Every Thursday in October sees that revolutionary spirit David Hoyle on stage at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern with a series of shows to mark the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution in Russia. Dave Cross spoke to the divine David about revolutions, cabaret and of course the RVT.
Hi David, throughout October you are bringing the revolution to the RVT, what was the inspiration for these shows?
The centenary of the October Revolution of 1917. I thought it was a milestone worth commemorating, through performance, film and multimedia. The Russian Revolution is like Upstairs Downstairs meets Battleship Potemkin, it’s like Dynasty sliding into dystopia! The ramifications of the revolution are seismic, and we are still receiving the vibrations today.
We live in a world of ‘family entertainment’ where people seemed over concerned with not upsetting anyone, but shouldn’t some cabaret and performance/art be revolutionary?
Always.
And do you have any boundaries in your performances … or life?
I’d like to think I keep an open mind. I would say that the status quo is formed and shaped by the mass media. This is the victory of capitalism over communism. This, and other themes will be explored in these shows, under the direction of Nick Blackburn, Ph.D.
Can you tell us about the special guests you will have each week at the RVT?
This season I wanted to engage artistes who I consider to have a revolutionary streak within them and their work. We open with Dusty Limits on October 5, just the most brilliant cabaret singer working in London and glowing from a sell-out night at the Underbelly Festival. Next is Marisa Carnesky, a real legend of the performance scene and not to be missed under any circumstances: she is fearless and a total artist and inspiration. Our third revolutionary: who else but Gerry Potter, poet extraordinaire and sure to cook up a storm. Then a very special show for Halloween week, a guest, a huge international star, who is preternaturally close to me, but whose name I am forbidden to reveal! Plus that night the immensely talented Alexander Geist and diva-in-waiting Tracey Barlow too, quite a feast. And for our finale, Panti Bliss, Queen of Ireland and simply one of the biggest stars on this Earth. It really is quite a run and a complete change in how society operates must necessarily follow.
100 years ago the October Revolution saw the overthrow of a regime that was living in decadence while the population strived to exist… are we living in that world again now?
Very much so. Nowadays, all our utilities are owned by a handful of people, all living on ferry-sized yachts, bobbing up and down on the sea off the coast of Southern France. Is this the world that we should strive to conserve? Maybe this question will be answered at the RVT.
The physical revolution resulted in a regime that you could say was as bad as the Tzars, would a revolution of the mind have been better or do we sometimes need action?
Yes, a revolution of the mind would have been better. I believe in a psychedelic revolution. I believe that people should have the option, about the age of fourteen, to engage in an initiation ceremony, to forge an alliance with nature, and a healthy disconnect, with the matrix which surrounds us. This initiation would involve the utilisation, of wholly natural psychotropic substances. I believe that this is the logical continuation of the glorious revolution, and WE MUST TAKE UP THE CHALLENGE. Psychedelic Revolution Now!
Are there any particular subjects that you are going to talk about in the shows, for example, Trump, climate change and Brexit?
ALL of those. And more. A lot of it will happen on the night, as I receive voices from outer space.
In a world of uncertainly at least we have the RVT, what does the venue mean to you?
Everything. It is a truly welcoming building, that wishes to embrace all with its warmth and wisdom, Spirits live at the RVT…
Thank you David for an interesting chat…
I’m sending love to all Boyz readers, it will be lovely to see you: WE SIMPLY MUST REVOLT, DARLING. XXX
David Hoyle’s October Revolution is on every Thursday in October.
Tickets from vauxhalltavern.com
The RVT, 372 Kennington Lane, Vauxhall, SE11.
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