'Bart's People' / Put Bart on the Door
We spoke to the anonymous admins of the ultimate Melbourne meme page @Putbartonthedoor - an Instagram account that paints a humorous and often satirical portrait of band-bros, dating culture and venues of the city’s inner North using characters from the Simpsons.
Tell us a little bit about @putbartonthedoor and how it began...
It’s basically a Simpsons meme page taking the piss out of Melbourne specifically but also just music-dude-bro culture in general, which just happens to be very concentrated in the inner North of Melbourne. It’s not only focused on venues, bands and the general music scene but also inner city living and modern dating culture.
It honestly started out just as a silly bit of banter to one another, and then we thought, whatever, let’s just make a page for all these dumb memes- we had no idea it would blow up so quickly/or even be funny to so many other people.
What has the feedback been so far on your account?
Overwhelmingly positive, we have had so much support. People just find it really relatable and I think find some degree of solace in it because of that.
What have people been telling you about how the account relates to their lives and/or has impacted on their lives?
That they relate to it, it makes their day, they feel heard/seen, but also a lot of people have said it’s made them re-evaluate and recognise their shitty behaviour, reflect on their choices etc.
We are basically calling out things most are aware of but no one else seems to want to talk about, obviously with a strong hue of humour to soften the confrontational aspect haha.
Could you give us some insight into this band bro culture, and/or what toxicity you think lies within those Northside schticks and the folds of middle class inner Melbourne?
Well, essentially the account is from the perspective of two women who aren’t in bands, just attend heaps of gigs, so from our perspective we see a lot of the lack in diversity and the shitty exclusiveness of it all. I don't think the scene is as open, safe and welcoming as people in it/or even interstate maybe like to believe or perceive it as, which is why I think so many people find it funny/relatable.
You bring up the phenomenon of ghosting that has come up a lot with the introduction of online dating apps. Is there anything else about Melbourne dating and/or casual sex culture that you bring up in your content and want to explore?
I guess we’ve copped our fair share of shitty experiences with the kinds of cliche men we make jokes out of, ghosting in particular is something good to shine light onto because I don’t think people recognise that it doesn’t go unnoticed and it really affects people.
I think people just see one another in a romantic/intimate way with this idea that they’re disposable given how easy it is to download an app and start talking to someone else.
The other thing we would love to point out as a side note is that Melbourne it literally so incestuous in terms of the dating scene! We probably haven’t made enough jokes out of that.
Is there anything you would like to say to your audience members?
To the straight cis men who feel “personally attacked” by every post- be better, reevaluate yourself, be less shit. We overhear of a lot of men thinking posts are directly about them, often people we don't even know- and it's super funny to us because they're just all stereotypes really and the reason the posts do so well is because they are cliches, everyone knows at least one.
And to the straight women who relate, let’s fkn raise the bar of our expectations. And, also remember the mantra: self love is not dating a musician.
The Simpsons seems to be this kind of universally recognised symbol - I’ve seen comments of people outside of Melbourne who can still relate to the content. Was this your intention initially?
It wasn’t necessarily the intention despite it working greatly in our favour; it was more or less because it’s just such an endless goldmine of content and very accessible, not to mention it’s comedic which is the tone of the page and our content.
There also seems to be this hectic acute understanding of the ins and outs of various pubs and clubs around Melbourne. What do those spaces mean to you and why do you want to reflect them in your content?
I guess we spend a lot of our time on sticky pub floors, it’s the context we mostly exist in. These venues are often the containers so to speak where this kind of behaviour is most prominent and concentrated.
Is there a @putbartonthedoor meme that you think accurately reflects the people behind this account?
A lot of the tragic ones regarding dating loser men to be honest. There's a few that are greatly taking the piss out of ourselves tbh.
Do you think you’ll do a reveal anytime soon?
We don’t think so, the anonymity kind of makes it fun for us. It’s also got more meaning if we are anonymous because otherwise the focus would be more on us and the content might be perceived as more personal, which it isn't really- we want to keep it relatable to everyone.
Tell us a bit about the submissions that you have been dm’d and what it’s like receiving them since the account began.
We have so much fun viewing the submissions and have just had so much support from everyone. We love how quickly everyone seemed to grasp the idea/concept and how brilliant majority of the submissions are.
Be sure to check out their zesty content here
Interview by Athina Wilson