A Jersey Evening Post journalist is making a late bid to reach the top of the charts this Christmas by dressing as a reindeer and urging the nation to “hug a Muslim”.
Anthony Lewis, assistant editor and chief reporter at the Evening Post, has written and performed a pop song titled Colour This Time (Hug a Muslim) and plans to challenge the likes of the XFactor contestants to the top spot and remind us not be greedy and materialistic at Christmas.
In the video, Lewis, who has no previous musical experience, sings: “Turn to the person next to you now and give them a hug. Muslim, Hindu, Christian or Jew – hug a Muslim this Christmas.”
The odds on Colour This Time reaching number one in the charts on Christmas Day were recently slashed from 500-1 to 250-1.
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A spokesman for William Hill said they were lowered because of the number of people putting money on it to win.
The song’s video, which has been viewed over 6,200 times on youtube.com, was made with the help of Evening Post readers who appeared as extras.
In his weekly column, Lewis invited readers to meet him at a Jersey beach to help make the film, and 100 willing volunteers turned up.
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“As an experiment about what the internet can do it has been fascinating.
This has been seen all over the world,”
he said.
“Apparently GMTV liked it, but I’ve not had a call from them. I’d quite like to sit on the sofa with Lorraine, I think she’s gorgeous.”
But Lewis stresses there is a serious side to his song. “The whole media is guilty of using the word ‘Muslim’ in a negative way, but there is no reason why. We’re all just human beings.”
Lewis said he had no more musical plans beyond Colour This Time, but hoped that more regional journalists would start impromptu pop careers next year.
He said: “We should form a musical collective. We’d be like the Wu-Tang Clan. Only more crap.”
And does the reindeer suit have any relevance?
“It was going to be a pigeon. But I went to the fancy dress shop the week before shooting and the only suits they had were the reindeer or Scooby Doo, and I didn’t fancy a lawsuit from Hanna-Barbera,” he said.
The song can be downloaded from www.hugamuslim.co.uk.
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