Funny Business
Herald Sun 14 March 2002, by Cameron Adams

Two electronic jokers talk to CAMERON ADAMS about their crazy lifestyle

THEY share a TV show (ABC's The Glass House on Friday nights) and are long-time friends who once shared a flat in Edinburgh. But from 6 to 9 each morning, Dave Hughes and Wil Anderson are breakfast radio rivals: Hughesy on Nova 100 and Anderson on Triple J. However, Anderson is quick to play down any bad frequency on the Melbourne airwaves.

``Dave works on a commercial station that will play Destiny's Child next to Foo Fighters. I work for a national radio station that targets a certain type of music. ``I think you make a choice about a station. Someone who hates ads, loves alternative music and hates Destiny's Child isn't going to go `Well, I like Hughesy, I'm going to listen to him anyway'. I'd love it if we rated eight in Melbourne like Nova . . . but better Hughesy than (Triple M's Steve) Bedders!'' And unlike Hughesy, Anderson can swear all he likes. In fact, it seems almost mandatory on Triple J. ``I said the C-word once by mistake,'' Anderson says. ``And the great thing about Triple J is that I said it by mistake and we didn't get one complaint call!'' As major personalities in the breakfast radio world, both men are used to the world of afternoon naps, 4am alarms and being in bed at nanna-friendly hours. But when they juggle stand-up shows (Hughesy's Whatever and Anderson's Wil By Mouth) later this month, both men will be on air each morning longer than they sleep each night. ``I just played some stand-up shows in Adelaide and I wasn't coming off stage until 10.30pm, not going to bed until about 12.30pm and then getting up at 3.30am and going, `Right, I'm going to die','' Anderson says. It upholds the truism that comedy is the new rock and roll.

``Yeah, it's all crowd surfing, not washing and sleeping with groupies. Except for, none of that happens,'' Anderson says. Hughesy: ``I'm a zombie in the afternoon. It's very easy to get angry about things during the day.'' Anderson: ``It's that period between 1-3 in the afternoon. You didn't upsize my fries! Right, I'm going to shoot people.'' There is a definite business side to funny business. Both have become multi-media comedians, who have done TV ads and corporate work. ``Audiences are audiences,'' Hughesy says.

``Those (corporate) crowds are dying for laughter,'' Anderson adds. ``They've sat through their general manager's speech for 40 minutes, they're gagging for a few jokes.'' While both will complain about the hours of breakfast radio, they'll both admit they're incredibly lucky. ``I complain about not having time to do everything and not sleeping much,'' Anderson says. ``The other day my friend said `So, what are you going to drop? Your national radio show? Your national TV show? Your national stand-up tours? And I thought, `Yep, I'll just shut my mouth and pull my head in'.'' Hughesy: ``We both did stand-up for free a few years ago, so to get paid for it, and quite well, is great.'' Anderson: ``I have two ABC jobs so I almost get a whole wage.''

While they're comedy festival veterans, they also remember the days where they were in the rooms that seat 50 people and often just playing to two people: their parents. ``I'm just happy to have an audience,'' Hughesy says. ``You can't beat it. If you don't do it for a while you certainly miss it.'' ``It's pretty easy to remember why you like doing it,'' Anderson says. ``I think stand-up keeps you sharp. On the radio you can fool yourself. You think, `I am so hilarious, that guy in the studio is laughing his head off, I'm sure there are people running their cars off the road at how funny that thing I just said was'. ``But to be honest, when you get in front of a room full of people at a stand-up show, you find out pretty quick if you're funny or not. And there's a real appeal to that.'' Speaking of appeal, are there comedy groupies? ``You mean jokies?'' Anderson says. ``I've heard myths, but like the magical kingdom of Narnia I've never seen much existence of it.'' Anderson wears nailpolish, something only male rockstars can usually get away with. He says it's to stop him biting his nails, but Hughesy admits he's often asked why his comedy counterpart paints up. ``I got this present the other day and it was 30 bottles of nail polish,'' Anderson says. ``That's great, when someone thinks of buying me a present they think of bulk quantities of nail polish. I am such a manly man, I'm going to spend the rest of my day with my a . . .crack out, spitting and building stuff out of wood.''

Both have sorted out their comedy festival shows. Hughesy's is called Whatever, and anyone who has listened to him will know why. ``Whatever is an attitude thing,'' he says. And in the tradition of Wilennium, I Am the Wilrus and Who Wants to Be a Wilionaire Wil's new show is Wil By Mouth. ``As long as I can keep finding Wil puns I'll keep using them, otherwise I'll change my name.'' What about Licensed to Wil?

``I'm putting it on my list. You've just inflicted another show on the people of Melbourne. Next year's is of course Jagged Little Wil.'' Finally, in the Oprah moment of the interview, what do they think are the best qualities of each other? ``Wil has become one of the best comedians in the country through being smart and working hard,'' Hughesy says. Likewise, Anderson regularly calls Hughesy Australia's best stand-up comic.

``His relaxed style might have been something that wouldn't fit into the conventions of what people see as the style for TV and radio. But he has taken something so individual and made it so powerful and so demanding that it's created its own niche in those fields.'' ``Thanks a lot,'' says Hughesy. ``You should write my press release.'' ``But we both hate (Glass House cohort) Corinne (Grant),'' says Anderson. ``She's sh. . .house.''

Whatever, March 28-April 20, Assembly Hall, 156 Collins St. Wil By Mouth, April 2-April 21, Melbourne Town Hall. Tickets for both shows available through Ticketmaster 7. The Glass House, ABC TV, 8pm Fridays.

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