Nazeem Hussain has had a busy year – an appearance on ‘I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!’ was followed by an Australian tour, a stint as a correspondent to Netflix’s ‘Bill Nye Saves The World’ and a turn abroad, performing live in Europe and Asia.
Touring a show as a Muslim-Australian in China was “a completely different experience,” he says. “I wasn’t really sure if anybody would be able to speak fluent English – 30 seconds before I went on stage, somebody told me to speak 70 per cent slower and not in an Australian accent… So that was a really weird gig – before punchlines, people would put their hands up and ask questions, and then start to practice their English with me, and they didn’t find it bizarre? Like, everyone just thought that was what you were supposed to do at a comedy gig.”
An equally eye-opening experience for Nazeem was the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where he made the trek for the second time. “The average audience size at Edinburgh is three people, so you go there, and you’re not a known commodity,” he says. “You’ve really got to go and prove your funniness to unknown audiences. It’s like comic boot camp – you might have a good night and then you’ve just got to start all over again… Everyone has to train, and you go there, and it’s a really good way to become better as a performer.”
The comedian spent a lot of time handing out flyers in the area to try and convince people to watch his set: “All these groups of Australians would see me, and they’d be like, ‘Oh my god, it’s Nazeem! Mate, why are you flyering?’” he says. “The nice thing about it is that it’s equalising. Every performer is out on the street; You’re all competing for an audience, it’s a humbling thing to do.”
He has been working on a new live show ever since his time overseas. “I do one new show a year, and when I start performing one, I’m already thinking about the next one. My shows tend to just be about my life – you’ve sort of just got to let life happen, and then as late as you can, write the jokes that sort of represent your life at the time.”
Local audiences will be happy to have the Melbourne-born comic back on home turf – Nazeem is bringing his new live hour, ‘No Pain, No Hussain’, to every major Australian comedy festival over the coming months. “Australia’s really becoming an exciting place for comedy, and the more touring you do, the more you start to appreciate the depth of talent,” he says.
Nazeem enjoys occasionally getting out of Melbourne’s tight-knit comedy scene, and performing for the country’s distinctly different audiences. “Each city has it’s differences,” he says. “Brisbane, especially at the Powerhouse – it’s a really savvy audience, they’re really excited that comedy has come to them, sort of similar to Perth. Perth’s just grateful that there are acts going there, they dress up a little bit,” he teases. “Sydney’s loud, and they laugh a lot and clap a lot. Melbourne’s a bit cool… Adelaide likes to think a little more, and they laugh at the quirkier bits.”
And Tasmania? “The bar for me was set pretty low,” Nazeem jokes. “And then they were surprisingly awesome! I think people that come to those comedy shows feel the need to overcompensate for the perception of their state. They laugh extra loud even if the joke’s not really there yet... Australia’s the funniest place.”
The comic’s new live show should bring more surprises than one – he’s promised stories about his travels overseas, and promises to sneak in some celebrity gossip. Perhaps most exciting, however, will be the material about his expectant wife and his new baby, who is due on the last night of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. “I might need to run half way through,” Nazeem says. “I don’t know whether I’m obliged to stay and keep telling my stupid stories, and then go, if the birth lines up – 'I’ve just become a dad!'”
No matter what happens, the show is sure to be a delight for audiences. “Stand-up is my first and major passion, my major love goes to comedy,” Nazeem says. “It’s just what I love doing, so I can’t wait to start the tour.”
Nazeem Hussain Tour Dates
20-25 February – The Box at The Garden Of Unearthly Delights (Adelaide Fringe)16-17 March – Brisbane Powerhouse (Brisbane Comedy Festival)
24 March – Canberra Theatre Centre (Canberra Comedy Festival)
29 March-22 April – Forum Melbourne (Melbourne Comedy Festival)
5 May – Regal Theatre (Perth Comedy Festival)
12 May – Enmore Theatre (Sydney Comedy Festival)
