Review: Steve Hughes – Conspiracy Realist

It's all smoke and mirrors to Steve Hughes.

Conspiracy Realist
Starring: Steve Hughes
Appearing at: Melbourne Town Hall, for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival

There are two types of “truth-teller” comedians – the ones who trawl through all the minor irritants of modern society that we all secretly agree upon, and the ones who exhume all the horrors of the human condition that we’re ashamed of even thinking about. The latter variety of oracle might include Bill Hicks or Doug Stanhope or Louis CK or Brendan Burns or… Steve Hughes.

The lanky Australian expat, who could pass for a roadie at any venue (and is actually a metal drummer), first strolled on stage and breezily dismissed the following: Melbourne audiences, what passes for Australian ‘culture’, the usefulness of bike helmets, the usefulness of Julia Gillard, and sport of every stripe. Way to get us onside, Steve.

Yet the trick is that Hughes knows he’s a holder of actually unpopular (and often sobering) opinions and could barely give less of a fuck about we thought. In fact, he’s wanly smiling about it. He’s had to make Dutch people laugh, for fuck’s sake.

His years abroad might’ve given him this defiant attitude, but it’s equally likely that it’s his absolute belief in conspiracy. Not ‘theories’, mind you, just the irrefutable conspiring of the rich and powerful to become more rich and powerful. And he makes many convincing, illuminating cases, even if his utopian idea of humanity at its purest manifests repeatedly as a hippy-dippy jumble of philosophy he hasn’t quite researched well enough.

Nonetheless, this is very impressive stuff. It is inclusive convention-busting, as Hughes laconically invites us all to realise that we are in a nanny state, that powers collude to control society, and yes, that all televisions should be defenestrated forthwith. That we, as a species, are better than this. And the greatest irony of the entire show is that he was performing in the gorgeous Council Chambers of the Town Hall as we all luxuriated in the breathtaking classical architecture and moss-green leather thrones.

Hughes is angry but delivers so amiably that everything is funny. He had portions of the crowd laughing at very sobering thoughts – not jokes – just because of his impeccable timing. And his economical delivery often belied some perfectly crafted zingers, the shrewdness of which dawned on the crowd a beat after they started laughing.

It’s like the spaghetti-slurping, crotch-grabbing Italian-American meatball comic Dom Irrera, whose material is all “my fucken wife” and “my Goddamn kids”, yet remains fall-down hilarious. Hughes has got possibly the best pure stand-up technique I’ve ever seen. It’s an added bonus that he’s using it as a force for good.

Related stories:

1. Review: Mathew Kenneally in The Post Hope Express Herald Sun and Hetty Johnson hate is understandable. Even predictable....
2. Review: Tommy Tiernan – Designer Wino The Irish provocateur is back in Australia to champion imaginative...
3. Review: Joel Creasey – Political Animal (A Beginner’s Guide to becoming Prime Minister) You thought Question Time got bitchy? You just haven't seen...
4. Review: Dean Arcuri, To Sir With Glove?! Gay fetish character cabaret, anyone? The delightful Dean Arcuri has...
5. Review: Asher Treleaven in Matadoor The 2010 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Critics’ Award winner returns...