Add Derik for a chat on msn : [email protected] year is 1987 and Derik Dale is beginning to ride the wave of success. Not only has he just appeared in his first major Hollywood movie, R is for Rectum, but he is already an international TV star with the popular show, Life is Grand, in which he stars with Cybill Shepherd. Throughout the course of Life is Grand, Derik has shown himself to be a dramatic actor very much at ease with a stare-at-camera-blankly style of the 80's. Indeed, so at ease was Derik that he even contributed his rendition of the Divinyls classic 'I Touch Myself' for the Life is Grand soundtrack '84. It was perhaps not so suprising then that Derik went on to release his version of 'Another One Bites the Dust', after its appearance in a Life is Grand episode. His debut album Derik does his Hits, followed and topped the charts.
Derik Dale was born in March 1983 in Dandenong South. Once an adult Derik moved to Frankston to pursue his dreams of nude modelling, but his film career eluded him. To make ends meet Derik worked as a stripper at Kittens, a profession at which he proved to be an enormous success. Rumour goes that he was constantly being head-hunted throughout the Melbourne bar scene as his popularity with the punters could guarantee 200 to 300 customers a night. It was in his days of pole-sliding that Derik inherited his nickname, 'Horse'.
Derik's big break came when, after having gone to an audition for a 'comedic' part for which he was deemed unsuitable, he was advised by the director that in the studio next door auditions were being held for a new network TV show. This show was apparently more serious in nature and the director felt this might be more appropriate for his acting style. The show turned out to be Life is Grand - The rest is history.
So back in '87 and the release of Derik does his Hits. The album itself was a homage to the music that Derik loved, old soul and R&B. There was however, one original track 'Sexpot' (Derik's Bop), penned by Derik and producer Chip Harris. While expressing Derik's usual seriousness and suggesting a dash of self-promoting, the track was an arena for Derik to show off his arguably impressive dancing skills. Indeed, Derik and his dancing played a greater part in the follow up album 'If I don't kill you, I'll sleep with you', in 1989.
Despite good sales of his debut and the singles that emerged thenceforth such as: 'Respect me' and 'Under the Whorebath', Derik's musical career really took off. This is perhaps attributable to various reasons- that he was accepted by the gay community, he reguarly performed live and as years went on he became a husband and a father (famously marrying Cher), and co-partner in the successful Slippery Poles Chain.
One thing that has always been apparent throughout Derik's career, both on record and on the screen, is that he always takes himself too seriously. He is keen to pursue the joys of women, and this is surely one aspect of his soul that is undeniably expressed in the tracks collected here.
Recently returned from his world tour, he can now been seen doing shows around Melbourne and possibly private shows at homes. Derik Dale has been singing for numerous years all around the world and is set to release his latest album within the next few months.I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4
