'I don’t take anything for granted': Avant-garde artist David Hoyle muses on an extraordinary life well lived

If you’ve been to Aviva Studios at any time throughout the last few weeks, you will have undoubtedly seen and felt the presence of David Hoyle.. His face and art is, quite literally, plastered on nearly every single wall, whilst his voice can even be heard in the toilets as he reminds people to wash their hands.

The artist, actor, singer, comedian, performer, and everything else in-between is currently more than halfway through a landmark residency at the venue, just off Castlefield. Billed as a retrospective of his career, the exhibition features rarely seen paintings, slogan works, films, photos, costumes and new commissions. There’s also been live painting, pub quizzes and an upcoming cabaret that’s fittingly described as ‘end of the pier meets end of the world’.

Invited to talk to David, originally from Blackpool but now lives in Manchester, about the residency and his musings on life, we first meet the artist humbly sitting in the theatre’s café bar, all whilst surrounded by his own work, casually sipping on a pint of beer. Whilst other artists or personalities might choose to separate themselves from exhibitions of their work, David is actively a part of it.

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“I suppose I’m the running theme, in a way,” the 61-year-old explains of the decision to bring live works, performances, art displays, social gatherings and themed nights together for the Please Feel Free To Ignore My Work exhibition. “There’s a brightness and a sense of over-the-top that I’ve always had.

“I put it down to being from Blackpool and, as a child, I was taken to the circus every year. We were very lucky because Charlie Cairoli was the clown at the time and probably is still the best clown who ever lived. Before he came on, these very leggy ladies would come on called the Circusettes and they’d come on, dressed head to toe in feathers, to say what the next act was. They were always so glamorous and I was just transformed. I’ve never stopped being transformed by that - they've inspired a lot of my work.”

The avant-garde performer, who many may remember as 'The Divine David' from his time on Channel 4 in the 1990s, says he decided to leave his hometown of Blackpool in the early 1980s for London. But, after seeing friends die during the AIDS epidemic, he found it too difficult to stay there.

“What happened was I got to the age of 21 and I decided it was time to spread my wings,” David says. “A 21-year-old in Blackpool is probably the equivalent to a 50-year-old someone else. By the age of ten, you’ve been around the block and you become disillusioned with life - you would get used to seeing people literally vomiting at 10am in the morning from booze with the ‘Kiss Me Quick’ hats still on.

“I moved to London and I lived there for three years but it was at the time of the AIDS epidemic. So many people had come down from these little towns to live their life and you just saw so many of them going back because it was just so devastating.

“I decided to relocate to Manchester and I’ve been here ever since really. I think I’ve always been loyal to the north. It sounds a bit cynical, but I used to always say that if you’re going to be homophobically abused, you might as well have it happen in a dialect you can understand or by your own people.”

Through his work, David has managed to blend art, theatre and cabaret together through a cheeky and sometimes outrageous persona whilst still being able to deliver heartfelt and powerful messages with an important rally call for change. Whether it’s tackling homophobia, poverty or mental illness, the messages in David’s work remain just as prevalent today as they did back when they were created.

“If I’ve not done anything else with my life, I’ve at least made a clear point that, of course, people from privileged backgrounds are less inclined to get involved in criminality,” he explains. “Whereas if you’re poverty stricken and you’ve been abused or have an inability to manage your daily life, you probably are going to go down the slippery slope. Millionaires mug us in different ways.”

As he delves into some of his own experiences growing up, David adds: “I think any of us who feel isolated or alienated all want to find a sense of belonging and to feel they are part of something or some kind of people. And if you don’t find that, then it becomes a very lonely place to be and that’s when you can become more vulnerable to mental illness and depression. This has happened to me.

“People my age, the adults around us couldn't think that they’d done a good job unless they’d completely broken us and completely persuaded us of our own abhorrence and worthlessness - especially if they did it under the guise of religion, which happened in my case. You can always condemn an LGBTQ+ person because you can say they are an affront in the eyes of the lord or an insult to God’s creation.”

In the past, David has also spoken about how he often found himself unable to ‘fit’ into the gay scene - although he now says he sees a slight shift within the LGBTQ+ community that he feels positive about.

