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00:06Nazeem, hello.
00:07Hello, Virginia. How are you?
00:08I'm really well.
00:10Well, this is a lot of fun
00:11because you're one of our most important comedians.
00:15Don't laugh.
00:16No, I love being called an important comedian.
00:20Well, because you say that you want to make the majority
00:23feel like the minority for one hour.
00:26That would be something that is in my mind.
00:27And I wouldn't normally want to let other people know about,
00:31but here we are.
00:32Too late.
00:33I mean, yeah, I think that's fun if you can kind of flip a dynamic.
00:38It's not that I go out looking for controversial issues to talk about.
00:42Like, I want to make people laugh.
00:44I want to have a good time.
00:45But comedy feels like the only tool I have at my disposal
00:49to make sense of this ridiculous world we're living in at the moment.
00:53Well, I'm looking forward to seeing you in action, Nazeem.
00:56Can't wait.
00:56OK, bye.
00:57Bye.
01:01I'm Virginia Trioli,
01:02and I've spent my life paying attention to creative Australians
01:06and wondering, what is going on in that wild mind of theirs?
01:12In this series, I'll showcase artists and performers
01:15at the peak of their powers
01:16and tell the story of their triumphs, their stumbles,
01:20and why they make the glorious work we love so much.
01:23Donuts for Nazeem Hussain.
01:26Nazeem Hussain is one of the biggest stars of Australian comedy,
01:30whose provocative shows have won international acclaim.
01:33Right, let the house just go now or we're coming in.
01:36Sir, please remain calm.
01:39For more than two decades,
01:40his audacious stand-up and sketch comedy
01:43has held up a mirror to society,
01:46revealing uncomfortable but hilarious truths.
01:49That's not even an insult,
01:50calling someone un-Australian.
01:52Like, everywhere but Australia and Bali is un-Australian.
01:56Don't you reckon?
02:03I'm thrilled to be unashamedly celebrating the art of making
02:07because we are a country of so many brilliant, creative types.
02:23Hey.
02:23Hey, hello, Nazeem, how are you?
02:25Good, how are you?
02:26Great to see you here.
02:27You're about to go in there and wow an audience.
02:30Well, that's the plan.
02:31Okay.
02:32I hope they've studied the refund policy.
02:34Because there is none.
02:38So we're heading to the powerhouse here.
02:40Have you played this joint before?
02:41This is honestly one of my top five venues in Australia.
02:44Oh, really?
02:44It is beautiful.
02:46It feels like a treat.
02:47And the acoustic, everything's great about it.
03:01What's your pre-show prep?
03:04The aim is to try and be chill, but I inevitably pace a lot and look at my notebook and
03:09feel like I need to cram more and more jokes and ideas.
03:13But in theory, just be chill and just act like I'm not thinking about the show.
03:17But I'm not thinking about the show.
03:21So sometimes I see you here.
03:23I'll be playing this game.
03:24Here we go.
03:27We're playing this game on Saturday.
03:43We're playing this game on Saturday.
03:46Woo!
03:48Brown people make some noise.
03:50I like that ratio.
03:52That is good.
03:52All right.
03:53I'll tell you a bit of personal news, everybody.
03:54I just became a dad, everyone.
03:58We had a baby boy.
03:59We named him Yusuf.
04:00Yusuf Muhammad Hussein.
04:02Now, we named him that because we're trying to save money,
04:04if I'm honest.
04:05Disneyland's expensive.
04:06No way he's getting on a plane with that name, so...
04:11Unazim, that was a solid hour of race jokes.
04:14Everyone gets skewered.
04:16And yet, every person there is absolutely laughing their guts out,
04:19including me.
04:20How do you manage that?
04:22I think it's more just about moving the camera around
04:24and just sort of just letting everyone feel a little different.
04:29For me, making a joke is effective when there's tension to pop,
04:32like when there's a bubble of expectation
04:36or people don't really know where something's going.
04:37You know, if there's a joke about brown people
04:39and white people are laughing, they get self-conscious,
04:41and then it goes both ways.
04:43Everyone's sort of looking at each other,
04:44figuring out, like, whether...
