Talking with Kevin Bloody Wilson is like talking with an old friend.
He’s as genuine as he seems on stage – his Australianisms and larrikin persona creating the very essence of his being.
And that’s why it’s easy to believe Wilson when he says he doesn’t take himself too seriously.
“I wouldn’t say it’s been surreal but I’ve definitely been lucky,” Wilson said.
“I just started out singing to my friends in Kalgoorlie; two years later I was standing on a stage in London thinking: ‘F*** – how’d I get here?’
“Not only am I allowed to do what I do, but I’m being asked to do it.
“The apex of what I do is to stand there and engage with an audience so it’s like having a little party every night.
“I know a lot of comedians who take themselves quite seriously but I just can’t do that.”
Thirty-two years later and Wilson is still one of the only international artists who can shift seamlessly between an outback pub to the hallowed halls of the London Palladium.
He has become a part of the Australian culture and his recently released biography, DILLIGAF: The Life and Rhymes of Kevin Bloody Wilson, takes a look at perhaps one of the only Australian comedians who has not bowed to political correctness.
It seems ironic that Wilson was originally arrested for performing his songs in public, yet on Australia Day in January 2010, he was officially nominated for Australian Of The Year for doing exactly the same thing.
With tracks such as DILLIGAF, Dick’taphone, I Knew the Bride (When She Used to be a Mole) and Living Next Door to Alan – all of which will be at his Mandurah show later this month – there’s no denying that Wilson doesn’t hold back.
And there’s no sign of him stopping any time soon.
“I’m going to be trialling some new material for my new album,” Wilson said.
“This is the first time in a long time that I’ve been able to do that.
“It’s a bit like giving them a spit polish – it takes the rough edges off the songs.
“These songs usually come out of nowhere so they sometimes need to be worked on.
“When I was going to Canada, I got told by the embassy that you can’t say: ‘c***’ in Canada so naturally I wrote a song about it.
“That six-week tour I opened with You Can’t Say C*** in Canada every show and they loved it.”
Kevin Bloody Wilson will be at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre on October 9.
For more information go to manpac.com.au or call 9550 3900.
