Fear of a Brown Planet

Fear of a Brown Planet are an Australian stand-up comedy duo consisting of Aamer Rahman and Nazeem Hussain .

Fear of a Brown Planet
Birth nameAamer Rahman
(1982-10-17) 17 October 1982
Saudi Arabia
Nazeem Hussain
(1986-04-21) 21 April 1986
Noble Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
MediumStand-up, television, film
NationalityAustralian
Years active2007–present
GenresObservational comedy, satire
Subject(s)Racism, racism in Australia, political humour, War on Terror, immigration, race relations, protest
Notable works and rolesFear of a Brown Planet Returns (2011)

History

Fear of a Brown Planet first run (2004–2008)

In 2004, Aamer Rahman and Nazeem Hussain met at an Islamic awards function,[1] as a result of their support for asylum seekers and for anti-racism activism.[2] They became friends and did youth work together in Melbourne.[3]

In 2007, Hussain entered Triple J's Raw Comedy Award open mic competition at the Melbourne Comedy Festival[4][5] After seeing Hussain compete, Rahman also decided to enter.[3] They beat hundreds of other hopefuls to reach the Victorian State final together. Hussain reached the Victorian final.[6] Rahman won the State Final and went onto the national finals where he was voted the runner-up in a performance that was screened on ABC Television.[7][8]

Due to the success of Raw Comedy they decided to develop their five-minute stand-up routines into a one-hour show together.[5] In five years, they established their own stage show Fear of a Brown Planet and sold out around Australia.[2] Their name plays on the Public Enemy LP, Fear of a Black Planet.[4][8]

Rahman and Hussain performed their first show in 2007 and their second show in 2008. They were then given a network development deal for a year and a half.[9]

In the same year, they performed Fear of a Brown Planet at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney Comedy Festival, and the Adelaide Fringe.[10] In April 2008,[11] Rahman and Hussain first performed Fear of a Brown Planet at Melbourne Fringe Festival.[8]

In 2009, Hussain and Rahman were among ten writers selected for an exclusive script-writing workshop hosted by UK indie film company Warp X, Screen Australia and Madman Entertainment.[7]

Fear of a Brown Planet Returns (2010–present)

In 2010, Rahman and Hussain performed their follow up show,[7] Fear of a Brown Planet Returns[12][13] at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Sydney Comedy Festival, and the Adelaide Fringe. In the same year, Aamer performed in the Oxfam Comedy Gala televised on Channel Ten, whilst Nazeem performed in the Cracker Night of the Sydney Comedy Festival Gala, televised on The Comedy Channel.[10] In October 2010, took part in a one-off concert with Azhar Usman, Preacher Moss and Mo Amer (Allah Made Me Funny) at the Athenaeum Theatre in Paris.[1][14]

In August 2011, they performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.[15][16][17] On the way home from Edinburgh they performed an impromptu show in London,[18] after a friend of theirs organised a show in Brixton[19] with two days notice.[20]

In 2011, Australian Story broadcast a documentary on the ABC about Rahman's and Hussain's lives in Australia as well as their debut performances in Edinburgh and London.[19] In the same year, they performed their new show, Fear of a Brown Planet Attacks.[21] On 30 August 2011,[22] Fear of a Brown Planet Returns DVD and Blu-ray was released, which was recorded at the Chapel Off Chapel in Melbourne[23] on 15 January 2011.[24] It features the "best of" material from their 2010 sell-out festival show, also entitled Fear of a Brown Planet Returns, as well as content from their debut shows.[25][26] In December 2011[27] and December 2012, they performed on ABC2.[28]

In April 2012, Rahman and Hussain played at the second show of the Melbourne Comedy Festival.[29] In September 2012,[20] they toured the United Kingdom,[30][31][32] where they performed in cities including Manchester, Bradford, London, Birmingham and Cardiff.[20]

In 2013, they performed at Darwin, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.[33] In October 2013, they performed at the Sydney Opera House.[34]

Comedy style and reception

Rahman and Hussain are not a double act however write together and perform in a tag-team fashion.[35] Their show splits into two sets,[16] Rahman and Hussain perform alone before handing over to their comedic partner.[36]

Each is introduced by a video-montage poking mild fun at various political idiocies.[37] Their style is orthodox standup, distinguished by the quality – and to a non-"brown" audience, novelty – of the material. Rahman has a cheerful, upbeat manner whereas Hussain has a sly, laconic and wry sardonic manner.[16] Hussain is energetic, using an assortment of accents and playful movements whilst Rahman proves black comedy delivered when standing still can be just as effective.[38]

Majority of Rahman's material are things that he has said, things that have happened to him and things about the community.[25] Hussain's jokes are about himself, his family and his community.[18]