04:46You know, so I feel like...
04:47Is it OK to laugh?
04:48Is it OK to laugh?
04:49There's a lot of thinking going on.
04:50It's race jokes within race jokes within race jokes,
04:53which is a complicated and tricky little thing to land.
04:56It doesn't always land.
04:58A lot of the writing happens on stage and...
05:01Oh, really?
05:02Yeah, and I think it kind of has to,
05:03because, you know, you might have an idea that's funny
05:06and, you know, you can only figure it out
05:08on stage in front of an audience
05:09and find out whether they're going to laugh.
05:11And meanwhile, I can't sleep.
05:12Like, I'm wide awake.
05:13My friends are like,
05:14just get noise-cancelling headphones.
05:16Listen to white noise.
05:17That'll help you sleep.
05:18So I was like, all right, what's white noise?
05:19Like, Coldplay, do you mean?
05:21And, um...
05:23You can ask almost any comedian,
05:25where's the line?
05:26Where's the line that you won't cross?
05:28I don't know if I can...
05:29I don't know if that matters to you.
05:31That might be how it comes across.
05:32Like, there's a, you know, there's a veneer of,
05:34like, I don't care, I'll just say anything.
05:35But I am very conscious to not make fun of people
05:38who are routinely humiliated
05:40or do it in a way that doesn't, like, bring them in.
05:43Yeah.
05:44Because the audience will let you know it doesn't feel nice.
05:46Like, it feels like a bully up on stage.
05:48Yeah, there is definitely a line.
05:49I think there is a responsibility if you've got a microphone.
05:52He comes at it from his own perspective,
05:54which is really important.
05:56I suppose for him in a very small venue.
05:58It would have been 50 seats, maybe.
06:00I remember me and my wife
06:02were the only white people in the crowd.
06:04I was watching people I felt
06:05who hadn't laughed that hard in Australia before
06:08in terms of that they had some comedy made for them.
06:12And I was like, oh, this is how white people feel every day.
06:15And, uh, and it made me realise
06:17just how important representation is.
06:20I found, um, I found something called brown noise.
06:22Have you guys heard of brown noise?
06:24It's like a real thing, yeah.
06:25It's like, I, uh, I found a three and a half hour track
06:27and I put my noise-cancelling headphones on
06:30and I pressed play
06:30and I said, welcome to brown noise.
06:33And then it was just my mum's voice.
06:35You should have been a doctor.
06:36You should have been a doctor.
06:36You should have been a doctor.
06:40I feel like the better I get at comedy,
06:42or the more I do it,
06:43the more comfortable I am with, like, playing the room.
06:46And so, yeah, like, if they're laughing,
06:49I just keep going.
06:51I'm not too, I'm not shy to milk something dry.
06:55We all feel it.
07:11Do you smell that?
07:13Oh, my goodness.
07:14Nazeem was born and raised in Melbourne's Burwood,
07:17the middle child of Sri Lankan migrants.
07:20It's a surprise, like a kinder surprise.
07:22Oh, my God, look.
07:23Oh, yum.
07:25A background rich with inspiration for his comedy.
07:30This is the food that gets you into trouble
07:31when you're an immigrant kid.
07:33In primary school, I remember, like,
07:34opening my lunchbox and kids were like,
07:36what the hell is that?
07:37And I was like, nothing.
07:38Just close it, put it away.
07:39Veggie white.
07:41Veggie white.
07:44I'm stuffed.
07:46Absolutely delicious.
07:47And a nap.
07:54Nazeem, who's this cheerful, happy little kid?
07:57In this picture.
07:58The only brown in the village.
07:59I think that's me, yeah.
08:00I think it's just me at kinder.
08:02I think I actually wanted to be a firefighter
08:04for a very short period of time.
08:05Most kids do?
08:06Yeah.
08:06And then my mum was like,
08:07no, a doctor or a lawyer.
08:09That's it.
08:10Well, I want to bring your mum
08:11straight into the conversation.
08:12Here she is.
08:13And that's you there and your sister and your dad.
08:16Mm-hmm.
