Dave Callan

For the other Australian comedian by the same name, see David Callan.

Dave Callan
Born	20 September 1975 (1975-09-20) (age 36) Dundalk, Co. Louth, Ireland
Occupation	Comedian Radio announcer

Dave Callan (born 20 September 1975 in Dundalk, Ireland) is a comedian based in Perth, Australia. He currently works as a Triple J disc jockey.

Biography

Callan was born in Dundalk, Ireland, and arrived in Australia in 1990, aged 15.^[1] He spent part of his teenage years in Perth where he attended Chisholm Catholic College.

Radio career

Callan hosted the Mid-Dawn shift at Triple J on Sundays from 1am - 6am for most of 2005, until it was discontinued. He continued to host the Triple J show Pirate Radio from 6pm until 9pm on Saturday evenings. The show features party music, mash-ups and many unusual regular callers, referred to as 'carnies', including Steph from Tamworth, Evil Me and Jarred from Bunbury. On 19 January 2008, Dave presented the last show of Pirate Radio. On 27 January 2008, Dave returned to the Mid-Dawn shift on Sundays from 1am – 6am.

TV career

Callan first gained serious popularity while performing on Rove (Nine Network) and also on the first series of Rove Live (Network Ten), but left the show to pursue his love for stand up. Callan was Rove McManus' groomsman at his wedding to Belinda Emmett.

In 2005, Callan appeared in a series of commercials called "Change is in the Air", to introduce Australians to the impending smoking ban in pubs and clubs.^[2] He also narrated a commercial for the Ferndale Confectionery item "Tuff Nuts", and has performed in Western Australian advertisements for WA Home Loans and Fruitisma. ^[3]

During 2006 and 2007 Dave appeared on jtv and presented episodes on occasion.

He has also appeared as a guest on the Comedy Channel's improvisational comedy program Comedy Slapdown.

His other TV credits include O'Loghlin on Saturday night, the ABC’s Standing Up, the SBS documentary – King of the Road, and a regular performer on the yearly "Melbourne International Comedy Festival Gala". Most recently he has been a recurring guest on ABC1's Spicks and Specks.

Stand-up career

Touring internationally over the next few years, Callan had successful shows each year in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) including:

• Dave Callan is Shithouse
• Dave Callan is Hairy
• Dave Callan's Wonderful World
• Bare Faced Cheek
• Raw Comedy Finals (as Host & MC)
• The Sunshine Factory (with Sam Simmons, Tim Harris, Steve Bunce)
• Show us your Roots (with Hung Le, Steve Abbott, Gabriel Rossi, Tommy Dean, Desh, Sean Choolburra, Tahir) - also released on DVD.
• The Sunshine Factory Part II (with Sam Simmons)
• Dance of the Flame Retardant Monkey
• Daylight Savings for the Doomsday Clock
• 0+ (Symbol of Venus)

In addition, Dave performed regularly at the MICF Festival Club and the MICF Festival Roadshow. These shows have frequently included choreographed fight and dance scenes with Ninjas, Pirates and Zombies. During MICFs he can often be seen with an entourage of ninjas.

He occasionally is referred to as 'Danger Dave'.

His 2005 joint show with Sam Simmons, (also with Tim Harris and Steve Bunce), The Sunshine Factory was nominated for a Golden Gibbo MICF award.

Also in 2005, his show 'Show us your Roots' (with a group of comedians - see list above) season sold out at Crown Casino as part of the MICF, at the National Multi-Cultural Festival in Canberra, and at the Sydney Opera House. This show was later released on DVD by Beyond Home Entertainment.

In more recent years, his shows have included Political and Environmental commentary, for instance 2007-2008 shows 'Dance of the flame retardant monkey' and 'Daylight Savings for the doomsday clock'. Ripe with pop-culture references and an eclectic mash of immaturity and sincerity, 'Daylight Savings' was a near sell out season.

• Dave has two bestest friends. They are Bess Porcaro and Alice Sodapop.

Film Career

He plays the character of a sports commentator in the upcoming Australian comedy film Reverse Runner.

References

1. ^ "Fright night". The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 February 2005. http://www.smh.com.au/news/TV--Radio/Fright-night/2005/02/21/1108834729141.html. 
2. ^ "Change is in the air" in NSW pubs & clubs (Media Release), New South Wales Department of Health, 31 May 2005.
3. ^ "Guest Speakers and MC's", BBC Entertainment, 2010.

External links

• Dave Callan's bio on the Triple J website
• Sydney Morning Herald article about The Graveyard Shift
• Graveyard Shift fan page

Persondata
Name	Callan, Dave
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	20 September 1975
Place of birth	Dundalk, Co. Louth, Ireland
Date of death
Place of death