In this theme issue on social media, the Law Gazette speaks to Mr Brown, arguably Singapore’s most famous blogger and social commentator on all things Singaporean.

How Now, Brown Cow?
 

Remember this phrase? Well, back in secondary school in Anglo-Chinese School, a young Lee Kin Mun used to repeat this line so often that everyone in school called him Mr Brown. That moniker has since stuck, and has even been extended to his wife. Even some of his own friends have forgotten his real name, which is not surprising since he himself regularly cannot recall what it is and is only reminded of it when a robotic telemarketer addresses him as such. Almost apologetically, Mr Brown debunks the myth that, despite some parallels in the use of vernacular jokes and innuendoes, his blog name is not taken after the English teacher in the hilarious 1980s British comedy Mind Your Language.

When I told some friends and colleagues (lawyers and non-lawyers) that I was meeting Mr Brown, their reaction was almost identical. Every one of them started rattling off their favourite Mr Brown podcasts and videos - the Army Show, the Poh Kai Face, the ERP, the National Day Song, and the Harmless (National Day Rally) Song of 2007. No matter what his or her favourite Mr Brown episode was, words like “genius”, “so funny”, “refreshingly irreverent”, “creative” and “imaginative” were used to describe him. And all of them ended on the same note – who is the real Mr Brown? 

What an irony. Although everyone described him as someone who knows the ground so well, better than most politicians ever could, hardly anyone knew anything more than his name, Mr Brown. Mr Brown was, to borrow a famous Winston Churchill quote, a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. I could not resist finding the key to unlock the soul lurking behind this source of Singaporean wit.

The meeting was set in the East, at deliciously named Awfully Chocolate in Katong. And what a meeting it turned out to be. The moment we sat down, Mr Brown could not resist pointing out the young waitresses in their pristine white and white ensemble. With the recent General Elections still fresh in my mind, I could almost hear the Stall Next Door podcast in my head, and wondered whether he was hinting that this could be the response to the lure of the Peranakan waitress in his podcast.  

At first, in typical lawyer-style, I started taking notes with my trusty pen and notebook. Mr Brown must have noticed how I was struggling to keep up with the rapid-fire conversation – from the election rallies, the candidates, and especially a certain Wonder Woman candidate. He pointed to the iphone beside me and showed me how to use it for audio recording and then was on his way again on the important GE stuff  – Kate Spade et al. That moment fully brought out the essence of Mr Brown – acutely observant, completely aware of his surroundings and never missing a beat, ravenously absorbing the smallest details. It also elicited a confession that he is a true geek and cannot resist the latest electronic gadgets.

So what motivates him? What is the inspiration behind his parodies and fun-poking? Did the Mr Brown Show grow out of any particular cynicism or resentment towards any public policy? I was almost disappointed to hear him replying in the negative. Sigh, another myth debunked. Instead, I found out that he had always been the “class clown”, the Mr Talk-a-Lot in school and always loved being a people-watcher (no, he did not say voyeur). The Mr Brown Show was thus a natural progression, or so he says. Hmm, I then asked how he felt being made to retire from his weekly column in TODAY newspaper some years back. For those who recall, there was some unhappiness and discomfort over a certain article which was not exactly in favour of the powers that be. With the slightest shrug of his shoulders, he merely replied that he has moved on. He does not strike you as the sort who is easily put out by what others think.  

So what differentiates Mr Brown from the hundreds of other bloggers out there? How has he been able to remain so popular for so long? When I asked whether he himself knows how many fans he has, he replied that he could only keep track of the number of hits or views on his blog and YouTube. When I told him that most people I know do forward his podcasts via e-mail, I could almost detect a bashful and grateful smile.  

As I listened more and more to him, the mystery of Mr Brown gradually unfolded and I understood why his fan base has grown over the years. He is undeniably extremely in touch with the goings-on in Singapore. Hardly anything escapes his eagle eye. He may be the person at the next table at the hawker centre, the one sitting beside you in the cinema, the parent cheering his kid at the playground or just behind you in the queue at the bank. Wherever he goes, he is scanning his little eye on you and noting your words, your actions. His occasional crude and rude characters mirror some of our own worst traits. Mr Brown’s use of Singlish, complete with perfect imitation of accent and intonation, belies his mastery of the English language. Do we not get nostalgic when we hear the Hokkien slang in the Army Show reminding us of our own moments of indiscretion? Like them or not, his videos and blogs do reflect us Singaporeans.

Have you ever been afraid of being sued, I asked him. Again, that seemingly nonchalant smile comes my way. Instead of answering directly, he skillfully steers the conversation to how he obtains the material for his podcasts. He devours information from the print and online media voraciously, and counterchecks and verifies facts diligently. Only then does he put together a podcast. Yes, he does use technique of juxtaposition a lot, but try spotting whether he has ever misquoted anyone. 

His videoclips are the result of painstaking surfing and trawling to obtain information. If you watched the lovable Yam Ah Mee video, you would have noticed the vast array of snippets on the man’s career, even the most obscure of details is captured in his net. That is Mr Brown for you – surely the sort you want on your team in a pub quiz or a game of Trivial Pursuit. Did you know that his “real” job is a writer and his articles are published in CNNGo.com?  

What about the music then? Does he compose his own tunes too and most importantly (my friends want to know), is it really him singing? Well, the lyrics (or to put it more accurately, the parodied lyrics) are mainly his work but the  music and singing spring from fellow creative minds – Ivan, Marc, Samantha and a lady who simply wishes to be known as Ting Ting.  

After having had my fill and thinking the meal was over, Mr Brown offered me dessert – a personal tour of his recording studio. It was right above Awfully Chocolate. I felt like it was George Lucas himself inviting me to watch the making of Star Wars. That illusion was reinforced when I walked past the shelves on the walls leading to his studio and saw the hundreds and hundreds of Star Wars memorabilia that he has amassed.

When I stepped inside his spaceship, oops studio, I almost fell to the ground laughing. There, on the easel, was the lyric sheet to a song that had just been uploaded on YouTube that same morning – the Yam Ah Mee song. Well, I could not resist doing a “recording”, could I? (see photo).

With his sharp mind and acute sense of awareness, I could just imagine Mr Brown in a courtroom cross-examining witnesses. So out of curiosity, I asked him whether he could see himself as a lawyer. The reply was swift and brutal – “I would die in a law firm”. Hmm.   

At the end of a wonderfully insightful chat, where we talked about everything from autism resources (he has an autistic child), cycling (he owns seven bikes and cycles to and from the office everyday), and the GE, I just had to ask him one last question, “So Mr Brown, what is your biggest regret?” 

Without a missing a beat, he looked me in the eye and said, “that I’ve not brought my parents to Universal Studios.” 

Always quick on the draw, and with a deep reservoir of knowledge of everything under the Singapore sun, this is one man whom you cannot imagine ever having nothing to say.  

► Ahmad Nizam Abbas

Straits Law Practice LLC

E-mail: [email protected]

The writer, Ahmad Nizam, with Mr Brown (right) in the latter’s recording studio