08:17Because she is central to, of course, your life,
08:21but also your comedic life.
08:23Yeah.
08:23She's sort of like a comedy origin story, really, your mum.
08:26She kind of is.
08:26I think, like, you know,
08:27she sort of represents, like, a bigger version of me, you know,
08:32someone that's navigating between two worlds,
08:35who doesn't know how to keep things in,
08:39doesn't really navigate the subtlety that well.
08:45And that's me.
08:46I'm just all out.
08:47She effectively raised us, you know,
08:49my dad left when I was about five or six.
08:51So, yeah, single mum, you know,
08:53having to work several jobs,
08:55navigate a different culture,
08:58try to raise us as good Muslims
08:59with a Sri Lankan identity.
09:01So she really dialled up all aspects of her personality.
09:05Isn't there a story about her pulling in the former Premier,
09:08Geoff Kennett, to the aid of her children?
09:10Yes.
09:10My sister was getting bullied,
09:11so my mum took matters into her own hands.
09:13Of course.
09:13Just went straight to the principal.
09:16The principal didn't really have an intention
09:17of resolving the thing.
09:18My mum then got in the car,
09:20drove straight to the local MP's office,
09:22who at the time was Geoff Kennett,
09:24Premier of Victoria.
09:25Had no appointment,
09:26just walked in with her hijab.
09:28She saw Geoff, walks into his office.
09:30The receptionist chased my mum.
09:31My mum locked the door behind her,
09:33spoke to Geoff Kennett.
09:3545 minutes later,
09:35walks back into the principal's office
09:37with Geoff Kennett by her side.
09:39Geoff's like,
09:39just do whatever this woman says,
09:40all right, just...
09:41And then the bullying stopped.
09:42So, you know,
09:43you can't wait for people to do things
09:45or say things for you.
09:46You know, you've just got to front foot it.
09:49So, you're a kid who's getting bullied
09:52and learning to have a smart mouth
09:53to deal it back.
09:54Yeah.
09:55Very early on with kids
09:56that would make jokes about me,
09:57I'd give it straight back
09:58and then they would,
09:58you know, everyone would laugh at them.
09:59Sometimes they would cry,
10:00but they would never mess with me again.
10:02The laughter that I'd get
10:03when I'd tease someone back,
10:05that was like a weapon.
10:06So, it's just like,
10:07I wasn't trying to find the hypocrisy.
10:08I was trying to find the laugh.
10:09So, do we see this
10:11as the beginning
10:11of your comedic voice?
10:13Probably.
10:14Now that, you know,
10:14we're digging into that part
10:16of my childhood.
10:19The kid who made his bullies laugh
10:21was on the cusp
10:22of becoming a confident young comedian.
10:25Community television
10:26offered him a defining opportunity.
10:28We've got a new coffee maker.
10:31Well, I tend to like making tea
10:32more than coffee, but...
10:34Four years after 9-11,
10:36while studying law and science
10:37at university,
10:39Nazeem and some fellow Muslim friends
10:41put together a show
10:42on community television
10:43called Salaam Cafe.
10:45This is surely not
10:46a permanent appointment.
10:47What are you,
10:48criticising my tea
10:48without even tasting it?
10:49Yes.
10:50Yes, I am.
10:51Salaam Cafe was a huge moment
10:53in my career.
10:54It's probably where, um...
10:55Well, it's where television
10:56started for me.
10:57A bunch of friends,
10:58including Waleed Ali,
10:59Susan Carland,
11:00just talking about Muslim life.
11:01I think, in a way,
11:03the show came about
11:04because, you know,
11:05it was post-9-11.
11:07We were in the news a lot, Muslims.
11:08Yes.
11:09Not for good stuff, surprise.
11:11And it sort of came
11:12from this frustration
11:13about, like,
11:14let's just do a show that...
11:16Let's be on TV
11:17as people that we know.
11:18But I had no filter.
11:20I'd just say anything
11:20and do anything,
11:21and then you'd get feedback.
11:23So I learnt that, like,
11:24oh, there's an audience out there
11:25that don't all like you,
11:26and you're going to hear
11:27from them articulately.
