Kajun Brooking (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu) needs no introduction.
He’s world-famous in Whanganui, apparently.
“It’s insane how much I get recognised.
“And it’s crazy how many people think I’m famous. Because I’m not famous!”
The almost 900,000 people who’ve watched the comedian’s viral “Siegles” TikTok — a Red Wiggles-Mongrel Mob mash-up — might disagree.
The local kids who wander into the “Warewhare” hoping to spot him on duty definitely do.
Brooking works as a trade manager at The Warehouse.
Then there are the truly out-the-gate fans.
“The wildest thing I’ve ever had, bro, was a van load of people coming over from Taihape.
“Yeah, I was having my smoko. Then I heard over the intercom: ding, ding - ‘Kajun to gardening, Kajun to gardening.’
“I messaged them and said, ‘Bro, I’m having my lunch.’
“And they were like, ‘Nah, there’s a group down in gardening looking for you.’”
“I said, ‘Hey, what kind of group are we talking about here?
“‘Are they wearing red, or are they wearing blue?’”
It turned out the unexpected guests were fans who had driven more than 100 kilometres to meet their idol in his bright red Warewhare kākahu.
“Yeah, there was a whole bunch of people who drove all the way from Taihape after seeing a TikTok of me working at the Whanganui Warehouse.
“You wouldn’t believe it, bro. All day long, I’m getting recognised.
“I take multiple photos a day. In my uniform, bro!”
Warning: This video contains offensive language and gang references.
‘Papa was a Rollin’ Stone’
Most people do a double-take when they first hear his name: Kajun.
“It’s Kajun, like the spice,” he laughs.
“Man, people botch it all the time. Usually, I think people are used to seeing it with the C.”
There are a couple of different stories Brooking tosses out about the whakapapa of his ingoa. Take your pick.
“But yeah, my father named me,” Brooking says.
“I think the biggest thing that inspired him to give me that name was LSD.
“It was the 70s, bro. My pāpā was a ‘Rollin’ Stone’.”
But there’s another version of the story too.
In this one, Brooking’s father named him after the song “Cajun Moon”, a track popular in the 1970s.
“Maybe he was under the influence of a few things when he named me,” he says.
“If I was a girl, my name was going to be Summer.
“But yeah, I was a boy, so I ended up being Kajun. He didn’t put the ‘Moon’ in the middle though,” Brooking says with a grin.
‘I didn’t see the funny side of life’
In a fortnight, Brooking will take centre stage in Auckland before heading to Wellington as part of the NZ International Comedy Festival.
It’s a long way from the days when he didn’t think he’d make it past his 20s.
“Yeah, especially considering where I come from,” he says. “My humble beginnings, man, growing up was tough, bro.
“I’m from Hastings, grew up in Flaxmere in a mob area - and growing up, I never thought I’d end up where I am today.
“There was a time in my life when I didn’t actually think I’d make it to my 30s, because I was so reckless in my 20s.”
Warning: This video contains adult themes, sexual references and language some viewers may find offensive.
Brooking says there was a long period in his life where he lost touch with the lighter side of himself.
“I went off the rails in my late teens and early 20s,” he says.
“I didn’t see the funny side of life, and I didn’t want to sing no more and stuff like that.”
He says growing up around “tough guys” sometimes made him feel like he had to suppress the more playful parts of his personality.
“A lot of my male role models were tough sort of men,” he says.
“So there came a time in my life where I adopted that hard side.”
Brooking says meeting his wife and having children helped him slowly become more comfortable being himself.
“I’ve slowly learned to become myself more and just accept who I am, bro.”
Brooking says he’s grateful for the life he now has.
“Sometimes I have to pause and appreciate what I have these days - my wife, my kids, being able to support them.
“Having a beautiful home, kai in the fridge and freezer, a warm house, and being able to give them all the things I didn’t have.
“I guess that’s how I measure success.”
