S.mouse
Encyclopedia
Shwayne Booth Jr., better known mononymously as S.mouse (later as S.mouse!), is a fictional character
from the Australian mockumentary
series, Angry Boys
. The character is portrayed by Chris Lilley
, and has appeared in Angry Boys since the second episode. He is an African American
rapper
who lives in Calabasas, California
. In the second episode, S.mouse is introduced as the rapper who just released the biggest selling hip-hop
single of all time, "Slap My Elbow". Later in the show, S.mouse is put under house arrest at his parent's home for two months, after defecating on a police car in the video
for his single "Poo on You". He also gets dropped from his record label after another one of his music videos, Grandmother Fucker, receives many complaints.
S.mouse has received a mixed response from critics. Paul Kalina of The Sydney Morning Herald
has written that "S.mouse is arguably the new show's weakest incarnation", while Rowen Dean of ABC Online
describes him as "Eminem
meets Ali G
meets Snoop Dogg
".
single of all time, "Slap My Elbow". S.mouse tries to reinvent himself. He defies his record label contract and releases his self-penned YouTube
released "Poo on You", in which the music video sees S.mouse defecating on a police car. He later makes an online apology to his fans and is put under house arrest at his parent's home for two months. S.mouse receives a demo
from his manager Larry, and he expresses great dislike of the track. He then decides to release a new single called "Grandmother Fucker". The music video for the song features an appearance by S.mouse's grandmother, which angers his father Shwayne Senior (Richard Lawson). S.mouse later receives a phone call from his manager that he has been dropped from his record label due to the video receiving so many complaints.
S.mouse decides to create his own music for his new album, The Real Me. The album will be released independently and is executively produced
by his best friend Danthony (Clyde Boraine). S.mouse had originally planned to feature Barbadian
singer Rihanna
on his new song, "Big Black Balls", however it features his girlfriend Lasquisha (Kristin Dione Metoyer) instead. S.mouse completes his community service
by performing his new songs to an unimpressed audience of children at an elementary school
. Lasquisha tells him that they don't know him and he'll already be forgotten once his house arrest is over. S.mouse goes to the mall, even though he is not allowed to leave the house, to prove that he is still famous. However, no one cares that he is there and when Lasquisha asks people if they know him, they say no. When they arrive home, a parole officer tightens the security on S.mouse's ankle monitor
. If he walks out the gate, he will be electrocuted. S.mouse spends the afternoon writing a new song called "Whack My Knee" and Lasquisha comes up with a dance craze for the song. During a photo shoot for his new album, The Real Me, a paparazzi helicopter secretly takes photos of S.mouse shirtless and puts them online, claiming that he has become fat. S.mouse later finds out that Lasquisha has dumped him, as she does not want to be associated with someone believed to be fat. S.mouse launches his new album at a club in Los Angeles to a crowd who are less than pleased. He writes a new song called "Squashed Nigga
", based on Daniel's story about an Aborigine
child named Wally who was crushed by a truck. S.mouse decides to sing the song instead of rapping it, and re-invents himself under the performing name, Shwayne Jr.
. In an interview with Ralph magazine, Lilley revealed it was difficult and tricky to play S.mouse due to the hip-hop
music, working with American actors and pretending to be a black person in an American family. Discussing his character in an interview with The Vine, Lilley said,
expressed the opinion that he contained some of Jonah Takalua
's DNA, but also "found him plain annoying although his impending house arrest might pique interest." Paul Kalina of The Sydney Morning Herald
wrote that "S.mouse is arguably the new show's weakest incarnation, being someone we've already seen in sketch shows and whose cultural baggage doesn't register as sharply as Lilley's local characters do." Rowen Dean of ABC Online
described the character as "Eminem
meets Ali G
meets Snoop Dog". Eleanor Morgan of The Guardian
compared S.mouse to the Jamaican woman in David Walliams
' series Come Fly with Me
, stating he "isn't offensive in the way David Walliams... makes his character's ethnicity the punchline, whereas Lilley has created a ridiculous character who just happens to be black." Ruth Margolis of TV.com
wrote, "... it's not clear whether his accent is intentionally awful or whether he just hasn't mastered it in time for filming. Whatever the case, S.mouse doesn't quite work. He's not layered like Lilley's other creations".
