He’s the star of Legally Brown, and Nazeem Hussain is bringing his divisive brand of comedy to Tasmania for two shows. Whether you’re offended or amused, Hussain’s show will get people talking, writes ZONA BLACK.
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YOU MIGHT recognise him from that comedy show on SBS.
The one where you're not quite sure if you're allowed to laugh or not.
Nazeem Hussain has made a comedic career out of being himself. As a Sri Lankan Muslim growing up in suburban Melbourne, he has a unique take on Australia's racism, and he doesn't shy away from it.
Hussain hit the mainstream in 2013 when his show Legally Brown started airing on SBS, after making waves on television since 2009. He took on racism and Islamophobia head-on, making light of the situation while exposing it.
Hussain, 29, has just returned from taking his Legally Brown solo show to the UK, where it was embraced in sold-out shows.
"It was my first solo tour and it was really, really good," Hussain said. "I feel like the UK is kinda like Australia in 30 years. I think, politically, it's a little bit more advanced than we are.
"You don't have to quantify anything or explain the situation — you can just get straight to the joke and sometimes, the audiences gets to the punchline before you do." Then, it was off to Morocco for a "tax-deductible honeymoon" with his new bride.
"I got to ride a camel, haggle badly and use my very, very average Arabic," he said.
If there was one thing that Hussain said he noticed about being an Australian overseas, it was the international perception of the land Down Under.
" 'How embarrassing is that?!' that was one of the things people said to me when they found out I was Australian. They asked 'What's going on with your country?', particularly referring to Joe Hockey's latest comments."
Hussain hasn't held back from giving his political opinion, in fact it's part of what makes his comedy so successful.
Behind a lot of his jokes is a true story or a life experience about how he's always stopped for thorough searches at airports, or how he and Waleed Aly are confused for each other by major national media outlets.
This week, Hussain is taking on another new challenge: visiting Tasmania. He'll be performing in Hobart at the Republic Bar on Thursday, and at Launceston's Fresh Comedy on Friday. Despite our below-zero temperatures, he said he was excited.
"I've been to Tassie before for the Falls Festival — it was one of the best gigs ever," Hussain said.
"When I walked on stage, some guy just yelled out 'PAKISTAN' and that was it. Tasmania is one of those places where you don't really have much of an expectation but the audiences are just so excited, you guys are just so into it."
GIG FACTS
WHAT: Nazeem Hussain headlines Fresh Comedy.
WHEN: Friday, June 19, from 7.30pm.
WHERE: Fresh on Charles, Launceston.
TICKETS: Fresh Comedy regularly sells out. Avoid disappointment and buy tickets online through trybooking.com. Reserved seated tickets are $20, and general admission $15. Any door sales available on the night are $20.
MORE INFO: www.facebook.com/comedyatfresh
