There’s no danger of Hughes running out of stuff to talk about. “I’m on stage every night with different material.” In answer to the inevitable question of whether or not he will ever run dry, he says he’s only on stage for an hour. Still, for most of us, thinking of things to say in public for a minute, let alone for an hour, would be a form of torture. When Hughes says feels ‘so comfortable’ on stage, you believe him.
Hughes, like Billy Connolly among many others, is one of these comics who just performs himself and talks about everyday things. His humour, he says, comes simply from his take on life. Pointless, his show for the Comedy Festival, is Dave Hughes talking about himself. “It’s straight stand-up,” he says. “I’m ranting on about my life as a minor celebrity and a father of three. That’s the crux of it. It’s hard to explain, what I try to do…” he muses. “My comedy is mostly funny stories about things that have happened and I try to embellish it for comic effect.”
The secret to stand up success is according to Hughesy is no more mysterious than realising that life is finite and we’re all going to die. “It’s about seeing the fun in life. Life is ridiculous. Life will always be funny. Living is a silly thing to do.” The pointlessness of life might not strike you as essentially hilarious, and it may have even driven some to suicide, but Hughes says this awareness is all you need to be a comedian. So why don’t more people do it? “I think everyone could do it,” he notes. “As long as you can see that life is silly …life is ultimately pointless. Very few of us are going to be remembered two hundred years after we die, and even fewer 500 years after we die. So there’s nothing to worry about. We rush around taking life so seriously and that’s what is ridiculous. You and everyone you know will be gone. It’s a good thing to be aware of.”
We asked Hughesy for advice on how to break into comedy and he says the same thing everyone else does: perform. “Make a lot of mistakes,” he advises. “There’s no training for it, you train on the job. Do the comedy rooms, and remember that if you’re not getting a laugh then that will be very funny to many other people. “ Ah. He adds that getting in the face of organisers of comedy events and rooms is the way to go. “Annoy the organisers, well not annoy them but get in their face, prove you’re willing to work. Turn up even if you’re not booked and say ‘I’m here and happy to go up.’ Horse’s mouth, people.
BY LIZA DEZFOULI