", have been released as singles, available for digital download
on the Australian iTunes Store
. "Slap My Elbow" entered the ARIA Singles Chart
and the ARIA Urban Singles Chart; it peaked at numbers thirty-seven and thirteen, respectively. In the United Kingdom, "Slap My Elbow" debuted at number 139 on the UK Singles Chart
on August 13, 2011, and "Squashed Nigga" debuted at number 151 on August 20, 2011.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the Australian mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
series, Angry Boys
Angry Boys
Angry Boys is an Australian television mockumentary series written by and starring Chris Lilley. Continuing the mockumentary style of his previous series, the show explores the issues faced by young males in the 21st century – their influences, their pressures, their dreams and ambitions...
. The character is portrayed by Chris Lilley
Chris Lilley (comedian)
-External links:****...
, and has appeared in Angry Boys since the second episode. He is an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
who lives in Calabasas, California
Calabasas, California
Calabasas is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California in the western United States. It is located in the hills in the southwestern San Fernando Valley and the Santa Monica Mountains between Woodland Hills, Agoura Hills, West Hills, and Malibu, California. As of the 2010 census, the city...
. In the second episode, S.mouse is introduced as the rapper who just released the biggest selling hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
single of all time, "Slap My Elbow". Later in the show, S.mouse is put under house arrest at his parent's home for two months, after defecating on a police car in the video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for his single "Poo on You". He also gets dropped from his record label after another one of his music videos, Grandmother Fucker, receives many complaints.
S.mouse has received a mixed response from critics. Paul Kalina of The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
has written that "S.mouse is arguably the new show's weakest incarnation", while Rowen Dean of ABC Online
ABC Online
ABC Online is the brand name in Australia for the online services of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, managed by ABC Innovation. It covers a large network of websites including those for ABC News, television, radio, and video-on-demand through ABC iView.ABC Online is one of Australia's...
describes him as "Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
meets Ali G
Ali G
Ali G is a satirical fictional character invented and performed by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Originally appearing on Channel 4's Eleven O'Clock show, Ali G is the title character of Channel 4's Da Ali G Show, original episodes of which aired in 2000 and on HBO in 2003–2004, and is the...
meets Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
".
Storylines
S.mouse is introduced as the rapper who just released the biggest selling hip-hopHip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
single of all time, "Slap My Elbow". S.mouse tries to reinvent himself. He defies his record label contract and releases his self-penned YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
released "Poo on You", in which the music video sees S.mouse defecating on a police car. He later makes an online apology to his fans and is put under house arrest at his parent's home for two months. S.mouse receives a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
from his manager Larry, and he expresses great dislike of the track. He then decides to release a new single called "Grandmother Fucker". The music video for the song features an appearance by S.mouse's grandmother, which angers his father Shwayne Senior (Richard Lawson). S.mouse later receives a phone call from his manager that he has been dropped from his record label due to the video receiving so many complaints.
S.mouse decides to create his own music for his new album, The Real Me. The album will be released independently and is executively produced
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
by his best friend Danthony (Clyde Boraine). S.mouse had originally planned to feature Barbadian
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
singer Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
on his new song, "Big Black Balls", however it features his girlfriend Lasquisha (Kristin Dione Metoyer) instead. S.mouse completes his community service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
by performing his new songs to an unimpressed audience of children at an elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
. Lasquisha tells him that they don't know him and he'll already be forgotten once his house arrest is over. S.mouse goes to the mall, even though he is not allowed to leave the house, to prove that he is still famous. However, no one cares that he is there and when Lasquisha asks people if they know him, they say no. When they arrive home, a parole officer tightens the security on S.mouse's ankle monitor
Ankle monitor
An ankle monitor is a device that individuals under house arrest are often required to wear. At timed intervals, the ankle monitor sends a radio frequency signal containing location and other information to a receiver. If an offender moves outside of an allowed range, the police will be notified...
