Life lessons from Hughsey

LIFE is a never-ending source of material for comedian Dave Hughes, affectionately known by Australian fans as Hughsey.

Even five broken ribs and a punctured lung acquired during an AFL match have proved grist for the mill of his laconic comedy and the the show, Cooked, he is bringing to Brunswick Heads next month.

“You don’t really run out of material because life’s always fun, and new stuff is happening,” Hughes said.

“This new show has come from playing in an AFL legends match a few months ago, even though I was never an AFL legend, and I got injured because the opposition coach thought it would be a good tactic to target me, even though I was 54 and skinny as f***.

“It was a bit much for a comedian in a charity match, but even though it was traumatic, I kept playing because I didn’t realise how injured I was, and I kicked a goal.

“I was really sore, but I was in front of 30,000 people playing sport, and I just wanted to stay out there.”

Hughes said a raft of jokes ensued from the incident to the point he realised it would make the basis of a show.

“I’ve been seeking attention for the last 30 years – well, the last 50 years, to be honest – but this was apparently the most newsworthy event of my life,” he said.

“Turning that into comedy is the basis of my career. When life hurts you, you laugh. That’s a protective mechanism. That’s my whole career space, looking at what’s gone wrong in my life and laughing at it.”

Growing up in Warrnambool, a beach town three hours west of Melbourne, the comedian is synonymous with a sarcastic say-it-how-it-is humour, less about punch lines and more about his sometimes cutting take on life.

He was in high school when he discovered he could make people laugh.

“I was able to get laughs being sarcastic or whatever, but it was mostly about seeing the silliness of everything, basically,” he said.

“I didn’t consciously try to construct this persona; it’s just come out of living my life, an exaggeration of my thought processes, but it comes from a real place.

“I don’t have a set list or take any notes on stage. I remember it because it’s my reality, and the stories are deeply embedded in me. I’m not memorising, I’m retelling.”

The father of three teenagers said he knew at 13 what he wanted to do with his life and feels fortunate to have found his passion early, which has led him to unthinkable experiences.

Hughes said his time in the jungle on I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here was a profound learning experience.

“I became the sun god in the jungle, because I really appreciate the sun, but it was also about appreciating f*****g life,” he said.

“That’s all I want for my kids, the only success I want in life is to appreciate it. Everything else is noise. Everything else is temporary.

“Everything passes, but the appreciation of life is just everything, and I’m 100 per cent on that now. I’ve only recently been letting go of my ego. It’s so relaxing because I’ve given up this ridiculous ego battle with myself.

“You can’t live in the present and hold a grudge at the same time. You gotta let go of the past because it’s not going to help you, and really, you’re just a crazy set of cells collected for a moment in time on a rock that’s spinning through f*****g eternity.

“If you can breathe, and not in pain, you’re winning, everything else is bullshit.”

For tickets on January 9-11, visit brunswickpicturehouse.com/dave-hughes-cooked-9-11-jan