Thirty-one years in any industry is by anyones view an accomplishment. For Kevin Bloody Wilson, it just seems like another moment in time, where he can still keep doing what he loves to do and make people laugh as a result.
The 68-year-old iconic Australian comedian had humble beginnings singing and playing guitar with punchlines to his mates in various sporting clubs around the small Western Australian town of Kalgoorlie, and has big things in store for 2015.
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Touring his homeland and the globe a number of times, Kevin has decided it's time for his final tour. He rightly called it the 'First Of The Final Farewell Tours (Perhaps)'.Only it isn’t his final tour. Not even close. “No, no, I’m just cashing in like a whole lotta other c**** do, ya know? Like John Farnham and all those blokes, go on world comeback tours every year! So I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon. The goal is to out-Farnham the Farnham on his comeback tours.”
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Best known for his songs 'Santa Claus’ and ’Living Next Door To Allen’, the larrikin has released 18 albums to date. But Wilson is no stranger to touring. In fact, he’s done countless shows on every continent in the world, even playing sacred ground at London's Palladium Theatre. But 31 years just isn’t long enough for him to throw in the towel just yet. “Mate, the pinnacle of what I do is standing on stage and doing my stuff. That’s the apex, so in all fairness, I’m not trying to sound political by dodging the question, but it doesn’t matter to me where I get to do that. I just love doing it. Whether it’s at the Tederum Theatre or the Albany Town Hall, it doesn’t matter to me, I couldn’t give a fuck, as long as I’m up there doing it.”
The shows, thankfully not his last few, have nine dates across the country. And just as he said, keeping it true to his word, many of them are at RSLs or footy clubs, clinging onto the authentic Australian charisma he is so widely known for.
Accompanying him on this tour is his daughter Jenny, or Jenny Talia From Australia, as she would prefer. A comedic force on her own, the Chicago-based lass was her father's apprentice on a number of his tours, but now has a well-established fan base of her own, touring much of the UK and Ireland with solo shows. “She’s a very popular solo artist now. She was always around me writing, never immune to it. If I ever wrote a song, it was always within earshot. As a songwriter she moved to Nashville for two years where she spent her time honing her craft. She’s fucking funny, very funny. I could listen to her stuff all night, actually. Who knows, you might even interview her one day.”
The touring, success and longevity of his career aside, when asked what it was like to be recognised as iconic, and to be known within the Australian comedy scene as a legend, in true Kevin Bloody Wilson style, he said he was still, well, Kevin Bloody Wilson. “I’m an electrician, and I loved it while I was doing it, but this is heaps fucking better. I like to think nothing's changed, and that all of this has come as a byproduct of me having a good time. I still regard what I do as a hobby.“I’m a professional hobbyist. A bit of bullshit goes into this business as I’m sure you’re aware, as you start talking to these people. Bullshit and glitter and glamour and all sorts of shit. But at the end of the day, I’m still a happily married man with two great kids and five loveable little grandkids. That’s the most important thing in my life. The other stuff, all of just comes as a result.”
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A down-to-earth Aussie jester, Wilson's charm, as well as he his humour, never ceases to amaze. “Nothing’s changed really. I still enjoy a beer with me mates after work.”
Kevin Bloddy Wilson Tour Dates
Fri 6 March – Albany Entertainment Centre (Alabany, WA)Wed 11 March – Hexham Bowling Club (Hexam)
Thurs 12 March – Evan Theatre (Penrith)
Fri 13 March – Rooty Hill RSL (Doyalson)
Wed 29 April – Caloundra RSL (Sunshine Coast)
Thurs 30 April – Kedron Wavell Services Club (Chermside South)
Fri 1 May – Twin Towns Services Club (Tweed Heads)
Sat 2 May – Ballina RSL (Ballina)
