David Meets... Dave the Bear
Photo's by Adrian Lourie
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I originally wanted to be a bin man, but I think that comes from when you’re a child you don’t see that many jobs around, so you just wanted to be a bin man or a post man or something. When I grew out of that it was all mainly music. I started DJ-ing when I was about 12 at house parties, then when I was 15 I was DJ-ing in clubs. I worked at Wembley market on a music stall and I used to get all the American music before it came out here and then played it at house parties.
So you were a pretty cool kid then?
Kind of, I was a very fat kid who was into his music, so I guess not that cool. But I used to sit there with my blues and soul magazine, and a there was a shop near my house who sold ten singles for £5, so I used to go in there and buy ten singles, not knowing what they were, and spent the entire week listening to them, reading all the credits and learning everything about them. So that’s really why I got into DJ-ing, was my obsession with music.
We were lucky enough, recently, to grab a pint with Dave the Bear, at the Kings Arms in London. Dave is a male burlesque performer as well as being a singer and a dancer, performing at events all over Europe.
Did you go to college?
I went to Music College after my GCSEs, my dad was a musician so he was very keen on me pursuing music, then after that went to Bournemouth Arts Institute to study music technology.
So what qualification did you get?
err… I failed!
[Laughs]… OK
Yeah I spent too much time podium dancing and not enough doing my work! I always enjoyed the fun bit rather than the learning!
So when was ‘Dave the Bear’ born?
He came about around six years ago and I was asked to do a cabaret show where I would play my guitar while someone else danced. But to make it a bit more “cabaret” I used to do it naked with the guitar covering me up. Then I met Fred Bear from Bearlesque and they were just about to do their show in the West End, and they needed an extra bear for their show. So Fred was looking out for someone hairy who could sing and dance, and he asked me if I would do it. I said yes then had about two weeks to learn all the routines, including the Can-Can, plus all my solo parts to put into the show. So that’s where all the burlesque started, and from there I was touring with them across the UK and Europe as the ‘cub’ of the group. But then they broke up and I decided to just carry on as a solo act. It was a different style back then to what I’m doing today. It was much more classic, cutesy cabaret routines, rather than the filthy bitch that I am these days!
Do you think that’s because you wanted to change, or because the audience wanted something different from you?
I think it was more about finding my own feet as the Dave the Bear character. It was all well and good doing the cutesy stuff, but that was other people’s direction and doing what I was told. It’s more what the scene was five years ago. So when I went solo, I’m a creative person anyway, and it’s all about using your own strengths, and I’m very into music as I’ve said, so I know what people want to listen to. You can’t be a burlesque act and perform to a track that people don’t want to listen to because you’ve already lost the audience. If you’ve got a good song, then you’ve got the audience on your side. I think I’m a strong, confident black woman anyway so as long as I’m dancing around to Beyonce then I’m at peace. So that’s when the nastier, grimier music came out.
Do you think you’ll continue to change?
Yes, definitely. I’ve just done the Vienna Boylesque Festival… I was representing the UK over there!
What’s the Vienna Boylesque Festival?
It’s basically a festival celebrating boylesque, so you have all the best boylesque performers from around the world doing a showcase. It’s not a competition, just a showcase. Conchita Wurst was co-hosting it and it was a great opportunity to see all the greats from Las Vegas and New York, for instance. But it was great because I felt like I was holding my own alongside them. They were the big guns, and I didn’t look like the odd one out. They knew who I was and then they gave me a standing ovation… that was pretty awesome. They’ve just invited me to do the Las Vegas Burlesque Hall of Fame, which is the big one in the burlesque world.
When’s that?
It’s next June or July I think and that one is a competition, so you get the King of Boylesque and all the queens of burlesque.
Do you represent the UK in that?
People audition for it across the world and they choose the best, so it’s not representative, there could be either ten or one performer from the UK depending on who they choose. It’s not like a pageant.
As much as you’re Dave the Bear and the bears love you, who else out there do you think likes you?
It’s a funny one, I perform for a lot of hen parties.
How do they take to the hairiness of you? Traditionally, it’s the smooth, oiled, washboard abs types they go for isn’t it?
Because I work in a lot of burlesque clubs, the hen parties go to watch the female burlesque performers and then I come on at the end of each set and the girls aren’t quite expecting me. They go mad just because it’s a bit of man flesh and I end up getting touched up all over the place! They can be pretty violent actually and you have problems with them nicking things too. Individually, I’m sure they’re all lovely ladies, but put them together and they turn into this gaggle of wenches who want to go home with a souvenir. But hey, they’re all just there for a laugh so it’s mostly fun. I do prefer them in that environment rather than when I’m booked privately for just one hen party in a small group, which can just get a bit awkward. Stag do’s also like me! Straight men seem to think I’m hilarious at the burlesque shows, all the girls are on first then I’ll come on and play up to the stag parties, but they love it! They lap it up, they get on stage with me and then after they all want photos with me.
What’s the big goal, what’s the big dream?
Burlesque only has a life span of so long, but I also have my music and I compere a lot. I’m still enjoying everything I’m doing at the moment but I did get a record deal last year and I’ve released a couple of singles. For now I’m really enjoying what I’m doing and I want to be the best that I can be doing what I do, but in the future I’ll certainly be looking to the music more. There’s loads of cabaret artists who are currently breaking through into music like Imelda May and Paloma Faith so it’s got more of a credible edge at the moment, so ideally I’d like to break through into music as the Dave the Bear character still. The music I make is quite sexual and quite cheeky anyway, so it’s not like they’re worlds apart.
You were just up at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and you’ve been up there a lot, how was it this year?
This year was a funny one, I felt a bit like a spare part. For the last few years I’ve been doing my own show called ‘Hairy Pretty Things’ which is different every year. But this year was just doing guest spots in other people’s shows. Which is all well and good, but when everyone else is in their ‘Edinburgh bubble’ where you’re out of touch with the news and happenings for a month, to just dip in for four or five days left me feeling a little bit like a spare part. But I had many friends up there in the burlesque, comedy and music worlds, so it was nice to just see everyone contained in one place, it’s the world’s biggest arts festival so it’s quite inspiring as well.
What’s coming up on the calendar then from now until the end of the year which our readers could come and see you at?
Ah well most of my work is either in London or Brighton, I work at Proud, Café de Paris and Madame Jo-Jo’s almost weekly. I also do bits in Leeds and Sheffield. I’m booked in Torquay for New Year’s Eve. I’ve got a week in Gibraltar in November. Then in Bruges I’m being paid to jump out of an 84 year old lady’s birthday cake, so let’s hope she doesn’t have a heart attack… that could be awkward! But if that happens then I could always perform at her funeral as well to make a bit more money! I’ve also got a big theatre show in Bruges in October which I’ll be compering with lots of burlesque performers from around the world. And that’s it really, a lot of the work I do is on a monthly basis so I really just go from booking to booking really!
Is there anyone you want to perform with?
I enjoy working as a singer with burlesque performers, so I’ve always enjoyed singing with a live band with the performers dancing. A big dream of mine would be to do a big band show with me singing with a twelve piece band and the burlesque performers doing their act to our songs. It’s what they do in Paris and other places. I’d love to put on a huge extravaganza like that with not just burlesque but full cabaret, so circus acts, fire performers, and more!
Thanks so much for your time - See you at the Launch Party,
Dave the Bear was interviewed at the Kings Arms in London by David Goodman, and Photographed by Adrian Lourie.
For more info on Dave the Bear see his facebook here.