Meet Uncle Hussain at home

IN THE cool of the morning rain, it was a sleepy-headed Mohd Fathi Mohd Darwi who opened the door to StarMetro. Smiling apologetically, the tousled-haired 29-year-old bassist of Meet Uncle Hussain, who is better known as Afat, explained his less-than-chirpy appearance was the result of a late-night gig.

A budding cartoonist who used to work as a sales assistant at an optician’s shop, Afat brought out a sketchbook of his doodlings for our flipping pleasure before hurrying into the next room to rouse a still-slumbering Nik Mustaza Nik Mustapha (better known as Taja to friends and f ans), the band’s 30-year-old mastermind and songwriter.

Meet Uncle Hussain upclose: (Clockwise from top) Afat, Taja and Lan.

By now, one can safely bet that at the very least, half the nation are able to sing along to his lines from the hit single, Lagu Untuk Mu. It goes like this: Tiada bintang dapat menerangkan hati yang telah dicelar… (roughly translated as ‘no star can ever light up a broken heart again’). But, lest Taja be mistaken for a misogynist, he is well into a healthy relationship with girlfriend Kimmy Nafisah, who is also the band’s manager and PR officer.

Within the neat and tastefully furnished interior of the apartment shared by the two men, Snowbee, Afat’s one-and-half-year-old tomcat, frolicked playfully with its playmate Chinonit, a seven-month-old tabby. Looking on from the shallow depths of a glass aquarium were some species of freshwater fish, also belonging to Afat. Earlier, the bassist had revealed that three turtles had to be moved out as they had grown too big. To ease the pain of departure, a goodbye ceremony had been held at the lake of the Taman Tun Dr Ismail playground where they were released.

Nearby, Taja’s hamsters, a Syrian named Hang Tuah and three dwarves, Kudung, Bakrina and Dicki, scurried around in their man-made habitats. Kudung was named thus for its missing front paw. According to Taja, Kudung had its front paw entangled in a twine of grass as a baby. The twine had cut off all circulation to the limb, which subsequently rotted and fell off.

Away from the bright lights and without their guitars, the two would fit the bill of aspiring zookeepers in the making.

It is a different case with the group’s 27-year-old enigmatic lead vocalist Norazlan Rosle.

The youngest of the three, this hyperactive charmer, who is known as Lan, had waltzed in, found a plastic snake on the floor and tried to scare his bandmates silly by waving it in their faces. His playful nature is a trait that has endeared him to his large brood of nephews and nieces – all 20 of them. Wrestling matches with the kids when he goes back to Ulu Langat, snooker games and eating out at restaurants, admitted Lan, were more his scene.

“You can catergorise Lan as ‘special’. As in the case of ‘special’ people, they have their quirks, but once he takes the stage, everything is forgiven. The guy really has charisma,” commented Taja with regard to Lan’s display of playfulness.

“What we have is a ‘mind’ connection,” affirmed Lan, referring to the sense of kinship with his bandmates, all self-taught musicians.

“One crucial aspect of ensuring the success of the band is to be able to see the logical side of things when it comes to dealing with important issues. There will be disagreements, stress and gossip to contend with, but in the end, we must know what we want and work towards a common goal,” added Lan, who used to work as a restaurant captain.

Up close and personal, raw and unplugged, this, affirmed Taja, was what real life was like for an indie rock band that had achieved overnight fame in 2007 when its debut single La La La…Kerja was chosen to be the opening soundtrack for Kami, a TV series produced by Lina Tan and aired over 8TV.

When asked if the three bachelors were living the high life as a popular rock band, the trio chorused out a loud ‘no’ in perfect unison.

“At the moment, we have a regulated monthly allowance of RM2,500 each, a measure that our manager has come up with to control cashflow,” revealed Taja.

It was a necessary move, he explained, to keep the band out of the red and to preserve longevity. So, no excesses for the time being, not until album sales have increased to a certain level and existing cheques cleared. But fame is certainly catching up with them.

“It has been rather trying for Lan. As the lead vocalist, he has been getting all the attention, and as a result, he gets mobbed on a regular basis when he comes out in public. As for Afat and me, we are still free to go wherever we please as we are always in the background,” grinned Taja.

In all honesty, Taja insisted, rest days were pretty scarce and far between, for the moment. In addition to singing engagements, Lan, for example, is still working for an events company. Afat, a talented cartoonist with the innate ability to sketch everything he sees, is currently working on a graphic biography which is targeted for publiscation by December this year.

Whatever free time that is left, inevitably goes to their menagerie which requires constant attention.

“But it’s worth it. When you come back tired from a gig and the cat comes and snuggles up to you, all the stress is gone. They give you a sense of fun because they are so hyperactive,” opined Afat.

So, for the love of their furry and fishy friends, one wonders if the men from Meet Uncle Hussain are contemplating vegetarianism?

“Nah! Not to that level. Some animals are meant to be eaten but we’ll certainly not resort to eating wildlife like monkey’s brains, for example,” concluded the three.

To listen to Meet Uncle Hussain’s songs, log on to http://www.myspace.com/meetunclehussain.

Published in The Star, Metro Central May 19 2009.