11:29And so we would get
11:30these angry emails from people
11:31from Muslims
11:32saying that we shouldn't
11:33be making fun of the religion,
11:36which we weren't, I think.
11:37I don't know.
11:38And then non-Muslims were like,
11:40stop trying to make Muslims
11:41not look like terrorists
11:42and pretend that you're not.
11:44We know what you're really about.
11:45So you couldn't win.
11:46And so through that experience,
11:47I sort of learnt
11:48to develop a thick skin, I guess,
11:50like that you can't convince everybody.
11:52It is day one
11:52of the race for Camden,
11:54and I'm going to Camden
11:55to meet the people,
11:56to press the flesh,
11:57the halal flesh,
11:58to see what makes them tick
12:00in a non-explosive type of way.
12:02It was in these early days
12:03of Salaam Café
12:04that Nazeem created
12:06what was to become
12:07an enduring character
12:08in his comedy,
12:10Uncle Sam.
12:11We are here in Camden,
12:12which will soon become
12:14a slam-down.
12:16Tell me about the origin story
12:17of this particular character.
12:19We were like,
12:20we need a segment.
12:20Tomorrow we've got the deadline.
12:22I went, what are we going to do?
12:22I was like,
12:23let's just go to Frankston
12:24and just interview
12:25some bogans, you know?
12:27So we just went down there
12:28and I just started acting
12:28like an uncle
12:29and just getting
12:29all these crazy responses
12:31and we aired that
12:31and it went nuts.
12:32What is Ramazan?
12:34Ramazan!
12:35Is that like a papadum?
12:36Go talk to this boy.
12:37He's by himself.
12:39He must be Muslim
12:40because nobody liking him.
12:42Are you Muslim?
12:44The character comes from
12:45just like many uncles
12:47that I've grown up around.
12:48They just have this
12:49like beautiful view
12:51of the community and faith
12:52and they just want
12:53to share it with people.
12:54So at a time when people
12:56were really like freaked out
12:57about Muslims,
12:58this is probably when
12:59I enjoyed playing
13:00that character the most.
13:01He's written to be
13:02as kind of guileless
13:04and almost to be daffy,
13:05like a daffy uncle.
13:07But what's he trying to do?
13:08Turn Australian,
13:09you know, Sharia, right?
13:11Actually trying to introduce
13:12Sharia law into Australia
13:13and that's the gag.
13:14I think the fact
13:15that Uncle Sam
13:16is quietly spoken
13:17and quite polite,
13:19amuses me.
13:20And he walked down the street
13:21and he would talk
13:21to Australians
13:22who would patronise him
13:23and not realise
13:24that he was ripping
13:26the piss out of them.
13:27It's just the most
13:28perfect satire.
13:30Well, I think this is
13:31where this very,
13:32this man who's very dear to you,
13:35Amur Rahman, comes in.
13:36How old were you
13:37when you met each other?
13:39Ah, teenagers.
13:40I think like we would go
13:41to Muslim community events
13:42and, you know,
13:43when everybody else
13:44was trying to take
13:45things seriously,
13:46we were not taking it seriously.
13:49up in the back
13:49making jokes.
13:50In the back making jokes.
13:50And so it was kind of fun
13:52to meet someone
13:53who was also
13:53just as irreverent.
13:55Well, you put together
13:57the show that ended up
13:58being your breakthrough moment,
13:59the two of you,
14:00which is Fear of a Brown Planet.
14:02What's your name?
14:04In the pink?
14:05Victoria.
14:06Nice to meet you, Victoria.
14:07I'll take you on a date, Victoria.
14:09Candlelight dinner.
14:10I'd be sitting here
14:11gazing at you.
14:12You'd be sitting there
14:14gazing straight back at me
14:16and my mum.
14:19I was probably the more,
14:20well, definitely the more palatable
14:21of the two of us.
14:22Like, I was sugar
14:24and he was spice, you know.
14:25You either like him
14:26or you're like,
14:26I can't do chilli.
