Of course, Dave Hughes has always had a way to turn the minutiae of life into a hilarious, relatable anecdote.
“I just can’t fucking do it. I can’t buy a small box of Nutri Grain that is more expensive than the big box. They’re tiny moments in my life but that shit ends up in my show,” he says. Dave Hughes is in his car, having sound checked at the Athenaeum Theatre ahead of his opening night, he’s been back home to iron a shirt and is now on his way in to start his drive time radio shift with long-time broadcast partner Kate Langbroek.
This year, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival celebrates 30 years and Dave Hughes is performing his twentieth show, Sweet. This means for the better part of the Festival’s history ‘Hughesy’, as he’s affectionately known to fans and colleagues alike, has been one of the main drawcards. His first show was back in 1996, having started stand up three years prior, and right from the start Hughesy was a hot ticket . Ultimately, nothing has changed – only the size of the venues has continued to increase.
It’s how, in his chat with Beat, we end up talking about the value of a box Nutri Grain. When he first started, Dave Hughes was a laidback country boy navigating a new life in the city, talking about being on the dole. Sold out seasons around the country, a profile from a decade in breakfast radio plus evening appearances on national television shows has led him to become one of this country’s most successful stand-ups. Given how far he has come, what is the rich and famous Hughesy talking about these days in his new show. “Just personal stuff. The money doesn’t make much difference to me,” he says, and then gives the Nutri Grain example. “The amount of money I’ve got in the bank, or don’t have, or whatever, it’s still my life and anyone’s life. I’m being honest,” he says of his material.
That honesty extends to candid revelations about his wife and three children, he’s just built a new house that might get a mention as well his experience hosting Australia’s Got Talent. “Whatever goes on in my life will end up on stage,” says Hughes. “I never have an order, I don’t know what order I’m going to roll out my stuff.”
Having switched from the breakfast shift to drive, Hughesy has been able to concentrate more on his stand-up. “I genuinely focus on my stand up, much more than I used to – much more. And consequently, I’m enjoying it much more,” he says. “I really do feel like I’m giving audiences really good value at the moment, because I feel that I’m maximising my shows in terms of funniness, basically,” he laughs.
BY JOANNE BROOKFIELD
