Corey Worthington Is an Australian Boy and an American Metaphor
Sometimes I wonder why there are so many amazing young adult novelists working in Australia. (I mean, to name but a few: Markus Zusak, Sonya Hartnett, Melina Marchetta, Justine Larbalestier, Margo Lanagan, and 2008 Printz honoree Judith Clarke.)
Right now I am thinking that maybe Australia has so many amazing YA novelists because Australia has so many amazing teenagers. Ladies and gentlemen, meet 16-year-old Corey Delaney:
(Thanks, Lindsay! And thanks, Radar!)
To answer your questions:
1. Yes, he is for real.
2. No, I am not going to say whether I think Corey Delaney is amazingly good or amazingly bad. I am just going to say that I think he is amazing. I think he distills what is important and hilarious and tragic about contemporary adolescence. Corey Delaney is the reason Scott Westerfeld had to write Extras.
3. Yes, I agree that the newscaster is kind of a square. I mean, doesn't she get it? HIS GLASSES ARE FAMOUS. WHY WOULD HE TAKE OFF THE FAMOUS GLASSES?
posted by John Green @ Wednesday, January 16, 2008
41 Comments
41 Comments:
Brilliant! What a clash between world views. I don't know Australian TV but it seems like she's doing her best "Nancy Grace" here but to fundamentally nice to really channel Nancy.
A YA character but do you think he's a YA reader?
Oh my goodness, what a horrible kid! I'm with the news caster. This kid's a prick to rival the kids I went to high school with. My god.
Whoa! I read the news story this morning. I was not expecting to see that he is so non-repentant though.
Thanks for posting this. Very interesting.
holy hills of laughter...
That's amazing! I'm not only amazed by the content, but that it was on TV. I am amazed that he agreed to do an interview. I'm amazed that the reporter was acting so much like a mother.
Now, I must say, I agree with her, and she pretty much pwned him, but I'm just...
amazed. Flabbergasted. Amazing. (You can see now why I'm not a writer :))
this happened in my city (albeit in a suburb that i don't think i've ever been to), and the media has just gone NUTS.
i reckon he should only apologise when Perky Blonde Newsreader apologises for being part of a quite ridiculous media frenzy that TOTALLY VALIDATED what the kid did and MADE HIM FAMOUS.
(and she is kind of a square. i mean, the kid's a little shit, but he's a teenager. what's her excuse?)
I love how his famous yellow glases match his hair. I think that he is now my fashion icon.
Hey John. I actually watched that when it was on "A Current Affair". Yes, he is somewhat of a hero. But he is also a complete and utter tosser. Although I hate that reporter, and ACA is pretty much a major joke in Australia, I do still think he could have made some sort of apology. But his glasses are awesome, that's why they're famous
bravo to him for being who he is; and let us not forget he is only 16. I think missy media should cringe at herself when she watches that piece back. She was suppose to interview the kid not mother or chastise, let alone attack his personal style. This naturally begs the questions:
the news? really? how responsible it that of the media to cover this and glorify it?
But wow, would I not want to be that kid when he finally takes that call from ma and pa. I wonder if they think the glasses are as famous?
LOL... good post j...
keeley/pineapplegrassbracelet...
ps: yes, my friend had a similar party that made the front of the local newspaper ala Corey. Hence the sympathy. Kids will be kids.
*shakes head*
That newscaster was such a pain. I'd get my hackles up too if someone was browbeating me on TV like that. Anyhow, thinks like that snowball out of control and there's nothing you can do about it, so I don't think it's Corey's fault entirely. I guess the cops recognized that partly, since they told him to stay inside so he didn't get in any trouble while they cleared the streets.
Man, nothing beats the power of teenaged ego and false bravado, though. Unless it be a two year grounding when his parents get home.
he's in enough trouble already without a silly woman trying to embarrass him on TV. i mean, he's a kid. he's obviously got really bad judgement - the fact he agreed to appear on tv is really bad judgement. she's a media pro. the interview was exploitative.
I'm sorry, but I thought this kid was hilarious. Of course his parents probably don't think so. It seems he apologized to them, but at the same time he refuses to apologize for who he is. Is he obnoxious? Sure, a little. Is he immature? Definitely. But he's a teenager, he's young, hopefully he'll grow up one day and realize what happened was serious. Either that or he'll have a kid that puts him through hell.
Oh my god! hahahaha, WOW!
That kid is truly amazing. I'm going to slink on over to the "amazingly bad" side of the room. I should show this video to my parents, so they realize how good they had it when I was a teenager!
