Who is Cameron Charters?
I’m an Entertainer based in Newcastle, Australia with over 15 years experience pretending to be other Entertainers. A musician with an identity crisis.
What would you do differently to what you do now?
When I was younger I thought I’d play cricket or soccer for Australia until I realised I wasn’t particularly good at it. I’m happy doing what I do, I’ve always been most interested in following my musical aspirations.
Who inspires you and why?
One person that comes to mind is Mark Goffeney. He was born without arms so he plays guitar with his feet. It really puts any stresses or challenges I might have as a performer into perspective to see him play. The strength of character he has shown to face his battles head on is amazing and really shows what can be achieved with the right attitude.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
That’s a very profound question for the likes of me to answer. I’m unlikely to make any substantial impact on the world but what I see as a critical problem is the extreme amount of weaponry we have on this planet. If our leaders could focus more on feeding starving people, curing diseases and improving the well being of life here overall and less on blowing each other up we’d have a much more sustainable future.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
Most of my travel has been work related, I’ve seen the inside of some very nice theatres around the world. One place I always enjoy returning to is Canada, the scenery there is spectacular and, from my experience, the people are very friendly too.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
Newcastle has some beautiful beaches so that’s a good start. Merewether Baths is a nice place to be in summer and they have the added bonus of being across the road from a hotel that regularly has live bands perform. In colder times I’d recommend a drive to the Hunter Valley vineyards or if there are kids to entertain Hunter Valley Gardens is a good day out for them.
What are you currently reading?
What I enjoy reading most are musician’s autobiographies. I’ve most recently read Eric Clapton’s autobiography and I enjoyed that. He’s one of my favourite guitarists and it was interesting to discover more about his very unique life.
What are you currently listening to?
I find my favourite music to listen to is still the old stuff. Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Faith No More, Stone Temple Pilots and Soundgarden to name a few. Some current bands that I’m into are the Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, Muse and King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard.
Happiness is?
Having time to relax with friends and family. Nothing beats good company.
What does the future hold for you?
If all goes to plan in the near future I’ll be traveling and performing mostly. We have big goals for the Bowie show, if we can achieve most of them I’m going to be very busy entertaining people around the globe for the next few years at least. Beyond that I’d like to have my own recording studio and take more of a talent development role. I’ve seen a lot of untapped musical talent in my travels, to use my knowledge and skills to help acts fulfill their potential would give me a great deal of satisfaction.
Cameron is performing as David Bowie in Bowie: Ashes to Ashes plays the Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide (17 May); Penrith Panthers (19 May); Wests New Lambton, Newcastle (20 May); and Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul (21 May). For more information, visit: www.bowietheshow.com for details.
Image: Cameron Charters as David Bowie (supplied)