A few months ago I was goggling for something and a link came up to a you-tube video made by a guy named Charlie Hides. It was a video titled “Madonna’s GAGA Nightmare”. I clicked on it and was instantly laughing. Charlie Hides makes some very funny videos! They are a mix of his original characters and parodies of celebrities. The thing that makes them standout is Charlie, he plays all the characters! I have found all of them to be hysterical. One of his original characters is Laquisha Jonz I highly recommend her she is FUNNY.

I recently contacted Charlie in London where he lives and he made a cup of tea and answered some questions for me. Punk Globe: How many videos do you currently have on your “you-tube” channel? Is there one that gets more hits than others? Charlie Hides: At last count there were over 50 on main channel, and about a dozen more on my second channel which features mash ups of the outtakes and deleted scenes from the weekly videos. Any video which features Madonna or Lady Gaga gets more views as they are the most google searched entertainers on the planet. Because I often recreate moments in pop culture within hours of the event those videos go viral due to trending topics on Twitter and other social media.

Can you give our readers who might not yet heard of you or seen your videos a little background on you as a performer and video maker?

I’ve been working as a stand-up comic for years in the US and UK and in the past year have had millions of views on YouTube of my celebrity impressions and topical comedy sketches. I mimic everyone from Justin Bieber and Elton John to Madonna, Cher and Lady Gaga.

You’re an American how did you end up in London?

The way a lot of people do, I fell in love with a Brit and was determined to make the relationship work. It was a huge challenge to transplant myself into a very different culture and to start from the bottom all over again after working my way up the ladder in the States but I quickly fell in love with the UK and it’s now home. London is incredibly vibrant and inspiring and has a great comedy scene.

Who is your favorite character to do?

It’s always changing, I love doing original characters like Stanley Blackstone and Maureen. Laquisha Jonz is a single mother of three and is a lot of fun to do because she has opinions about EVERYTHING. Cher is fun to play because she is still a bad ass at 65 and doesn’t take shit from anyone.

Have any of the people that you have skewered contacted you?

Um no, thankfully. I’d be mortified if they were genuinely upset with my characterization. I try to be affectionate and not malicious and I’m not doing literal impersonations like and actor would do for a Hollywood biopic. I’m taking their persona and image and creating a comic version that is often quite dissimilar to the actual celebrity. I hope they would see that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I have been contacted by Boy George and Kylie Minogue who are big fans and have re-tweeted many of videos.

How long do your videos take to make? Do you have a big crew helping you out?

I often write and film them on Monday and Tuesday and upload on Wednesday morning. Big crew? It’s just me, a bag of wigs and a video camera. Sometimes I get help when I need an extra body for the scenes where I have two celebrities interacting. All of the close ups are my face but sometimes you see the back of someone or an additional arm or leg. Otherwise it’s just me.

Is there someone you would like to do whom you haven’t done yet?

I get requests all the time from viewers who want me to do their idols. I keep pushing myself to try new and different people, some I can pull off but others are just so beyond my physical ability. I’m playing character from 17 – 70 years old, male and female of different races and sizes. Without surgery or special effects team I’m limited by my bone structure. After many requests I’ve tried doing Brittany Spears but wasn’t happy with the look. I also tried Ricky Gervais but again, he’s got a completely different shaped face. I’d like to do Kanye West because he’s got the biggest ego in show business and seems to have a tenuous grasp on reality. He’s a perfect target so he’s on my list for future projects.

Have you thought of doing someone like Courtney Love or any of the other divas of punk rock?

Yes, Courtney is on my list. I love her music and think she’s a brilliant actress, I’m sure I can pull her off as she’s got an iconic look and a similar shaped face. The right story line will come along in the near future I’m sure. I also love Deborah Harry and David Bowie, again, iconic looks and great artists. Maybe they will do a duet or slap a sky Marshall and make front page news.

Is there anyone’s character you can’t get down?

Well, as mentioned I’ve had trouble with Britney Spears, I can do the Southern drawl but not quite got the look and I can’t do Kylie Minogue’s accent yet. I’m working on it.

What is your next project? Anything you want to let our readers know about.

In the next few months I’ll be doing more videos with my original characters and I’ve been asked to put together a live show incorporating many of the celebs I’ve become known for. That is a huge technical challenge but I’m having fun playing with different ideas which would incorporate video and live characters interacting. I’ll be debuting a version of it at the GAY VILLAGE arts festival in Rome at the end of June so I best get back to work.

I’d really like to thank Charlie for his time. He can be seen on you-tube at: http://www.youtube.com/user/CharlieHidesTV/videos Now if you are in London or are traveling to London you can see Charlie live on stage where he does his original characters in Clapham at The Two Brewers on Sunday nights at 9:30. More info about the Two Brewers can be found at: http://the2brewers.com You can and should check out Charlie’s face book page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Charlie-Hides-TV/136970379705116 Like him and get updates and see his new videos.