SANTA MONICA, California — A year after Ben Stiller met the parents in packed theaters everywhere, up-and-coming singer/songwriter Custom is taking the same experience dreaded by every man alive to the radio. And like "Meet the Parents," Custom's "Hey Mister" is hilarious.

"Hey Mister/ I really like your daughter/ I want to eat her like ice cream/ Maybe dip her in chocolate," the song opens. Part Pete Yorn, part Sum41, "Hey Mister" has quickly become something of an anthem on modern rock radio. It features all sorts of juicy metaphors, with the main message being that a father always knows what his daughter's dates are really thinking. The song ends with Custom repeating, "I hope I never have a daughter."

"Hey Mister" is loosely based on real experiences, "but the catalyst was a moment when I was in a bar in New York and I looked over and someone was picking up on my 18-year-old sister," he said. "You get that big brother [impulse], like, 'Oh my God, I'm going to crush that guy.' I look over, and my other sister is getting picked up on. Then I realize I'm picking up on someone too. Then I realize we're all pigs.

"I just went through that whole thought process," he continued. "I realized that the worst moment outside of having a daughter, which is the end revelation in the song, is the moment you meet the parent. I'm always afraid to meet the dad, because you know he knows [what you're up to]."

"Hey Mister" speaks to both men and women, Custom said.

"All guys can totally relate to the whole concept of what a drag it is to talk to the dad," he explained. "The girls like the voice saying she's not a tramp if she likes to [have sex]. It's OK ... that doesn't mean she's a slut. I'm not saying there's a profound positive feminist message in the song, but it's at least thought-provoking."

Ironically, Custom is not the kind of guy a date would fear introducing to her parents. He's good-looking (he resembles a taller Nicolas Cage), athletic (he surfs, bikes and skateboards) and hardworking (he's also a filmmaker).

On his debut album, Fast, due in March, Custom wrote all of the music and lyrics, played most of the instruments (Duncan Sheik and A Perfect Circle's Billy Howerdel guest) and did all of the producing, engineering and mixing in a home studio that he built.

As for the "Hey Mister" video, currently available on his Web site and scheduled to hit outlets in January, he scripted and directed it himself using a handheld digital camera. The actress in the clip, who scribbles the lyrics of the song on her skin, is Custom's girlfriend.

"We started f---ing around with the camera and we liked the whole writing-on-the-body thing, and the record company thought it was cool," Custom said. "So we said, 'Does it matter that it's [digital video] and the production value is $1?' 'No.' 'OK, so can we rent a Ferrari? Can we go to Vegas?' Instead of spending money on film, we spent money on casinos and the car and had fun. Just me and a couple buddies."

Custom's video feat is not all that surprising considering before he made Fast, he directed his first feature film, "Limp." The movie stars late INXS frontman Michael Hutchence and has been shelved for several years (see "INXS' Hutchence May Turn Up In Film" ).

"We held off [releasing it] because of Michael's situation," Custom said. "We didn't want the movie to be about his death. He says some things that are related to suicide and stuff like that. It was really inappropriate and kind of gross. I don't think we'll release it for a while."