Jack Karlson, the Australian who became a cult hero after his extraordinary arrest more than 30 years ago, has died aged 82.
News.com.au reported that Karlson (born Cecil George Edwards in 1942) died from prostate cancer on Wednesday (August 7) surrounded by his loved ones.
He had suffered from a wide range of other illnesses, including systemic inflammatory response syndrome.
His family told news.com.au: “He walked a full and colourful path and despite the troubles thrown at him, he lived by his motto — to keep on laughing.”
News.com.au also reported a documentary about Karlson, The Man who Ate a Succulent Chinese Meal, is under production. The film's director, Heath Davis, plans to release the documentary in early 2025.
So who was Karlson?
Read on to find out about this colourful character.
Who was Jack Karlson?
Karlson was involved in a widely publicised and dramatic incident in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley China Sea Restaurant. His arrest in October 1991 was notable for its spectacle and controversy.
In 2009, a video of this arrest went viral, bringing renewed attention to the event and Karlson's story. The incident remains significant in Australian pop culture and has continued to capture public interest.
In the footage, Karlson can be heard yelling at law enforcement officials: "What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?”Karlson consistently argued this was a mistaken identity, despite being charged with using a credit card that had been stolen.
“I’m under what? Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest!” Karlson goes on to say while he was being put under arrest, and then yells in an attempt to draw attention to a police officer, “See that chap over…. get your hand off my penis! This is the bloke who got me on the penis, people.”
He questioned a police officer who was waiting for him in the police car: “And you sir, are you waiting to receive my limp penis?” This famous statement inspired memes and other remixes with Batman and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
In a May 2021 interview with 7News, Karlson discussed the arrest and the meaning behind the phrase "democracy manifest”.
He said: “We’re supposed to be living in a democracy, and here they are dragging me out of a restaurant, halfway through a succulent Chinese meal. Well I thought, ‘Gentleman, this is democracy manifest’.”
“I thought, ‘well here’s an opportunity to prove my innocence. Because they’ve dragged me out, thinking I was some sort of international gangster, when I knew that I wasn’t,” on seeing the cameras and press waiting outside.
“So here’s a chance, for the camera, for the people of Australia, to let democracy manifest itself gloriously, and that’s why I carried on like that. Of course, I had been somewhat influenced by the juice of the great grape.”
Jack Karlson’s influence
Following the 2019 arrest of Australian campaigner Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, parallels were drawn with Karlson’s incident.
The viral video was sampled by Mac Miller (under his producing moniker, Larry Fisherman) for his instrumental mixtape Run-On Sentences, Volume Two released in 2015.
A Sydney opera centre hosted a performance of the the orchestral soundtrack to the footage in 2019.
Karlson's influence extends beyond his notoriety. The phrase “Democracy Manifest,” famously uttered by Karlson during his arrest, has entered Australian pop culture as a memorable and oft-repeated catchphrase. This phrase has been embraced and referenced in various media and public discourse, contributing to Karlson's lasting presence in the cultural lexicon.
"Democracy Manifest" is also the name of a horse trained by renowned Australian horse racing trainer Chris Waller and owned by Steve Allam. The horse gained prominence by winning the Catanach Jewellers Handicap at Randwick Racecourse on April 15, 2023.
