Award-winning celebrity impersonator, comedian and drag artist of twenty years, Charlie Hides has recently been thrust further into the spotlight following the success of his YouTube videos, which have amassed more than 20 million views, with 70,000 subscribers. On top of this he performs all over the world at cabaret venues, comedy festivals, and on cruise ships. PHEW! Jason Reid caught up with Charlie this week for a chat…
It’s a very busy time for you right now. You’re taking your new show A Dozen Divas all over the UK and to NYC. What’s it about?
Increasingly I’ve become more well-known for my YouTube channel, where I play multiple characters in the same video. And audiences wanted to see that transcend into my shows. Initially I started using video screens, but not all venues have the equipment needed, so I decided to become more creative and use masks and 2 dimensional wigs which are more practical and make the changes instantaneous.
I imagine that takes away the hassle of having to change your make up between sketches?
Yeah, and I really wanted my live show to be something totally different from what they see on YouTube. There’s lot’s of quick changes, and a box on the stage with a dozen divas in it. It’s me re-inventing myself and having fun. It’s going really well because it’s really fast paced and is more about the jokes than the looks.
You’re known for being a sharp comedian. How did you learn?
You have to be prepared to fail. You have to be prepared to take risks. You have to work hard on your craft. Do you know the theory of ten thousand hours? Author Malcolm Gladwell says that “it takes roughly ten thousand hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field.” Any field, ballet, music, golf…you have to put in the work and the practice.
Do you have any personal rules as a comedian?
If you’re going to make fun of the audience, you have to be prepared to make fun of yourself. I like to say the things people are thinking. Often I go to very dark and outrageous places. You can mention almost everything and find humour in almost every situation. There’s a difference between mentioning something and making fun of it. In this day and age people are too politically correct. They hear a word and it scares the shit out of them. They don’t realise the joke isn’t about that.
Why do you think that is?
Well people’s knees jerk too quickly. But if the content is delivered skillfully then it should be no big deal. I’m from America and I did jokes about 9/11 not too long after it happened as a way of owning it. Finding the humour in a tragic situation helps me cope. I’d much rather be laughing than crying. What it comes down to is practising how to read an audience and what will work from show to show. You have to play to the audience in front of you. And every audience is different. Some audiences enjoy going to those darker places others want to keep it light and fluffy.
You’re almost in your twentieth year of performing now, right?
Ermmm, yeah let’s just say that [laughs].
Have audiences’ tastes changed in that time?
Today, younger people tend to be more politically correct than older people, oddly. University students, who should know better tend to be the most PC.
How would you define ‘politically correct’?
Hearing trigger words which immediately create a knee-jerk reaction, knocking common sense out of the equation.
In what ways have you changed as an artist over the years?
One of the things you learn is something that’s known as ‘the save’. If you say something and the audience react with an ‘ooooh’ I often double-down. So in effect you’re raising the bet (the joke). For example I’ll start a joke about the time I got fingered by my grand father, and the audience will respond with a big ooooh, so I’ll add: ‘I know. The things I did for a Werther’s Original’. Equally, mastering the skill of knowing when to back out of a topic that’s not going down so well is just as important. There’s nothing worse than a comic who has a twenty minute slot and comes out and does it verbatim.
What’s your main aim when you take to the stage?
To engage the audience for as long as I’m asking for their attention. That’s the rule of a professional artist. If you’re paying money to see a show, the artist should be holding your attention and captivating you. Bottom line.
• Charlie Hides regularly performs at The Vauxhall Tavern. Find him on YouTube at CharlieHidesTV
