The Misfits Of Science offer badly needed sense of humour

By SCOTT KARA

Everything about the Misfits Of Science is super-sized.

Their glass-diamond earrings, shirts, pants, and caps. Sadly, they're not wearing their skilfully angled caps today. We're a bit miffed. It's not that Yudhi Moodley (aka Colossal, aka 2nd Persona) and Steve McQuinn (aka Optimus) are unrecognisable without them, it's just that it's not the same seeing their bare heads.

Moodley's watch half makes up for the let down - it's nearly as big as a clock.

"Everything about us is oversized," says McQuinn.

"We're bringing back the Flava Flav," says Moodley, referring to the lippy MC for Public Enemy who wears a clock around his neck.

The Misfits never seem to be out of character. In most peoples' minds they are the pair with the super-sized heads from the Fools Love video, or those guys wearing the oversized shirts of several American sports franchises.

But when they sit down at a Parnell cafe you get glimpses of the real Optimus and Colossal. Or should that be simply, Steve and Yudhi?

The pair are still wide-eyed with disbelief about getting the finished copies of their debut album, MOS presents ... , back that morning.

"It's probably the most exciting thing ever," smirks Moodley.

He has an elaborately groomed beard with a thin moustache that looks as if it could have been drawn on with a make-up pencil. McQuinn is less preened. His moustache is more motley. He hovers over his mushroom and chicken pasta until it's finished, while Moodley sits back between mouthfuls - mostly because he's the one doing most of the yakking.

Following the success of Fools Love, the Misfits have become equal parts novelty act, pop group, and innovative hip-hop outfit. That song spent four weeks at number one and more than four months in the top 10.

The screaming teenage girls who stopped in the middle of Queen St one night recently to express their love for the group also give a fair indication of how popular they are.

"We still find it hard to think that people see us that way because whenever I meet fans and stuff I just talk to them like it's normal. I don't know who they expect me to be. The whole thing's just really strange," says McQuinn.

These two are quite normal. They're no puppets like their videos suggest. Despite McQuinn's smart-arse tendencies they are serious about their music and their ambitions are also just as big as the 5XL - that's XXXXXL - shirts that he wears.

And if you didn't take time to consider their comments, you could say, their egos are super-sized too. With proclamations like, "We took it on ourselves to save New Zealand hip-hop", you have to suggest to them that it's a big call considering the past two years it's been doing pretty well without them.

Moodley is quick to qualify this claim: "We're pretty much talking about at the stage when we first met up [four years ago]. We both had the feeling that New Zealand hip-hop wasn't really doing anything that we liked."

But as MOS presents ... tries to rescue local hip-hop, it has a good go at doing its bit for New Zealand comedy as well .

Amid all the 80s references to Bata Bullets, horror flicks, the BMX Bandits, Supergroove, and Danny Watson (from his Spot On days rather than his current Newstalk ZB gig), there's an overwhelming sense of humour that giggles its way out of the 15 tracks.

They laugh at themselves, each other, and the world. The Misfits have almost single-handedly - along with Dei Hamo - given New Zealand hip-hop, and music in general, a badly needed sense of humour.

But it's not stupid fun, it's serious fun? Isn't it?

"Yeah, but we like both though. We like the stupid shit, too," laughs McQuinn. This is the man who is giving birth to himself in a photo inside the album cover. "Those are my real legs," he insists.

They both think it's a great joke the song Attack Of The Dickriders features a seven-piece chicken choir. Not even Eminem would've thought of that one.

Moodley: "We take the piss, and we're not afraid to be silly, and that's what this record is all about. Combining all the elements we are, the serious, the funny, and the plain stupid - it's all that in one.

"In New Zealand especially there's a lot of artists who are afraid to look a bit silly sometimes. They're scared to be light hearted even. There's a lot of staunchness in New Zealand hip-hop and I think that we vote that whole image down a little bit. It's not a made up thing just to sell the record. It's just the way we are."

Moodley and McQuinn are from very different places, but had similar experiences growing up.

McQuinn says his upbringing in Waiuku (a small town just south of Pukekohe) was pretty normal. "You know, getting into trouble with the police, because there's nothing else to do but drink, smoke drugs, and play in a band," he smiles.

He's played the drums since he was 13 and still plays in hardcore metal band, Fever Lake.

Moodley and his family arrived in New Zealand from South Africa in 1997 and settled in Howick.

He was "a little shit" too. "We left because it got to the stage where South Africa was going nowhere. I wasn't exactly a good role model when I was in South Africa. I'll never forget my roots but New Zealand has changed me quite a lot. I've calmed down."

They first became friends because they had the same tastes in music. When it came time to make their album they both wanted to make something diverse, something they would want to listen to, and seemingly something not just hip-hop. Take a track like La Musica, it sounds more like a song you'd hear in a Spanish barnyard village than on a hip-hop record.

"I love Latin music," says Moodley. "My mum listened to that track and she said it sounded like something she used to listen to when she was twentysomething, doing ballroom [dancing]. She was amazed that we were able to fuse that with hip-hop. But that's us, when you listen to the record it's not a typical hip-hop record.

"And I think we definitely achieved our goal ... to shock, and just to be the originators of something. This sort of record hasn't been done in New Zealand and we want to take this to the world as well to show that New Zealand is making music that is accessible internationally."

ALBUM: MOS Presents ... , out now

KEY TRACKS: Fools Love (first single that spent four weeks at No 1 and more than four months in the top 10), Mmmhmm (latest single), Attack Of The Dickriders (complete with chicken choir. Yo Motherclucker, indeed.)

TRIVIA: They're named after the obscure 80s American sitcom Misfits of Science


How to dress like a Misfit

Don't Panic. There is no right or wrong angle to wear your cap.

Even though their own caps seem strategically so-well-placed, Optimus and Collossal say the angle depends on the situation and the mood.

McQuinn: "We buy our hats oversized so you can wear them at a pivoting hat angle. If you want to be serious it's straight on. If it's play time, it's backwards."

"And if you want to grab that chick at the bar," says Moodley suavely, "you have one eye showing with the cap hanging down over the other eye."

The pair also say overall colour co-ordination is not just important, it's "very important".

Plus Moodley believes the pair will always "rock" their trademark basketball, baseball and American football shirts because they love them. But next year, expect a more classy Misfits turning up to the New Zealand Music Awards. "I'm going to wear a suit. Get a little bit more pimped-out, you know?"

Watch out girls, it could be a big night.