. If he walks out the gate, he will be electrocuted. S.mouse spends the afternoon writing a new song called "Whack My Knee" and Lasquisha comes up with a dance craze for the song. During a photo shoot for his new album, The Real Me, a paparazzi helicopter secretly takes photos of S.mouse shirtless and puts them online, claiming that he has become fat. S.mouse later finds out that Lasquisha has dumped him, as she does not want to be associated with someone believed to be fat. S.mouse launches his new album at a club in Los Angeles to a crowd who are less than pleased. He writes a new song called "Squashed Nigga
Squashed Nigga
"Squashed Nigga" is a song performed by fictional character, S.mouse , of the Australian television series Angry Boys...
", based on Daniel's story about an Aborigine
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
child named Wally who was crushed by a truck. S.mouse decides to sing the song instead of rapping it, and re-invents himself under the performing name, Shwayne Jr.
Development
S.mouse is portrayed by comedian Chris LilleyChris Lilley (comedian)
-External links:****...
. In an interview with Ralph magazine, Lilley revealed it was difficult and tricky to play S.mouse due to the hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
music, working with American actors and pretending to be a black person in an American family. Discussing his character in an interview with The Vine, Lilley said,
"The world of S.mouse is not my world – I don't know people like that. I know about the world of hip-hop because I'm interested in that kind of music but I wanted to show that world in a different way, not just present all the usual clichés. I wanted it to be a genuine story about a genuine guy. But being in that make-up, speaking that way and interacting with the black actors who played my family... it was very far-removed from anything I'm used to."
Reception
The character received mixed reviews from critics. After S.mouse's first appearance on Angry Boys, Larissa Dubecki of The AgeThe Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
expressed the opinion that he contained some of Jonah Takalua
Jonah Takalua
Jonah Takalua is one of three main fictional characters on the Australian mockumentary series Summer Heights High played by Chris Lilley. Jonah is the only one of the three main characters in Summer Heights High to debut in the mockumentary, with Ja'mie and Mr. G appearing in Chris Lilley's...
's DNA, but also "found him plain annoying although his impending house arrest might pique interest." Paul Kalina of The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
wrote that "S.mouse is arguably the new show's weakest incarnation, being someone we've already seen in sketch shows and whose cultural baggage doesn't register as sharply as Lilley's local characters do." Rowen Dean of ABC Online
ABC Online
ABC Online is the brand name in Australia for the online services of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, managed by ABC Innovation. It covers a large network of websites including those for ABC News, television, radio, and video-on-demand through ABC iView.ABC Online is one of Australia's...
described the character as "Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
meets Ali G
Ali G
Ali G is a satirical fictional character invented and performed by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Originally appearing on Channel 4's Eleven O'Clock show, Ali G is the title character of Channel 4's Da Ali G Show, original episodes of which aired in 2000 and on HBO in 2003–2004, and is the...
meets Snoop Dog". Eleanor Morgan of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
compared S.mouse to the Jamaican woman in David Walliams
David Walliams
David Edward Walliams is an English comedian, writer and actor, known for his partnership with Matt Lucas on the TV sketch show Little Britain and its predecessor Rock Profile...
' series Come Fly with Me
Come Fly with Me (2010 TV series)
Come Fly with Me is a British mockumentary television comedy series created by and starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams. Narrated by Lindsay Duncan, the series launched on 25 December 2010 on BBC One and BBC One HD...
, stating he "isn't offensive in the way David Walliams... makes his character's ethnicity the punchline, whereas Lilley has created a ridiculous character who just happens to be black." Ruth Margolis of TV.com
TV.com
TV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
wrote, "... it's not clear whether his accent is intentionally awful or whether he just hasn't mastered it in time for filming. Whatever the case, S.mouse doesn't quite work. He's not layered like Lilley's other creations".
Commercial performances
Three of S.mouse's songs, "Animal Zoo", "Slap My Elbow", and "Squashed NiggaSquashed Nigga
"Squashed Nigga" is a song performed by fictional character, S.mouse , of the Australian television series Angry Boys...
", have been released as singles, available for digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on the Australian iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
. "Slap My Elbow" entered the ARIA Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
and the ARIA Urban Singles Chart; it peaked at numbers thirty-seven and thirteen, respectively. In the United Kingdom, "Slap My Elbow" debuted at number 139 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
on August 13, 2011, and "Squashed Nigga" debuted at number 151 on August 20, 2011.