14:27So he was, yeah,
14:29it felt really exciting
14:30to be able to say
14:32your thoughts
14:33on a microphone
14:34to people that
14:36clap with you
14:37and laugh
14:38and it just felt
14:39really good for us.
14:43After their early success
14:44in Australia,
14:45Nazeem and Amer
14:46took Fear of a Brown Planet
14:48to the tough judgements
14:50of the Edinburgh Festival.
14:51He got a one-star review
14:53this morning
14:55which said amongst other things
14:57that we were racist
14:59and that we weren't
15:01good enough comedians
15:02to write about
15:03coming from immigrant stock.
15:06First couple of weeks,
15:07it was brutal.
15:08I think it was a one-star review,
15:09I think, somewhere.
15:10It was a one-star review.
15:11We had like...
15:11I can see you feel it.
15:14I still feel it.
15:14It's just like,
15:16I've got so much
15:16to say about reviews
15:17but the worst reviews
15:18are the ones
15:19that actually make sense
15:20and you're like,
15:20oh, you're right.
15:21You're right, yeah.
15:22Oh, I hate you though.
15:23Why'd you just tell everyone?
15:25Yes.
15:25You know,
15:25sometimes you need
15:26that pressure
15:27to cut the crap
15:29and just get straight
15:29to the funny bits.
15:32So I think it was good.
15:33The second half of the run
15:34there was an improvement
15:35and suddenly we sort of like
15:37started to figure out
15:39what made the show
15:39good and funny
15:42and yeah,
15:43people started coming.
15:43What were you learning?
15:44So what do you learn
15:45when you do stand-up
15:46night after night after night?
15:48It's getting yourself away
15:49from the sort of easy laughs
15:51that makes you a better comedian.
15:54Let me get this right.
15:55So for white people
15:56to go out
15:58and enjoy the company
15:59of other white people,
16:00for that to happen,
16:03you need to intoxicate yourselves.
16:04Is that...
16:05In order for that to happen?
16:06Is that...
16:13While Nazeem's comedy career
16:15was taking off,
16:16he was working
16:17as a tax accountant
16:18at PwC.
16:20But his dual life
16:21was about to come to a head.
16:24You called yourself
16:25a tax accountant Batman.
16:28Tax accountants in my day?
16:29Pretty much.
16:30So it's literally...
16:31And what by night?
16:32Comedian...
16:32Yeah.
16:33Like I was walking to gigs
16:35with my suit on
16:36and my shirt
16:37and I'd be taking my suit off
16:39on the white...
16:39Just like Batman.
16:40And literally going on stage
16:41with like suit pants
16:43and a shirt.
16:43Like if I take off two buttons
16:44it kind of looks casual.
16:46Definitely very different worlds.
16:48When you're at PwC
16:49you get an extraordinary opportunity
16:51from SBS.
16:53Yeah.
16:53So I sort of...
16:53So why don't we just pitch
16:54this idea to SBS?
16:56You know,
16:56because that would be
16:57the exact show
16:58that I'd want to do.
16:59Not thinking that
16:59they would say yes
17:00and then they said yes
17:01and I was like
17:02oh crap but I've got a job.
17:03Well you said
17:04should I go?
17:05What'd they say?
17:06And so I was like
17:07look you know
17:07SBS have offered me
17:09this TV show
17:09but PwC is number one
17:11for me
17:11and that's just
17:12you know
17:13I'll say no.
17:14He's like
17:14wait wait
17:14they've given you
17:15your own show?
17:15I'm like yeah.
17:16He's like
17:16you've got to say yes
17:17you idiots.
17:18Did you need to hear that?
17:19I think I did.
17:20That is a great thing
17:20to be told.
17:21It was a pretty like
17:22it gave me a lot of comfort.
17:23Well I've got some
17:24Legally Brown here
17:26the SBS show
17:27and in this particular scene
17:29white man dancing
17:30so Matt O'Kine
17:33goes searching
17:34almost in a sort of
17:37a furtive
17:37drug deal-y type way
17:39to be taught
17:40how to dance
17:41like a white man
17:42and what ensues
17:43is a cringing
17:45juicingly
17:46accurate representation
17:47of what it is like
17:49but of course
17:50in that kind of
17:51you know
17:51reverse racism way
17:52that you love to do.
