Hughesy puts early failure behind him

Stand-up star Dave Hughes was just 22 when his dream of comedy stardom was almost destroyed forever after a deadpan Perth crowd failed to see the funny side.

Things have changed, Hughes said, since his cynical flatmate, Rat told him straight, after his first gig: “Mate, you’re just not funny”.

Now, more than 20 years and hundreds of shows later, “Hughesy” will return to WA in search of redemption.

Hughes said he had been banging on about getting back on the road for years and, with wife Holly and their three young children in tow, he would entertain Mandurah crowds with his new show Pointless in October.

“I’d just dropped out of uni when a mate and I decided to cross the Nullarbor in a panel van and give it a go in Perth,” he said.

“I had this quiet dream of becoming a stand-up comedian, but it didn’t go quite as I’d planned.

“Me and Rat are still friends — he’s come along to a few of my shows.”

Hughes said he decided to take a step back from TV work after several successes and re-focus on stand-up.

He said he was already half-way through his national tour and, with just days to go before he flew to the UK for dates in London and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, was busy moving house and thinking of ways to get rid of dozens of “Hughesy” branded football guernseys.

“We chose the right time to build a house — just before we head off on tour,” he said.

“I just hope it’s not taken over by squatters while we’re away.”

Hughes said he looked forward to returning to Edinburgh, the first time since a reviewer trashed his 1999 show, accusing him of being, “Just a guy, standing there stoned”.

Hughes said a lot had changed since then, most notably his new role as a husband and dad.

“My kids love getting on the road, although I think they’ve been slightly spoilt,” he said.

“We’ve just come back from the Gold Coast; they’ve been to Disneyland so it’s all downhill from there.

“My son just wants to know when we are doing the next fun thing.”

Dave Hughes is on at Mandurah Performing Arts Centre on October 9.