1 00:00:07,133 --> 00:00:10,453 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast 2 00:00:10,613 --> 00:00:14,413 Speaker 1: from News Talks at B Jack Team. 3 00:00:14,493 --> 00:00:18,613 Speaker 2: Of all the global stars to rise from this year's Olympics, 4 00:00:19,213 --> 00:00:23,213 Speaker 2: Simone Biles, Kay Ladecki, Dame Lisa Carrington, you would have 5 00:00:23,253 --> 00:00:27,013 Speaker 2: to say that thirty six year old Macquarie University lecturer 6 00:00:27,093 --> 00:00:33,013 Speaker 2: Rachel Gunn is perhaps the unlikeliest ray Gun as per 7 00:00:33,053 --> 00:00:37,013 Speaker 2: her stage name, is a true icon of these times. 8 00:00:37,053 --> 00:00:41,333 Speaker 2: Not because she competed in the most modern of Olympic sports, breaking, 9 00:00:41,813 --> 00:00:44,933 Speaker 2: but because, through the power of the Internet, her efforts 10 00:00:44,933 --> 00:00:50,453 Speaker 2: have become arguably the most recognizable of the entire Olympic Games. 11 00:00:51,373 --> 00:00:54,373 Speaker 2: If you haven't seen Raygun's performance, honestly, I don't know 12 00:00:54,373 --> 00:00:57,933 Speaker 2: where you've been. All I know is you definitely don't 13 00:00:57,973 --> 00:01:04,733 Speaker 2: have social media because the flood of clips and memes celebrating, remixing, 14 00:01:04,893 --> 00:01:10,333 Speaker 2: and or mocking her dancing has completely inundated every bite 15 00:01:10,573 --> 00:01:15,213 Speaker 2: of every feed on every platform. When most of us 16 00:01:15,293 --> 00:01:21,733 Speaker 2: think of breakdancing or breaking, we think of incredibly athletic 17 00:01:21,813 --> 00:01:26,013 Speaker 2: people spinning and twisting, you know, we think of spinning, headstands, 18 00:01:26,293 --> 00:01:31,693 Speaker 2: head slides, one handed, body freezers. Really good breaking is 19 00:01:31,733 --> 00:01:36,893 Speaker 2: basically just elite gymnastics set to hip hop, right, But 20 00:01:37,013 --> 00:01:41,173 Speaker 2: Raygun didn't do that stuff. She openly admits she can't 21 00:01:41,293 --> 00:01:44,973 Speaker 2: do that stuff. Instead, she did a range of well 22 00:01:45,133 --> 00:01:50,733 Speaker 2: pumps and thrusts that honestly wouldn't have been physically beyond 23 00:01:50,773 --> 00:01:54,093 Speaker 2: the reach of many of those people watching, you know, 24 00:01:54,173 --> 00:01:56,453 Speaker 2: for all those people who think that the Olympics would 25 00:01:56,493 --> 00:01:59,533 Speaker 2: be improved by having a mere mortal compete with the 26 00:01:59,573 --> 00:02:02,373 Speaker 2: elite athletes, you know, just to give you perspective on 27 00:02:02,773 --> 00:02:05,653 Speaker 2: how good those athletes really are. I think anyone who 28 00:02:05,653 --> 00:02:10,253 Speaker 2: saw a Gun's signature move the kangaroo would have to 29 00:02:10,293 --> 00:02:13,973 Speaker 2: agree that, yeah, yep, this was that. Part of me, 30 00:02:15,453 --> 00:02:19,013 Speaker 2: part of me really admires her chutzpa. Just imagine for 31 00:02:19,053 --> 00:02:23,413 Speaker 2: a moment, having the confidence to go to the Olympic Games, 32 00:02:23,573 --> 00:02:26,533 Speaker 2: to go to the Olympics, only to pull out a 33 00:02:26,613 --> 00:02:30,413 Speaker 2: dance routine reminiscent of Jack Tame at the Grumpy Mole 34 00:02:30,573 --> 00:02:36,133 Speaker 2: circa two