That boy is definitely a piece of work, but the newsperson is a prig. It's amazing to watch a clip that made me want to shake the kid and smack the adult both at the same time.
Hi John,
I hope you read your comments. It is funny what you find when you google yourself. The name has changed but, the song remains the same. Wanted to get in touch with you and found this the only way to do it. I don't think I really said "I am trying to be attracted to you but, it's not working". Really? The cutest Cure fan comment was kind of awesome though.
-Davonne
Question: Where the hell does the reporter think a teenager is going to get $20,000 any time soon?
Mostly, I find it amazing he's talking to the media, but won't pick up the phone when his parents call. That'd probably piss me off that much more when I got home.
wow...this is one of those kids that just drive me up the wall. There are just no words for how much he lacks respect for so many things...
The title says Corey Worthington, but later you call him Corey Delaney. A Fruedian slip, perhaps? Or maybe it's a coded message revealing that you've been taken captive somewhere in Australia?
Whatever his last name, though, Corey is definately amazing. In an oh-that's-why-I'll-never-have-kids kind of way.
This is classic media coverage. You know that interviewer was a popular queen bee in highschool who thought God had appointed her in charge of everyone beneath her-which obviously means everyone in general, since no one is as great and perfect as she is. That was the worst "interview" I've ever seen. I like that he never once played into her hands or bowed to her ridiculous, self-righteous whims.
I'm adding this to the list of reasons why I love Australians. They are just that cool.
I love the way we all see different things in this interview. I agre with Lili, the kid's a little shit but I liked him a lot more than that interviewer. She totally lost control of the interview to a media-savvy teenager. I couldn't stop laughing all the way through it.
The whole thing is kinda funny and kinda sad too. Weird fact about Australia: Did you know it is mandatory to vote? Sorry but this whole thing made me think about that for some reason.
yep, voting is mandatory here. you get a fine if you don't show up.
the latest in the corey saga is:
1. he's been offered a job as a party host by a BIG melbourne PR firm.
2. the child porn thing is a bit of a misleader-- the boys used their mobile phones to video some drunk girlfriends playing twister in their underwear. it wasn't distributed or anything.
3. some OTHER kid who has never met corey rang up a US radio station prentending to be him and got a 20 minute interview listened to by 40 million-odd americans.
Anonymous-
his full name i think is
Corey Worthington Delaney.(or something like that)
so John acctually wasn't making a mistake
When i first watched this video last week, I nearly died. The newscaster tried so hard to get him to be a good kid, and there's no way that was happening. But hey, you can't blame him for being honest... "Get me to do it.... Best party... Everyone's talking about it!"
Hoooohahaha!! "Famous glasses"! Well, they sure are famous now that they've put him on the news and made them famous!!
And you should not take off your famous glasses, either, John. I like yours better, anyway.
Ahhhh, the awkwardness of that... sigh. "Extras" type writing, indeed - and it wasn't fiction! Wow. Nice how he managed to show off his nipple ring on national television, though. Ha.
"Hiro hadn't been a bubblehead very long; he'd turned sixteen only a few months before the mind-rain had arrived and cured the pretties. He liked to claim that those months had been awful -- as if being shallow and vain was such a stretch for him. But he never denied that the parties had been awesome.
Perfect.
John, you might find it interesting that "The book thief" is being sold as an adult novel in Spain. And, com to think of it, the only reason I can think of why, should "Looking for Alaska" or "An abundance of Katherines" be published in Spain, they would be targeted towards young adults would be the fact that their main characters are teenagers. If Miles and Colin were children, those books would be immediatly whisked to the "general" shelf.
I couldn't say exactly why, but the publishing business (in Spain, at least) seems to be warding off teenagers as a literary collective. That is why I am so weary of the labels "children's", "teens'" and "adult" literature. Like Dan Brown could ever pull a Roald Dahl.
its not such a big surprise. he is from narre warren. narre warren was created for the amazing people of australia to do amazing things like this.
it's a surprise that there isn't a whole lot more people living there.
and who leaves their 16 year old kid at home alone when they go on holidays? especially if he looks like that.
i definitely support people in refusing to take off famous glasses.
but. he kind of reminds me of the drunk guy who randomly walked into my room a few hours ago trying to dodge trouble from my floor's r.a., and then proceeded to a) call me a terrorist, under the assumption that i'm muslim, and b) clarify that he was just trying to say that in general, mulims are terrorists. ugh.
it's just random association, but i guess i'm just getting kind of sick of the whole partying-is-the-only-important-thing-to-be-good-at mentality.
