Interviewing Steve Hughes - The Comedian WHO Now Rocks You With Laughter

Comedian Steve Hughes is known the globe over for his hard hitting, take no prisoners stand up show. The former drummer in a thrash metal band returns to the UK for his Are You Serious Tour? The first in seven years. I spoke to Steve about his forthcoming tour to the north.

How did you gravitate from being a drummer in a rock band to being a comedian?
It was easy really! Being in a band is like being married to four other blokes and of course we had our creative arguments. I do prefer music to comedy but with being a comedian there is no one else on stage to argue with.

Are there any comparisons between rock music and comedy for you?
Lots of musicians look quite serious though I am sure that many of them could be comedians if they tried; likewise a lot of comedians would like to be rock stars. I have had a lot of emails over the years from bands who have watched my shows on DVD and said that they have really enjoyed them.

What drew you to living in Ireland?
I grew up in Australia, though I had been to Europe many times before. In 1999 I moved to Ireland, I only had 50 Australian dollars when I arrived there and ended living with an Irish guy and stayed in the country for years. I grew up with English parents so when I came over to the UK to do comedy I had a grasp of English humour.

What makes a good joke?
A lot of jokes are observational ones whereas mine are satirical and I think both of these things are what makes a good joke. I was inspired to be a comedian by Henry Rollins and his Black Flag project. Though he is a rock musician his spoken word albums and tours are quite the opposite of what people think he does.
I saw the comedian Bill Hicks and thought that he was a great comedian and that made me decide to become one.
I have always been an outsider and not part of the mainstream whether it be comedy or being the drummer in a thrash metal band. The critics said metal was dead in the 90’s but I always knew it wasn’t,. Look at bands like Iron Maiden - the band have been going for over 40 years now but the fans still buy their records and go to the shows.

Does 'Politically Correctness' stifle you?
I have been against it since I started but now you even have social equity rules to deal with. They should try and stop trying to fix everything in the world. I think a lot of these rules have made things worse not better. If you come to one of my shows on the tour you will see that I touch on these issues big time.

Have you been to the north of England before?
Many times. I remember going to Leeds and students as well as others coming to see the show. I have been a comedian for 10 years now and have been from Penzance to Aberdeen and appreciate what a beautiful country the UK is, though distances between places are nothing compared to Australia or Canada, where travelling long distance is normal. I’m talking travelling 12 hours to get from one place to another here!

Do you get a lot of heckling at your shows?
Not really, to me a heckler is someone who wants to be in the show. I had one at my last gig, they came out with a great line which was like a joke. If it is a Saturday night that can be the worst time for them but really it is only people wishing to join in. I’m looking forward to going on tour. I invite everyone to come along, they might enjoy it.