“There’s a lot of emphasis on going to the gym - it has always been the case,” he details. “So, for those of us who probably believe in inner beauty more, it’s difficult. But younger people are identifying more as queer and non-binary now. I think I’m non-binary but we never had the words for that when I was younger. I don’t think I’m male or female, I’m just David. I’ve always been like that.

“I think younger people are amazing. They're determined to be themselves. I think what we need to understand is that all of us are only here for a limited amount of time in the context of the ever-unfolding infinite universe. There’s been thousands of generations before us, and I’m sure they’ll be one or two more after us, but I think we’ve got to remember our own mortality and to understand that all of us, within that brief period, have the right to be who we believe we are.”

Asked further about recent toxicity aimed towards the LGBTQ+ community, but particularly towards the trans and non-binary community, David says he ‘feels sorry’ for people who can’t allow others to just live their authentic selves.

He explains: “I look at life as being two seconds: The first second you’re alive, and the second second is when you’re going to die. It’s the time in-between those two seconds that are your life. If you want to spend that time saying someone’s chosen identity is encroaching on you, then I feel very sorry for you. You should be out there enjoying your life and letting others enjoy theirs.”

But David admits that there is a ‘pressure’ to police comedy and satire these days. He believes it has ‘never been more difficult to do satire’ than today. ”Comedy is becoming almost impossible because you have to caveat everything,” he comments. “It gets to a point where it interferes with the flow. I think we’re being encouraged to be offended, scared, afraid and it’s all nonsense, it’s ridiculous. If we start to police each other, the powers that be have kind of won. I think we need to be mindful of each other really.”

Keen to remain ‘hands on’ with the residency, David has had a lot of input in the three-week exhibition at Aviva Studios, which is home to Factory International. Throughout the week he will occasionally be found browsing the displays to check they are being shown properly, or choosing visitors to draw impromptu portraits of.

“It’s been a long time in the works, but this is genuinely the biggest thing I have ever done in my life,” he explains. “I feel very complemented and honoured to be here and given such an opportunity like this. They even allowed me to choose all the music that is played throughout the day at the venue. I curated a playlist of up to 20 hours of music, it’s all very random. I’ve been in a situation where I've been in the middle of a serious conversation and the theme tune to Crossroads just comes on.”

But, despite wanting to remain in control, David says he has been able to find a way to step back from control and allow the choice of artworks featured in the residency be chosen by people who know him well, like photographer and friend Lee Baxter.

He says: “There’s a lot of pressure and there’s hundreds of art works to choose from, but the first thing I realised through all of this was to let go and allow people to make selections of their own because they can be more objective about it.”

But David says he still cannot get over the fact that his face is plastered across billboards and posters throughout the city, as well as his work being featured so prominently in such a huge venue. “I feel like I’m having an out of body experience, I still can’t believe it’s happening,” he explains. “It’s very surreal, I don’t take anything for granted.”

And this part of his story will conclude in spectacular style with a cabaret night on Saturday (April 27) at AVIVA Studios. Entitled Still Got It...?, the show will feature a hand-picked line-up of performers, artists, burlesque, circus and drag, as well as David himself.

“It’s going to be true variety,” he proclaims. “Variety is the spice of life, variety comes from the music hall - even the most avant-garde performers owe a lot to the music hall. I think the show will have moments of genuine frivolity but then there might also be contrasting moments that blend together and find the perfect balance.”

Artists already set to perform include Lilly Snatchdragon, the Glitterbomb Dancers, Symoné, Veda Lady, and David’s regular stylist and makeup artist, Thom Shaw, who will perform as his own alter-ego of church lady Pam.

“It’s hard to be in a perpetual state of awe when you have letters coming through your door with bills and worry about how to pay the rent - it can be very difficult,” David says. “Therefore, a bit of colour and a bit of sparkle can go a long way.

“I’m hoping, with this variety show, we will be leaving on a high - that’s my intention anyway. When it’s all over, I’m not sure what I’m going to be like because I’ve been on such a high all of this time, but I’m trying to live in the now and just enjoy it. It’s been an amazing honour to have this opportunity.”

David Hoyle: Please Feel Free to Ignore My Work runs at Aviva Studios (M3 4JQ) until April 28 and is free to attend. His cabaret night, Still Got It...?, takes place at the venue on April 27 from 7.30pm with tickets available here.