Christopher Pyne looks back on wild summer break with his ABBA Tribute Band

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He might be able to dance, he certainly knows how to jive – but Christopher Pyne is urging us all to take a chance on him.

Canberra’s own Fernando was outed this week by The Daily Mail as playing the role of “Benny” in an Adelaide-based ABBA tribute band, Abbadabbadoo. Something that’s not exactly against the rules or anything to be embarrassed about, it’s just a little bit strange.

Three years after publically labelling late musician Lou Reed a “transgressional smackhead” and declaring himself an “ABBA man”, Pyne has been fighting off rumours that he’s one of the four faces the tribute gang that graces the stages of local PCYCs and dance halls around the Torrens capital.

Until now.

In the game of politics, the winner always takes it all, leaving many commentators, analysts and even his own parliamentary colleagues wondering how on earth Pyne is going to dig himself out of this hole – now that he’s staring down the barrel of his own Waterloo.

“It certainly was a loose summer,” said Pyne. “Many succulent Chinese meals washed down with Crown Lager after Crown Lager. Don’t tell Pauline! [laughs]”

“One night in Mount Gambier, I think we had seven each and enough steamed dumplings to put Clive Palmer in a coma,”

The Leader of the House took the time to speak candidly to The Advocate this afternoon via wireless telephone about the debauchery he and his bandmates got up to over the summer break.

“We refer to each other by our ABBA name, not our real names. It’s just a bit of fun, you know. We sing, bump and grind on stage, then head out to dinner after the show. Tony had is cycling, Malcolm has his leather jacket and I have my ABBA.”

“Our last show was a real hoot. We played The Crazy Horse in Adelaide. I think it was the night that crass talent show singer tried to king hit a bouncer. We don’t want people like that at our shows!”

“Wild summer.”

More to come.