You’re a wonderful father of a wonderful boy, whom you’re very protective of. However, many moms and dads hold themselves responsible when knowing that their son/daughter are gay. Blaming themselves for their child’s sexual orientation, and often ask “What did I do wrong?”. How do you feel about that? And what can you tell them?
I love my child, he’s my everything, when he’s sick I don’t sleep, when he’s ok I own the world, you don’t know what love is until you have a child, every father and mother reading this knows that. My child’s sexual orientation would not change how I feel about him.
I was shocked to know there was a musician side of you as well; you play the violin, including playing the sound of crying/weeping on those cords! A rare hobby to be practiced here in Jordan. What drove you into music and violins in specific?
I love music, and my violin is the longest relationship I ever had. I enrolled in a summer music camp in school when I was seven years old, and I wanted violin because I had seen a violin concert on TV and kept asking my parents to get me a violin. The music teacher then urged my parents to enroll me in the national music conservatory as he saw that I had talent worth exploring. And thanks to him and the undying support of my parents I kept learning music till today.
A few summers ago, you used to play the violin in the Duke’s Diwan balcony that overlooks downtown Amman ‘Al Balad’ (where Wissam’s photo-shoot took place), entertaining those passer-byers. What made you stop and what would make you return? Will we see a random come back?
Ahh.. Those were the days my friend! I stopped because I became too busy. I loved it.. The Duke (Mr. Mamdooh Bsharat) is such an exquisite character, such a big supporter for music, and I had visited him at his down town art house and had my violin with me, and we were talking about his balcony that’s right on the main balad street. One thing led to another I ended up playing every Saturday afternoon to the public and took requests from random people on the street. It was refreshing! I got the most wonderful gifts, someone got me a big Bomaly fruit, and another got me knafe, and the police let me park on the main road as long as I played Um Kalthoum. I will definitely do it again this summer.
How did your family show support towards that musical passion of yours?
My family always supported my music inclination, when my dad was 7 years old, he recited a full Um Kalthoum song from beginning to end after hearing it once, his neighbor (a music teacher in Nablus where my dad grew up) saw and heard him, amazed by him she ran to my grandfather and told him that his son must learn music as he’s very talented. He answered her by saying: no son of mine will be jinkiyye ( a term used to describe musicians behind belly dancers ) so his dream never took place. That’s what my dad told me when I thanked him for supporting me musically all my life.
There is an upcoming band project With Rami, Qabeela. So that’s music and Comedy! What leads you to pursue so many different comedy/artistic forms?
I always loved music and art, and always claimed to be the craziest human being until I met Rami Delshad, we think exactly alike, he’s a nut case, a great musician, a fantastic writer and a very passionate human being. Whether its Bath Bayakha or Qabeela, I am honored to be working with him.
You’re a sound engineer, you co own a sound productions studio (Fluid), you play the violin and you do comedy sketches! Three different interests, yet similar ones. How does the mixture of all those define Wissam?
I love people, I really love making people laugh, always have since I was the class clown at school, and I love music since I was a kid, so it’s just who I am.