thousand and three. It's unbelievable. Internet culture has 35 00:02:36,493 --> 00:02:40,293 Speaker 2: a way of fixating on a person or a moment, 36 00:02:40,853 --> 00:02:44,253 Speaker 2: you know, with kind of maximum intensity, right, only to 37 00:02:44,333 --> 00:02:47,253 Speaker 2: then move on in a couple of days time and 38 00:02:47,373 --> 00:02:51,093 Speaker 2: the public shaming aspect you would have to say, would 39 00:02:51,133 --> 00:02:55,333 Speaker 2: be very hard for anyone to endure, no matter their confidence. 40 00:02:55,853 --> 00:02:58,373 Speaker 2: Ray Gun is a global icon this week, but soon 41 00:02:58,493 --> 00:03:01,213 Speaker 2: enough the internet will move on. I'll tell you what, though, 42 00:03:02,373 --> 00:03:05,933 Speaker 2: I think there will be one enduring impact from Raygun's performance. 43 00:03:06,493 --> 00:03:09,693 Speaker 2: I stumbled across a clip earlier this week that caught 44 00:03:09,733 --> 00:03:14,613 Speaker 2: my eye. It was of a ridiculously good breaker twisting 45 00:03:14,733 --> 00:03:17,813 Speaker 2: and springing and you know, kind of spinning like a 46 00:03:17,973 --> 00:03:20,413 Speaker 2: like a like a gymnast on a pommel horse, right, 47 00:03:20,453 --> 00:03:22,533 Speaker 2: except he was doing it on the ground. He did 48 00:03:22,573 --> 00:03:26,853 Speaker 2: this backwards worm, so he sort of tumbled back towards 49 00:03:26,853 --> 00:03:30,733 Speaker 2: the ground and seemingly bent his body against the direction 50 00:03:31,453 --> 00:03:34,133 Speaker 2: that all of his limbs open and closed. It was amazing, 51 00:03:34,293 --> 00:03:37,773 Speaker 2: Like it was really amazing. Who is this? Where is this? 52 00:03:37,853 --> 00:03:41,093 Speaker 2: I wondered, and then I realized it was the Olympics. 53 00:03:41,853 --> 00:03:47,533 Speaker 2: Raygun's performance was so extraordinary it has completely overshadowed the 54 00:03:47,573 --> 00:03:51,413 Speaker 2: medalists in her sport. So many more people have seen 55 00:03:51,453 --> 00:03:56,533 Speaker 2: the kangaroo than have seen the actual winning performances. Can 56 00:03:56,573 --> 00:04:01,693 Speaker 2: you name an Olympic breakdancing medalist? It's funny, right, You 57 00:04:01,733 --> 00:04:05,573 Speaker 2: remember the IOC said openly they wanted to bring new 58 00:04:05,613 --> 00:04:08,333 Speaker 2: audiences to the Games, and that was part of the 59 00:04:08,373 --> 00:04:10,653 Speaker 2: reason they chose to include breaking. You would have to 60 00:04:10,693 --> 00:04:14,253 Speaker 2: say Breaking has certainly done that, just not in the 61 00:04:14,333 --> 00:04:17,733 Speaker 2: way that the IOC probably anticipated. And if they are 62 00:04:17,773 --> 00:04:23,173 Speaker 2: weighing up breaking's inclusion in any future games, the fact 63 00:04:23,213 --> 00:04:26,293 Speaker 2: that very few of us will recall more than a 64 00:04:26,293 --> 00:04:29,973 Speaker 2: plucky Aussie and a tucked in tracksuit does not bode 65 00:04:30,013 --> 00:04:32,813 Speaker 2: well for the Olympic future of the sport. 66 00:04:38,933 --> 00:04:42,053 Speaker 1: For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live 67 00:04:42,133 --> 00:04:45,293 Speaker 1: to News Talks B from nine am Saturday, or follow 68 00:04:45,333 --> 00:04:46,933 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.