This kid is unbelievable. I don't know whether to be in shock or laugh my head off. "I don't want to take off my glasses because they're famous." He is in so much trouble especially after his parents see the news clip.
Damn... This made world news? Please do not judge our country's journalistic integrity by the mediocre Joke of A Current Affair. They are the butt of every comedians joke -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgzaFDITo4o
Lol. Corey really makes me feel ashamed that I am a teenager in Australia.
I must now go read Extras by Scott Westerfeld...my sister got it for Christmas but I haven't gotten round to borrowing it off her yet!
I'm an adult with a 7 year old boy, and honestly, I commend that rotten punk. Not for his lack of judgement and obvious disregard for authority- which he will hopefully grow out of as he becomes an adult himself, but for his sense of individuality and sense of style. I'm glad he didn't let the horrible reporter push him around. Those glasses ARE famous. :) And, he DID apologize. He said he had previously apologized and then also offered to do it again on camera, until the authoritarian reporter demanded he lose the glasses..
Keep it real, party guy! Just one piece of advice... no more big parties.
I thought that this was an interesting clip. The kid was a little bit of a jerk, but being as i'm a sixteen year old myself i can see why he acted the way he did. I give him kudos for refusing to take responsibility for the parts that weren't his fault (he did take responsibility for throwing the party) and for standing up against a harpy newscaster.
Btw, i noticed that he was all ready to apoligize until she asked him to take of his shades. =D
Ohhh that is hilarious.
It was hilarious the day after, it was hilarious when he was hired by a party firm, it was hilarious when aca "interviewed" him and it was hilarious when everyone started arguing over whether it was his fault or not.
Seriously.. My aunt and cousin were having a major fight over whether or not is was his fault.
My cousin (who is a teenager much like myself) obviously thinks it wasn't his fault. Then again... She was invited to that party. Too bad she didn't go, huh?
Yeah.. Go Melbournians. Slash.. Narre Warrenians...
Hahahaha
Corey. Putting Australia on the map as the country for idiotic teenagers and patronizing "news" reporting fags.
We rock. Not.
p.s. I love the chasers. Best show.
I feel ashamed to say this but I am an Australia teen. Who lives in Victoria. Who used to live in Narre Warren, in the same housing estate!
For the last 3 years I've had to explain where Narre Warren is to anyone who asks, but know people in America know where it is.
From now on, I used to live in Berwick.
I'm to ashamed to even use my real name...
i grew up about 15 minutes away from the suburb this happened at (Narre Warren). whilst normally I'd agree with many of you in regards that hes just a kid and didnt deserve the wrap he copped, the problem is in this case i don't.
like i said, i grew up in the area and trust me, every party i went to that got crashed by "kids" (which is really a broad term for the 12-30 year old dregs) from narre warren always ended up a bloody (literal) mess. indeed there is a strong culture there of senseless gatecrashing with baseball bats and other weapons merely for the sake of inciting violence. back in the day my own 16th had a number of carloads of 25+yr olds all liquored up denied entry, most of which from narre warren.
my point is, his attitude at the end of his interview points that he wont "grow out of it". Him and his friends will continue on in their moronic existence making life difficult for everyone else because they think its fun.
I love Corey! I have a picture of him on my myspace under "Heroes." Im surprised she didn't say anything about him having no shirt!
I have to commend him on being unapologetic about the glasses and general attaire (even though open shirt + nipple piercing = bleck.)
It's hard to judge, though, just how much I should be disgusted with him for his attitude. Watching the vid, he seems like a cocky, self-satisfied jerk. Sort of like the jocks in my high school. But is he being a jerk just as a reaction to the fallout for his party, or is he a generally horrid monster of a kid? I can understand why he would have a bad attitude in reaction to the newscaster's interview/witch hunt.
My friends in high school would have pitched a fit over being charged $20,000 for the trouble their partygoers caused, and I might have stood behind them. My friends were all about not getting pissed on just cuz they're young (and, yes, sometimes that went overboard)
I think ultimately, though, my reaction rests on the fact that he really has no visible remorse for the trouble he caused. for his parents embarassment, damage to neighbor's property, etc. There's a huge difference between saying sorry and being remorseful. I don't think he cares about anyone else enough to be capable of remorse at this point.
ha! this made me laugh sooo much. i cant believe that was on the news.
why do people have such a problem with his attitude? its hilarious how much he really dosnt care, i mean, how often do you come across someone whos this big prick and then ends up being interviewed on the news?
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