‘There’s a word, aura’
Looking at his life now, Brooking’s journey seems almost miraculous.
A cross necklace gifted to Brooking and worn in one of his publicity photos prompts a question about spirituality.
Brooking isn’t overly religious, though he says he believes in something greater than himself.
His wife, he says, is “a devout Christian”.
“I’m sort of like 50-50, you know — got one foot in the door, one foot out.”
“There’s times when you do these big shows and the pressure’s on,” he says.
“You’re worried about how you’re going to do.
“In those moments, bro, all of a sudden, you become a devout believer in God.
“You’re praying. You’re calling on God and stuff like that.
“And I’ll tell you what - every time I’ve asked for help, He’s never let me down.
“Never let me down, bro.”
Brooking says those same ideas of wairua carry through into performance too.
His grandfather was part of the Māori showband The Māori Hi-Five, which opened for The Beatles in 1964.
Asked to imagine a backyard hāngī with Billy T James (one of his idols) and Prince Tui Teka - guitars out, singing, laughter and plenty of tall stories - Brooking says he’d be most interested in the pair’s wairua and off-stage presence.
“Seeing what they were like in real life,” he says.
“Also, the wairua. Because there’s a word, ‘aura’, you know - I’d be looking at that.
“I’d be looking at how they carry themselves, their presence, because a lot of it comes down to your stage presence = the way you carry yourself and interact with people in those moments.
“Though it’d probably be hard too, because you’d be having a good time in the process.”
‘I knew straight away - she was the one’
Brooking works hard at his craft and credits his wife for helping shape the person he is today.
“I’ve got a Māori wife, bro, so she loves giving the feedback,” he laughs.
“Not just for comedy either. When it comes to the dishes and the washing, she’s got all the feedback. But she’s awesome.”
The couple have been together for 22 years.
But it wasn’t his humour that first won her over, he says.
“Nah, bro, just those East Coast looks,” he says with a smile.
“Just those coasty good looks, my bro. That’s all I had to offer when I first met her.
“I didn’t actually think I’d find anybody, bro. I was like a wrecking ball when it came to women, and I thought that was going to be my life.
“I just didn’t think I was destined to find the one or be happy.”
Brooking says he didn’t grow up around many examples of love.
“I grew up in an environment where I never really saw love. I never really saw a man properly love a woman.”
He says his parents parted ways when he was young and, without a father in the home, he was eventually whāngai-ed out to his nan.
But everything changed when Brooking met his future wife.
“When I first met her, bro, I knew straight away - she was the one.”
‘I hope kids see it’s possible’
Brooking says audiences can expect a mix of new material, waiata and stories drawn from his own life in his Comedy Fest show.
The show touches on everything from whānau and mahi to social media and the unexpected fallout that can come with online content.
“It often gets me in trouble,” he laughs.
Fans can also expect a few behind-the-scenes stories — and even “an impromptu haka”.
Brooking says he hopes rangatahi Māori see what he’s doing and realise there’s space for them too.
“We’re still the minority when it comes to this industry,” he says. “There’s not many of us.”
“I hope kids see that it’s possible. That they go out there, tell their stories, put a funny spin on them, sing their songs and share their talents with the world.”
Judging by the tamariki wandering the aisles of the “Red Sheds” hoping to catch a glimpse of him, some already do.
“They don’t come straight up to me,” he says, shaking his head.
“They sort of stand in my area, and I can hear them go:
‘Nah, that’s him, bro.’
‘Bro, go get a photo.’
‘Nah, you.’
“Next minute, they’ll be on the other side of the aisle. And all I can hear is:
‘Siegles, Mongrel Mob, Big Red Car.’
They’re singing the “Siegles” tune.
“And I’m like, ‘Bro, just come over and ask for a photo!’”
Kajun Brooking’s show, Me Being Me, runs in Auckland from May 14–16 before heading to Wellington from May 19–23 as part of the NZ International Comedy Festival.