Reviews
  • "Self deprecating and thought provoking." – The Big Issue[18]
  • "A tag-team of provocative comedy fun." – The Big Issue[18]
  • "The punchlines are razor sharp." – The British Comedy Guide[18]
  • "Easy charm, subversive spirit - and a cool confidence." – The Guardian[18]
  • "Every bit as funny as they are politically engaged." – The Guardian
  • "Intensely amusing political stuff, from a very different point of view." – The Sunday Telegraph
  • "Just go and see it. It's extraordinary." – The Age[39]
  • "This is bold comedy with an unbelievably powerful message, and totally unmissable." – Beat Magazine[24]

Awards

In 2008, Rahman and Hussain were recipients of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Best Newcomer Award for their debut show Fear of a Brown Planet.[7][10][40]

See also

References
  1. Ziffer, Daniel (14 October 2010). "Brown humour". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  2. Barker, Arj (7 November 2011). "The Planet They're On". ABC Online. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  3. MacDonald, Leigh (29 July 2013). "Vulture Chirps with Fear Of A Brown Planet". Vulture Magazine. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  4. Fahmi, Asme (30 November 2011). "Fear of a Funny Muslim". MuslimVillage.com. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  5. "Interview – Fear of a Brown Planet". Heckler. 2 August 2013. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  6. "Fear of a Brown Planet". Eurasian Sensation. 8 March 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  7. "Fear of a Brown Planet". Smartartists. 2009. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  8. "Interview: Aamer Rahman, one half of Aussie comedy duo Fear Of A Brown Planet on politics, protest and why he's so bitter". TNT Magazine. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  9. Kamau (August 2011). "Episode 25 pt. 3 - Aamer Rahman: Fear of a Brown Planet". Podbay.fm. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  10. "Our Patrons". RISE: Refugees, Survivors and Ex-Detainees. Archived from the original on 24 March 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  11. Nader, Carol; Cooke, Dewi (5 April 2008). "We're not racist, but ..." The Age. p. 1. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  12. Broadbent, Penelope (27 March 2010). "Fear of a Brown Planet Returns". Australian Stage. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  13. "Fear of a Brown Planet Returns". Melbourne International Comedy Festivale. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  14. Logan, Brian (10 August 2011). "Fear of a Brown Planet: the fast show". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  15. Logan, Brian (16 November 2011). "Fear of a Brown Planet – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  16. Hawkins, Si (17 July 2011). "Muslim comedians perform at Edinburgh's Fringe". The National. Abu Dhabi. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  17. "The Planet They're On - Transcript". ABC Online. 7 November 2011. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  18. Fahmi, Asme (1 December 2011). "Fear of a Funny Muslim Returns". MuslimVillage.com. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  19. Hamilton, Davina (19 September 2012). "'Is Australia racist? In a word, yes'". The Voice Online. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  20. "Fear Of A Brown Planet perform Fear Of A Brown Planet". Beat. 28 March 2011. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  21. "Fear Of A Brown Planet". JB HI-FI. 31 August 2011. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  22. "Nazeem Hussain". ABC Online. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  23. "Fear Of A Brown Planet Returns - DVD recording". ABC Online. 16 January 2011. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  24. Lamb, Lizzie (7 November 2011). "Fear of a Brown Planet Interview with Aamer Rahman". Australian Film Review. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  25. "Fear Of A Brown Planet Comes To Dvd". Spotlight Report. 9 September 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  26. "Fear of A Brown Planet". ABC Television. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  27. Galvin, Nick (2 December 2012). "Fear of a Brown Planet, Friday, December 2". The Age. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  28. Lan, Christine. "Political Asylum's Late Night Riot". Beat. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  29. "In Fear of a Brown Planet". The Times of India. India. 3 August 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  30. "WIN TICKETS: Fear of a Brown Planet". Asian Image. 15 August 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  31. Rahman, Aamer (8 September 2012). "Fear of a Brown Planets' Bro Aamer Rahman's letter to Prince Harry". Son of Malcolm. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  32. "Interview – Fear of a Brown Planet". Melbourne International Comedy Festival. 2 August 2013. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  33. Blake, Elissa (20 October 2013). "A challenging comedy about Muslims has attracted more attention than expected". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  34. Hook, Chris (28 December 2011). "Fear of a Brown Planet to perform at Sydney's Comedy Store in January". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  35. Lan, Christine (8 April 2011). "Fear Of A Brown Planet Attacks". Beat. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  36. Laura (28 August 2011). "Fear of a Brown Planet". one4review. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  37. Gard, Rhys (27 September 2013). "Fear of a Brown Planet". Alternative Media Group. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  38. Razer, Helen (26 March 2008). "Nazeem Hussain and Aamer Rahman provide an extraordinary encounter". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  39. "Award Winners". Melbourne International Comedy Festivale. Archived from the original on 30 September 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
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