By PETER DOUGLAS
LOVE him or loathe him, there is no denying Kevin ‘Bloody’ Wilson has wound himself into the fabric of Australian culture.
In fact, ‘KBW’ is possibly one of the few comedians of his era that helped to shape the Australian humour many know today.
But his journey isn’t over and he’s set to ‘wow’ local audiences with a performance at Ferntree Gully Hotel on Wednesday, 17 August.
With his show imminent, the ‘Mail’ spoke to the great man.
And it’s dead-set true what they say about ‘KBW’, he’s a genuinely nice, articulate, down-to-earth Australian.
However, he happens to also be extremely funny, as well as hell-bent on stamping out political correctness in this country.
“This is my final farewell tour … in fact it’s my second one and I could be doing them for another decade if I’m lucky,” he said.
“I see everyone doing their final concerts, so I thought I would jump on the bandwagon.”
While the farewell theme is clearly a joke, his longevity as a performer is something to be taken seriously.
Many of his generation will certainly remember his classics, which really grew from humble beginnings and took on a life of their own in the early 1980s.
Classics such as ‘Hey, Santa Claus!’ and ‘Living Next Door to Allan’, songs many Australians would be familiar with.
But it hasn’t stopped there, with audiences continuing to rediscover his classics and lap up his latest offerings, which includes his 2013 release, ‘Wrong Wrong Wrong’.
“I’m now seeing three generations in the crowds; daughters, mothers and grandmothers,” he said.
“In the early days, I thought it was going to be tough to break through to female audiences.
“But guys were telling their wives to come down and see the show.”
Funnily enough, it seems almost unsurprising that ‘KBW’ never intended the shows to become so popular.
His shows have extended from local pubs to sell-outs worldwide.
“It was never something I intended to do,” he said.
“It was just for my mates and it kind of went on from there, but not a bad way to make a career, is it.”
‘KBW’ originally recorded songs on a cassette tape for his mates, which drew on his experiences from working in the mines in Kalgoorlie in the 1980s.
Not long after, there was an LP called ‘Your Average Australian Yobbo’ and Australian audiences couldn’t get enough.
Three decades later and he’s a household name.
“I often test out new material in my shows and ad-lib, but I always roll out the favourite ones,” he said.
“I love watching the reaction of the fans.
“My music tends to help people remember about the good times, which is a special thing for a comedian.”
A guilty pleasure or Aussie legend – either way, audiences will have the chance to see ‘KBW’ in the flesh.
For more details or bookings, contact (03) 9758 6544 or visit www.ferntreegullyhotel.com.au.
