As a young boy, Dave Hughes could always tell when his father’s Holden Kingswood was parked in the driveway. It was a sign that his dad, Desmond Hughes, hadn’t gone to work at the Nestle factory. This meant he had been drinking, and the result was often a tense, frightening night for the family. The cycle of alcohol-fueled anger and fear cast a long shadow over Hughes’s childhood.
“Knowing there’s a loaded gun in the house and someone who is not mentally stable and drunk in the house, it’s not a relaxing way to go through your childhood,” Hughes recalls in an interview with Australian Story.
At the time, Hughes was a shy, introverted child, often more prone to tears than jokes. But at 14, alone in his bedroom, he made a promise to himself: he would become a comedian one day, though it would take years of battling his own issues with alcohol and self-esteem before he would realize that dream.
Now, the 54-year-old comedian from Warrnambool, Victoria, is one of Australia’s most famous comics. He’s a millionaire and a household name, known for his successful radio career and television appearances. However, despite his achievements, Hughes says it still isn’t enough.
“I’m definitely addicted to work, addicted to comedy, always looking for the next audience,” says Hughes, reflecting on his journey. “I’ve spent a lot of time at the shrine of Dave Hughes, just bowing down … concerned about being a hero or wanting to be adored by everyone or as many people as possible.”
Although he’s trying to rein in his ego, he admits his pursuit of recognition and success is hard to shake. But Hughes is clear that his drive to make people laugh will never stop.
From Failure to Success
Hughes’s first attempt at stand-up comedy in 1993 was a disaster. He remembers stepping onto the stage in Perth, microphone in hand, only to feel an overwhelming sense of self-doubt. “I’m on stage, trying to be funny. But most of my brain is going, ‘You are a loser. You are useless. You’re never going to be a success in life,'” he says.
It was a tough start, but Hughes credits his sobriety for giving him the strength to try again. A few weeks after his failed debut, Hughes returned to the stage, joking about his disastrous first performance. The audience responded with laughter, and that moment marked the beginning of his career.
“From that moment, I was absolutely hooked,” he recalls. “I felt like I’d taken the power back.”
As Hughes honed his skills, his comedy began to resonate with audiences. Known for his self-deprecating humor, he turned his personal struggles and embarrassing moments into relatable material that endeared him to everyday people.
After a few years in Perth, Hughes moved to Melbourne to further his career, performing regularly and landing his first major TV gig. By 1999, he was performing at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala, a key moment in his rise to fame.
Balancing Career and Family Life
Despite his success, Hughes continues to struggle with his addiction to work. His commitment to his career often means he’s away from home, a situation that sometimes frustrates his wife, Holly Ife. Hughes’s eldest son, Rafferty, jokes that Hughes is so often away that he sometimes asks his kids to deliver the news to his wife about his absences.
Ife admits that it took time to understand Hughes’s drive. “It took a while for me to understand how much of a problem his ego is for him,” she says. “Even in our marriage, the ego is the thing, that’s always the biggest problem.”
Yet, Hughes’s career continues to thrive. His work on The Project, his radio success, and his stand-up tours have made him a fixture in Australian comedy. He credits his success to the lessons he’s learned through failure.
“Wisdom often comes from failure,” he reflects. “If I could go back in time, I would have a different mindset and not be as focused on wanting to be the most popular.”
Looking Ahead
In recent years, Hughes has begun to embrace the idea that he doesn’t need to be the best or the most famous to be happy. He’s learned to be more present and less fixated on external validation. Yet, his love for comedy remains unchanged.
After performing in Los Angeles in 2023, Hughes found himself pondering the idea of pursuing an international career. “I can hit them with my best comedy,” he says, referring to audiences who have never heard of him.
Where his career goes next is uncertain, but Hughes knows that comedy will always be at the heart of what he does. “I just love it,” he says. “I love having an audience in front of me, and my job is to make them laugh. And I will love that forever. If I end up in a nursing home, I will be organizing gigs in that nursing home because I love it.”
