I think that’s a fairly natural thing.
I fucking hate being on camera. I love taking photos though – I initially thought I was going to be a photographer. I like being behind the camera, not in front of it.
We’ve spoken about the dark time it is in the world at the moment – the rise of the far right marches on, everyone is broke, and AI is probably going to take everyone’s jobs at some point – what does healing mean to you in 2025?
You know what? I question and think about this shit a lot, because in the west this idea that we’ve got of healing – going to yoga class, drinking matcha and going on fucking retreats. I feel disillusioned with the whole narrative over here to be honest. There’s women and children dying all around the world, our brothers and sisters every day – every fucking day – to feed this consumerist, fake life that we’re living over here, which is a complete bubble. It makes me question everything.
Obviously, there’s a lot of beautiful, beautiful things, but I struggle to conceptualise healing – I don’t know what it means. It’s a time where people really need to tap into what is it to be human? What is it to be part of this human family? What is it to love thy neighbour? To look after each other rather than just look after yourself. Everything seems kind of superficial to me right now, even myself if I’m honest.
I saw last year that you launched a fundraiser Refugee Biryani and Bananas – can you talk about the cause and why it’s important to you?
I feel like it’s getting harder and harder to know who and what we can trust these days. We’re being drowned in misinformation and fake news, and everything is so contradictory and conflicting. No one knows how they can help or if anything’s actually going to help – like, if I send money over here, is this thing even real? So it’s been beautiful to be introduced to this grassroots charity, the people that run it, and to actually know that I can trust them. I wanted to investigate for myself and see the work they’re doing on the ground. It’s a beautiful and honest initiative.
It’s started by a lady with Bangladeshi heritage, but she’s from England, and was a nurse until around 2015 when the inverted commas ‘refugee crisis’ started, and she went over to Calais in France to help out as a nurse. She decided that she couldn’t go back to work once she saw the state of things and the carnage that was unfolding, so she started this charity Refugee Biryani and Bananas. She’s probably one of the most selfless individuals I’ve ever met – a kind, beautiful woman who travels the world helping people wherever they need it. They’re based in Greece, where there are a couple of big refugee camps, but she’s also just been to the Rafah Crossing trying to get trucks across to Gaza. There are refugees there, there are thousands of displaced Sudanese people that need help. It’s easy to watch the news and just be like: “Oh, people on dinghies trying to get to our country.” But there’s people living in their own countries as refugees. Look at the people of Gaza – all over the world, people have been displaced by illegal wars and conflicts that need our help and support.
What does TELL DEM IT’S SUNNY mean to you personally?
It means a lot, and it means nothing at the same time. I’m happy with it, I’m excited, I’m energised, but in the grand scheme of things what does it mean, you know? But it’s another expression, and I love taking part in this dance of creation.
TELL DEM IT’S SUNNY by Greentea Peng is out on March 21.
Follow Isaac on Bluesky.
Buy your copy of Huck 81 here.
Enjoyed this article? Follow Huck on Instagram and sign up to our newsletter for more from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture.
Support stories like this by becoming a member of Club Huck.
