A lot has been said, read and written about Charles Oputa aka Charly Boy. But every day in the life of the orator, singer, writer cum is a fresh episode. The Area FADA, as he’s now fondly is a year older today, June 19,2011. He spoke with KAZEEM POPOOLA about his life, family and career at 60. Excerpts:
Congratulations on your birthday. People still wonder about your real age. What is it?
My real age is still a misery to me. Sometimes I feel 60 when I am with people in that age range and feel like 30 when I am with young people who have a lot to offer and have so much to learn from them. Age is a thing of the mind to me, it depends on my environment and who I am with because my age keeps fluctuating and I am confused about it. Anybody can take a guess about my age and attach any figure to it.
You’ve managed to get many people confused about who Charly Boy is....
(Cuts in) Not really, but lot of people still see Charly Boy as a person but Charly Boy is a way of life, a philosophy and mindset and I am happy that I am the one giving out all these as Charly Boy. I have had enough self discipline in terms of my lifestyle to keep my youthful look and take more responsibilities.
How do you feel about the birth, growth and maturity of the brand, Charly Boy?
I am happy to have gone through those phases of life because we all have to go through such in our lives and the lessons I have learnt have made me who I am today and will make me who I will become in future. I am still Charly Boy in progress because the work is never finished and not anytime soon. I remember in the first phase, it was just me and I was unknown. The second phase was like how would I be known? Trekking, jumping on molue was part of the struggle in the second phase. Not only to be known but to be understood and be dignified at the work you do and attract respect. With all this creativity that heralded the second phase, I didn’t even have money. I had to repackage myself for the next phase on how to convert all the creativities to cash.
How are you celebrating your birthday?
I am celebrating this because it is a landmark of sort. I am usually not in the habit of doing it that is why I don’t precisely remember when I was born and maybe I don’t want to remember. Moreover, I am celebrating because I am growing in health, which has been my focus and I am working hard to maintain that. I can only thank God because it is not my doing. I will take few of my associates to the Dome and give them a wonderful performance.
As a youth ambassador any plan for the youths to join your birthday celebration?
I don’t have to wait for my birthday before doing something for the youths. A lot of things happen on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. There are a lot of people I have taken from the streets, put them in schools, encourage and mentor them especially with the Charly Boy Foundation, which is my social responsibility.
Are you getting a special birthday gift for yourself?
I was thinking of a Rolls Royce, not as a status symbol kind of a thing. I think the most important thing is after my birthday, I will go on a vacation to ease out. I think I deserve it.
What has life taught you so far?
Life has taught me that unless you find peace and contentment, you can never be really happy. I wonder why rich people have so many problems and see people who are still struggling with daily living being cheerful. This makes me wonder what the true value of life is. Having my father living with me for the past seven years, I have been able to learn quite a lot from him. My father is particularly not a rich person but I have seen how he has grown in character, integrity and all the good values. He is a very contented person and as far as he is concerned, there are boundaries and that is what I have taken from him. I think a part of a good fulfilment in life will hinge on the fact that until you have peace and contentment, nothing will make you happy, not even money. I think God has blessed me with better wisdom of that.
Is there any bad habit of yours, which you would like to give up for God on your birthday?
I have one habit, which is smoking, and I have been praying to God to grant me courage to be able to do away with it. I know it is not good and I am not proud to say that I smoke, but I am succeeding in cutting down the rate that I smoke and I am hoping by next year, I will do without it.
Can you recollect any particular moment you shed tears?
There are many moments I have shed tears most especially when things upset me, overwhelm me or when I see grave injustice. I am an emotional person and will not think twice to shed tears when I am in a situation to express my emotion.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
That I am able to find peace with myself and able to be contented with what I have. That is the greatest thing I have learnt about life and I thank my father for that. I have been able to be myself at all times without listening to what the people say.
How are you coping with the controversies surrounding Charly Boy?
Believe me; I enjoy all sorts of what people think of me. I am thrilled with the different opinions the name Charlie Boy evokes when it is featured in conversations. The different meanings the name has to people had shown that we’ve done a good work in creating a brand that has miseries and angles. It can’t just go away; Charly Boy has become a way of life and philosophy. The brand will always get matured; it has gone through different looks in the past three decades and it has also gone through a lot of rebranding.
What is holding back your white wedding with Lady Di?
The Catholic Church is giving me too much stress; they have to check this and that. Like you know, the Catholic Church frowns at divorce. There are lots of investigations going on. I was born Catholic, my father is a Catholic but my mother is an Anglican. It is my wish and that of my family that we wed in Catholic Church but it is taking too much time. I thought they would have been through with their findings and I will give them till August and if they are not ready then I will go to Anglican, or other church, enough of all these delays.
Having been living with Lady D for many years, why has it taken you this long to go for a church wedding?
I don’t believe in titles. Marriage in church is just a formality. I have been with the same woman for over 30 years but maybe she wakes up one morning after watching a movie that has to do with church wedding and she feels like wearing a wedding gown. To make her happy, I said ok, that is how women manipulate us. My wife is very good at getting me do what she wants, that is how we men become boy boy to our wives (Laughs). I can see my father now going on errand for my mother and I say maybe that is how I will end up.
What is the greatest gift received from your wife on your birthday?
The greatest gift is what she has been giving me for about 30 years that we have been together. She really don’t know what to give me, she is very jumpy in that regards but I will say the biggest gift is being who she is and being tolerant, understanding and knowing me well, because sometimes I don’t understand myself.
How is your relationship with your children?
My children are my buddies, allies, and I thank God that I have a very good relationship with them. I relate with them like age mates not like father and sons or daughters. They are most comfortable in my presence and we discuss anything under the sun with one another. I thank God for the beautiful children He has given me.
Any plan of having another Charly Boy in the family?
No! I don’t think so, one Charly Boy is enough. On a serious note, my kids took different things from me. Few took from my intellectual perspective, some from spiritual belief while some are indifferent because they are not into music or TV productions. My last son is into fashion, design and stuff like that, my first son will soon get his professorship at the Institute of Technology in Massachusetts; he is a teacher, one of my daughters is into modelling, they just took little bit and pieces of me.
Are you fulfilled with all you have achieved with the brand, your family and others?
Yes, Charly Boy is still work in progress; I know I am getting there faster than expected. I am learning the act of calmness in which religion has played a major role not just because I have aged, I am older and wiser. As human beings we don’t discipline ourselves and we run into problems with that. Now that I understand life, I am at peace, calmer and I am mastering the act of contentment.
Are you still into music?
Music is what I give to those who love Charlie Boy that way. I will still break in as long as there are creative minds around I could ginger with. Music has become something that has always made me happy and I am not really keen about the financial gain. It is a stuff I do at my pace and time. It is what people know me with.
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