Need some empathy as you deal with your month end financial blues? If you think you’re broke, it’s time for you to catch up with stand-up comedian Abish Mathew’s latest video ‘End of The Month’, a rap number that sums up the situation of every working individual struggling to live within a budget. From avoiding parties with friends to receiving the ‘insufficient funds’ message on the ATMs to having smaller meals in restaurants, the man, through the eyes of an uncompromising gangster, explores this situation in the wackiest way possible.
Abish hadn’t planned to make a video; it was a bunch of jokes on the theme that he was focussing on, spurred by interactions with friends from several backgrounds. He had already used music as a primary element in his stand-up comedy events. “I started writing this song, and then tried it out at several events. When I saw that it was received well, I redrafted it about seven times. There were jokes that worked well live and others that did the job for the recording environment,” he recalls. The idea he started out with and the end result are two entirely different things, Abish says.
Choosing the rap genre to bring an element of free expression and sound ‘cool’ for the gangster theme, Snoop Dog’s works were his reference point. Though he also explored Pop and metal options, things didn’t fall in place. “There’s so much angst in the song, a sense of self-denial in a satirical tone, these aspects made me go for a rap right away,” he says.
Abish, in the video and otherwise too, isn’t particularly trying to play safe between humour and vulgarity. He realises what’s funny for some is explicit humour for the other. For instance there’s this bit where he bats for the use of a condom in the video. “My parents thought it was funny, politically correct while there were some people who weren’t pleased,” he adds.
Since Abish’s career is a result of smart Youtube marketing, you’re not surprised to see the video going viral on several online circuits. Having orchestrated viral videos independently and with AIB earlier, he has a fair idea of what works for an audience and what doesn’t. “That’s a disadvantage when you start working on something. The idea should be funny and impress you first. When you tend to slot things into viral and other categories, the audiences will sense a déjà vu moment as they watch it,” says Abish.
His word of advise to the video-makers is to retain their identity and stay updated with audience's tastes. That y explains his video-audience turning up in huge numbers for his shows too.
