PETALING JAYA, April 14 — Comedian Douglas Lim has reworked Bryan Adams’ hit 1980s single Summer of ‘69 to give a light-hearted take on the chaos surrounding Covid-19.

Lim’s rendition captures the candid reality of living in a pandemic including the scramble to find face masks, Zoom calls with colleagues, and empty shelves at supermarkets.

The Kopitiam actor also took the time to say thanks to the nurses, doctors, delivery riders, and other frontline workers in his video for their tireless efforts to serve Malaysians during the movement control order (MCO).

“While everyone else is told to stay home and protect themselves, there are a bunch of people who have to go into the danger zones and are in charge of looking at this virus in the face and trying to fix things,” Lim told Malay Mail.

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“It’s similar to a war situation involving soldiers but we’re quite removed from a scenario like that. It’s not like that in this case.

“I live near a hospital and I see people going in and facing this virus every day.”

 

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The entertainer has made various skits about Covid-19, including one about a recent gaffe by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry advising wives to adopt a Doraemon voice when requesting husbands to do chores during the MCO.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Just a silly video since the #doraemon issue is still hot. . . . . . . . #douglaslim #lawakbodoh #nespressomy

A post shared by Douglas Lim (@thedouglaslim) on

Lim is a firm believer in the power of comedy to get us through these difficult times, adding that humour has often been used as a coping device in traumatic situations.

“Comedy has always been a defense mechanism against things that we are fearful of and circumstances that we can’t control.

“When Wuhan went into lockdown, there were all these funny videos of how people were dealing with the isolation. When we feel like the odds are against us, we use comedy as a means to get back up again.”

The “Bummer of C-19” parody not only references the surreal situation that the world is currently going through but it also acknowledges a time when the pandemic finally dies down.

Though Lim admits that life will never be the same once this all blows over, he emphasised the importance of keeping hope alive until a solution is found.

“If I just make fun of the situation and nothing changes, it ends up being a very bitter joke.

“I think we’re all looking forward to the same thing and no one hopes that this virus sticks around. That’s why I wanted to end my parody with the promise of hope and a solution.”