Dave Hughes
Dave Hughes is one of the most recognisable faces on Australian TV and Radio and he is currently celebrating the release of his DVD “Dave Hughes Live”.
Your core audience could be considered the Aussie Battler, Ford and Holden fans and good blokes and sheilas. Your work on Glasshouse reveals a very sharp mind. Do you ever feel like you have to ‘dumb it down’ at some gigs?
No I don’t, because I don’t think my core audience are dumb. Hopefully they’re just not pretentious.
Who did you look up to as a young comic?
I really like comedians who used their own lives as material, warts and all. Richard Pryor definitely was one of those.
How has the Australian comedy scene changed in the time you’ve been doing comedy
It’s probably got more mainstream. Quite a few pub comedians have broken through into regular media work, myself included.
The “Hughesy accent” has become a hallmark, does that have its drawbacks?
Not really, some people may hate my voice I suppose, but what can ya do? Talk more refined maybe.
Is there any other kind of performance you’d like to do? Would you consider movie acting or theatre?
I would like to act in a comedy film. I’m confident I could pull laughs on the big screen. My time hasn’t come yet though. I will have to write my own film to be in one I’d say.
What are the best and worst things about being famous?
The best thing is the praise from people you don’t know. The worst thing is being paranoid walking into a Club X shop.
Are there any dreams left that you’d like fulfilled in your career?
I don’t really dream of much apart from being a sporting hero. So holding the AFL premiership cup aloft after being best on field in the grand final is something I’d like to achieve before I die.
You’ve kept your career mainly in Australia unlike performers like Adam Hills who have spread their appeal abroad. Is there a reason for this? Does this limit you career options?
I have had constant work in radio and TV for the last five years and that’s why I haven’t attempted more overseas. It’s the old ‘a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’ motto. Obviously I would love to have my work seen by as many people as possible. Maybe I need to get sacked from radio and have my TV show’s axed. Fingers crossed.
What are you enjoying most right now?
Tough question. It’s all good.
You’ve worked extensively in television, radio and on stage. Do you have a preferred medium? How does live performance compare with TV and radio?
I swear a lot more on stage, I take it to a ridiculous level sometimes. Radio is a place where I feel I can be more subtle because I haven’t got the immediate feedback of the audience laughing. Television is probably the most satisfying because if you do well it’s good to think maybe a million people were watching.
What can punters expect from your new DVD?
Hughesy live on stage for eighty minutes in front of seventeen hundred people. The extras on the DVD are what I really like. A travel doco down to my hometown to meet my family and perform in front of my home town has come up well if I don’t say so myself.
Many thanks to Dave Hughes
_To buy Dave’s DVD click here