Bawdy balladeer to tour region
Australian musical comedian Kevin Bloody Wilson has chosen the Wimmera to launch a three-year tour culminating in a performance at the famed London Palladium.
Wilson will perform his first Almost Awesome show at St Arnaud on August 15, followed by a performance in Horsham the following night and one in Ararat on August 24.
St Arnaud might be a long way from London’s West End, but the larrikin performer with a career spanning more than three decades considers both venues equally important.
“Although it’s great to perform in venues such as the Palladium and the Sydney Opera House, it’s just as important to me to do the rural areas,” Wilson said.
“After all, that’s where I’m from. I grew up in the outback town of Kalgoorlie and we used to miss out on a lot.
“When I fell into performing, that was part of my work ethic, to make sure I took my shows to rural areas as well.”
Wilson, a politically incorrect ‘bawdy balladeer’ whose material is littered with profanity and sexual themes, said he looked forward to the latest chapter of his career.
“St Arnaud is the very first show of the tour, so I’ll be banging it into shape,” he said.
“I’ll be performing some brand-new songs, some I haven’t even recorded yet. I have another album out there since I last performed in rural Victoria. I’m working on my 19th album at the moment.”
Wilson said audiences could expect to hear fan favourites such as Hey Santa Claus and Living Next Door to Alan, along with new material.
“My favourite songs to perform are my new ones,” he said.
“I’ve felt that way throughout my whole career. I love playing my new songs and seeing people’s reactions to them. But in saying that, I’m a bit like a fan. I love performing the old ones as well because I get to hear the audience sing the words back to me and see their response to those songs.”
Wilson said he was surprised by the way a hobby – recording songs about his experiences working in mines in Kalgoorlie on a cassette tape for his mates – had evolved into a successful career.
“I put my longevity down to a few things,” he said.
“One, most people are sick to death of political correctness – everyone’s turned into a wuss.
“And two, nobody else is doing it. I don’t want to use the word ‘unique’ but I suppose I’m the baton carrier of the old bawdy ballads.
“When I started out I used to do all the bawdy ballads and some were 100 years old. No one else was writing any new material. And I’m still doing it.”
Wilson said considering his subject matter, he was surprised by the number of women who attended his shows.
“When I first started out hobby,” he said.
“I was basically performing blokes at the footy club.
“After a while, they started bringing their wives, saying ‘my missus isn’t going to be offended by this’. it was a for
“I’d never worked in front of women before – now, my audience is about 50 percent women.
“Sometimes you have three generations of the one family – a grandmother, mother and a daughter – come to the one show. And, of course, three generations of blokes.”
Wilson will be joined on stage by his daughter, Chicago-based comedian Jenny Talia.
“She pretty much does what I do, but from a woman’s perspective,” Wilson said.
“The blokey-joke gene I thought would go to my son ended up with my daughter. She re-genders the bawdy ballads. There are not too many women who do that sort of stuff.”
Wilson will perform his Almost Awesome tour at St Arnaud Sports Club, Horsham Golf Club and Ararat RSL.
People can visit www.kevinbloody wilson.com for more information or buy tickets from the venues.