17:54You want to dance
17:55like a white man?
17:58Watch and learn.
18:08He's sweating.
18:09I actually pulled
18:10a neck muscle
18:11doing this.
18:12Oh strange.
18:14Yes.
18:15Notice his intense
18:16sex face
18:16and how his feet
18:17are constantly
18:18out of time.
18:19with the music
18:19and the rest
18:20of his body.
18:21It's like poetry.
18:23White sneakers.
18:26And then some
18:26river dance.
18:27The river dance.
18:29Yeah!
18:30I'm not kidding.
18:32Damn.
18:33Damn.
18:34I swear you guys
18:35were white
18:35the way you were
18:35moving just then.
18:36So what's the challenge
18:37of sketch comedy
18:38when you're doing that?
18:39So when you're doing
18:39something like
18:40Legally Brown on SBS
18:41and you're having to
18:41churn it out
18:42you're working in a team
18:43I guess?
18:43You're working with
18:44other writers?
18:45Oh it's like
18:45it is so much more
18:47I would say
18:48in many ways
18:48more difficult
18:49than stand-up
18:50because you need
18:51to write the sketch
18:52as well
18:52so you've got to
18:53have a good team
18:53of writers
18:54good comedy actors
18:56or comedians
18:56you've got to have
18:57people that edit
18:57well and know
18:58how to get
18:58the timing right
18:59you've got to be
19:00able to say
19:01the things that
19:01you want to say
19:02and not be
19:03told off by
19:04the networks
19:04and if one of
19:05those elements
19:06falls over
19:06like it's just
19:07not funny
19:07and the audience
19:08doesn't know why.
19:10he's one of
19:11a rare breed of
19:12comedian who can
19:13do stand-up
19:13and sketch comedy
19:14there are a lot
19:15of comedians
19:15who can only do
19:16one or the other
19:17and he can do
19:17both seamlessly
19:29Nazeem's comedy
19:30career can be
19:31hectic and
19:32unpredictable
19:33so he seeks out
19:35ways to find
19:35focus.
19:45Jiu Jitsu is
19:46this old
19:47martial art
19:48there's so much
19:49order
19:49there's a way
19:50things are done
19:51there's respect
19:51there's a hierarchy
19:52so it's the
19:54structure of my
19:54life where
19:55everything else
19:55is chaotic
19:58Jiu Jitsu
19:59has completely
20:00upgraded my
20:01life
20:02like I'll go
20:03every morning
20:03at 6.30
20:04and it's almost
20:05getting bashed
20:06every morning
20:08there's something
20:08about like being
20:09physical
20:09where you are
20:10grappling to not
20:11get choked out
20:12or have your arm
20:13snapped off
20:14that it's like
20:15it unlocks the
20:16creative side of
20:17my brain
20:17and for the rest
20:18of the day
20:18I kind of ride
20:19that wave
20:25as a comedian
20:26who plays with
20:27risk
20:28Nazeem's not
20:29afraid to make
20:30himself vulnerable
20:33in 2017
20:34he took a bold
20:35step by appearing
20:36on I'm a
20:37celebrity
20:38get me out
20:38of here
20:39this powerful
20:40exchange was
20:42highlighted by
20:42the network
20:43as a key
20:44and highly
20:44emotional moment
20:45of Nazeem
20:46sharing how
20:47the aftermath
20:48of the Lindt
20:49cafe siege
20:49affected his
20:50family
20:52so that was
20:52horrific
20:53and it was
20:53very frightening
20:54for a lot
20:54of people
20:55and my sister
20:55then texts
20:56me and she
20:56says Nazeem
20:57she goes
20:57I'm scared
20:58to wear the
20:58hijab home
20:59because I think
20:59people are going
21:00to attack me
21:00and then
21:00throughout the
21:01day
21:01that hashtag
21:02started trending
21:02I'll ride
21:03with you
21:03non-muslims
21:04were volunteering
21:04to sit with
21:05muslims and make
21:06them feel more
21:06comfortable
21:07and then she
21:08then messaged
21:08me later on
21:09going no you
21:09know what
21:10I now feel
21:10comfortable and
21:11safe knowing
21:12that my fellow
21:13Australians are
21:14willing to stand
21:15up and support
21:15me on public
