘Kia ora Incident’ of 1984, and comment on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the colonisation of Māori, sociological problems among Māori and racism within Aotearoa New Zealand. The majority of the audience were those who would not listen to these issues if not for the medium of comedy.”

Burgess hopes his research brings a more nuanced understanding of Billy T and his comedy - and fills a gap in the early days of Aotearoa comedy research.

“It’s a reminder that James’ comedy’s political and cultural meanings were significant to Māori representation and culture at its time, and I still hope today. These contributions should be remembered alongside the memories of laughter he created through his loveable comic charm.”

Burgess began his master’s thesis in 2021 and now plans to study for a PhD looking at “the societal, cultural and political aesthetics of Māori production and performance, and the public discourse around comedy and humour in Aotearoa.”

No doubt Billy T James will come up a few times, he says.

You can read Burgess’ master’s thesis here.