21:16transport
21:16and that made
21:18me like it
21:20actually made me
21:21cry when that
21:21happened because
21:22that man wanted
21:23to divide Australia
21:24he wanted us to
21:25turn on each
21:26other
21:29the fly-on-the-wall
21:31style of the
21:31production lent
21:32Nazeem's very
21:33personal story an
21:35air of authentic
21:36self-revelation that
21:37struck deeply with
21:38his castmates and
21:40the viewers it was
21:41a turning point
21:44it changed a lot of
21:45things for you
21:46didn't it that kind
21:46of show
21:47I felt like I
21:48didn't need to do
21:48any more like
21:49explaining like I
21:50sometimes felt like
21:51to do a punchline
21:52on a joke about
21:53whatever I'd have to
21:54first prove to the
21:55audience that I'm
21:56with you and that
21:57look I you know I
21:58love Australia too
21:59but this is something
21:59that I'm a bit
22:00annoyed with and
22:01then you know then
22:02you can get to the
22:02funny but after that
22:03show people were
22:04like oh we know
22:04this guy we love we
22:05know where his
22:05heart's at so you
22:06just get straight to
22:07the punchline they
22:08they know one
22:09interesting so it
22:10sort of kind of
22:10plowed the field
22:11it just made it so
22:12much easier to tell
22:13jokes
22:23ordinary Australians
22:24can smell and see
22:25be an underdog
22:26our government
22:26still hasn't got
22:27the message
22:28I reckon what
22:28might overwhelmingly
22:29pressure them to
22:31stop funding this
22:31genocide is maybe
22:32if we all just did
22:33something small
22:34just started
22:34auslifying the way
22:35we said Gaza
22:36instead of calling
22:36a Gaza we started
22:37calling a Gaza
22:37and Australians
22:38be like oh shit
22:40Gaza's in strife
22:41quit
22:42someone call up
22:43Bunnings let's
22:44organise a sausage
22:44sizzle
22:46your comedy has
22:47referenced Palestine
22:49Gaza and Israel
22:50from day dot
22:51right from the very
22:51beginning
22:52did the events of
22:53October 7 make it
22:55harder for you to
22:56want to do comedy
22:58around Palestine
22:59and Gaza
23:00yeah it was
23:01definitely something
23:01that I didn't walk
23:02into without thinking
23:04or overthinking
23:05and I took a lot of
23:06guidance and advice
23:07from people I trust
23:09people who I know
23:10understand the
23:11landscape
23:12it's one thing that
23:13I always do
23:14I don't just speak
23:16first and think
23:16second when it comes
23:17to big issues like
23:18that so I'm lucky
23:19to be around some
23:20clever people
23:21in 2025
23:23Nazeem released
23:24an excerpt from his
23:25totally normal show
23:27as an online special
23:28do you reckon we
23:29should make jokes
23:30about Israel tonight
23:33called jokes about
23:35Israel for 12 and a
23:36half minutes
23:36it's now become one
23:38of his most watched
23:39online clips
23:40Israel doesn't let
23:42anybody leave
23:43they control everything
23:43that comes in
23:44food water
23:45medicine
23:46electricity
23:46electricity it's like
23:47being in a relationship
23:48with R Kelly you know
23:52does that punchline
23:54justify the speech
23:57well you had that
23:58repeated refrain where
23:59you say did the punchline
24:01justify the speech
24:02I found that really
24:03fascinating to watch a
24:05comedian clearly having
24:06to walk an absolute
24:07tightrope of I'm here
24:09to tell jokes but I'm
24:10here telling jokes about
24:12something that matters
24:12to me deeply and is an
24:14incredibly serious
24:15subject and divisive
24:16subject obviously
24:17merely mentioning
24:18Israel or Palestine
24:19or Gaza is heavy and
24:21people are immediately
24:21tense then the jokes
24:23are like not surface
24:24level but they're easier
24:25to digest and it starts
24:26to get a little harder
24:27to maintain the veneer
24:29of comedy around it
24:30yes yes
24:30and so by the end
24:31of that routine
24:33effectively like I'm
24:35laying on a punchline
24:35but it's almost just
24:36like to serve the
24:37mechanical purpose of
24:39justifying what I've
24:40just said
24:40you might not
24:41necessarily be setting
24:41out to change minds
24:42but have you ever had
24:44any Jewish or Zionist
24:46supporters come to you
24:49and say that you've
24:50changed their mind
24:50oh I've had a lot of
24:52Jewish people tell me
24:54that they love what I'm
24:56doing and support me
24:58and I've had people
25:00really kick up a fuss
25:01in the show who have
25:02come to the show
25:03within the show
25:03yeah yeah when I get on
25:05the Israel material
25:06um but to be honest
25:08I feel like when
25:09there's someone in the
25:11crowd that does or
25:12says something
25:12yeah you know
25:13I've got the mic
25:15um it really brings
25:16the audience together
25:17so it actually improves
25:18the show
25:18right so it really gets
25:20the energy back up
25:20at the 50 minute mark
25:22I think it's great
25:23that he covers all
25:24those subject areas
25:25because you know
25:26a lot of people put
25:27them in the too hard
25:27basket I mean to
25:28some degree I do
25:29if I'm honest
25:30I think it's outside
25:31my specialty
25:33people understand
25:34Naz has
25:35um an understanding
25:37of that situation
25:40to be able to talk
25:41about it
25:41if someone else
25:43did that heavy-handed
25:44and didn't have an
25:45affinity with it
25:46we wouldn't accept it
25:48it's his resume
25:50that says
25:52this material
25:53is safe
25:54in these hands
25:55I went to um
25:56rural country town
25:57here in Queensland
25:58called Capella
25:59and I got to the hotel
26:00there was a middle-aged
26:01woman standing there
26:02uh named Barbara
26:03bleached blonde hair
26:04she had a cigarette
26:05hanging out of her mouth
26:06and she was holding
26:07my uh set list
26:08and at the bottom
26:09uh had in big bold
26:10letters
26:10jokes about Israel
26:11she looked really
26:12pissed off
26:12she's like
26:12is this yours
26:13I said yep
26:14are you a comedian
26:15are ya
26:15I said yep
26:16my name's Akmal
26:17and um
26:20so she gives it to me
26:21as I'm walking off
26:22she goes
26:22Oi Akmal
26:23I said yeah
26:24and she puts a white
26:25fist in the air
26:25and she goes
26:26free Palestine
26:30and that just blew
26:32my mind
26:33that's how you know
26:34that Israel's gone
26:35too far
26:36when even Bogan
26:37Queenslanders
26:38are like
26:39nah I'm with the
26:40Arabs on these
26:41actually
26:41yeah
26:45anyway that's how
26:46I met my wife
26:47so
26:49so
26:56what's been the most
26:56unexpected response
26:57oh I had a
26:59Palestinian guy
27:01who came to my show
27:01he's an artist
27:02he's from Gaza
27:03and then afterwards
27:04he came out
27:04and he said
27:05yeah I haven't felt
27:06like laughing
27:06um
27:07you know
27:08for the last couple
27:09of years
27:09and so
27:09yeah
27:10that was something
27:11that really made it
27:12to me
27:12yeah
27:15that's a good answer
27:16oh
27:18I understand
27:19how words can
27:20hurt
27:21also how words
27:21can have
27:22real life
27:22implications
27:23yeah
27:24um
27:24but
27:26I guess if I did
27:26have an intention
27:27it would be that
27:28my comedy
27:29brings us closer
27:30together
27:31and makes us
27:31understand each
27:32other more
27:33as opposed to
27:34like
27:35create a wedge
27:35where we're pushed
27:36further apart
27:38listen you guys
27:38have been great
27:39thank you so much
27:39for coming
27:39I appreciate you
27:40coming out
27:40thank you
27:41thank you so much
27:41thank you
27:47thank you
27:47thank you
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