Hate him. Like him. One thing is just certain about Charles Chukwuemeka Oputa, aka Charly Boy – and that is, you can’t ignore him. You must always look at him twice. Either because of his weird looks or the myth around him. About 24 hours to his ’64th birthday’on Thursday, June 18, 2015, YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, AZUH ARINZE, met with him at his hotel, off Toyin Street, in Ikeja, Lagos. And for almost one hour, the maverick entertainer entertained our questions on a wide range of issues. As controversial as ever, the Buddhist blamed the Pentecostal for Nigeria’s woes. He also insisted that he doesn’t know his age and again that he’s not a musician. Enjoy…
What was the greatest piece of advise that your late father, Justice Chukwudifu Akunne Oputa gave you?
It wasn’t an advise, it was something he said to me, almost like 25 years ago or 27 years ago and it was as if somebody had given me speed and given me a jet – wing to fly, because I never liked my father. We always fell out before that time and especially when he knew I wanted to be an artiste and be in the music industry. He felt I was throwing my life away, that I was better than all of that. So, one day, after Tyna Onwudiwe, of blessed memory, uprooted me from Oguta…You know that’s where I started; you know my story… After 8 years of staying in the village, she uprooted me from village to Lagos and gave me a new lease of life. Things started getting better for me. So, one day, I called my father, I said come and see, I want to show you something and I took him to a place where I had bought my first property and all of that and I knew he was so flabbergasted. He couldn’t talk till we got home. In the night, he slept on my bed; he still didn’t say anything. That was how silly he was, trying to soak in everything and to say is it this same boy, this irresponsible rascal? So, the next morning, as he was going, he had already left my room and then he now came back, he said, see, I want to say something to you. I know I’ve never told you this before. You will always say I’m hard on you, but I’m really proud of you and I almost fainted, because that’s the nicest thing my father said in such a long time. He kept on telling me, listen o, you are throwing your life away, you are a stupid boy, you are stupid, you are stupid, you are stupid, you are silly and I almost believed him. If it wasn’t that I had a strong will and believed in myself, he almost f–ked me up.
It’s rumoured that you will be 64 on Friday, June 19…
It’s a rumour, like you said. My age; I’ve given so many dates of birth that I’ve even confused myself about my true age. But I like to remain confused on that aspect. It’s one part of my life I don’t want to resolve for the simple reason that I believe in this body and that in this heart lives a young kid by the name of Charly Boy, who wants to remain a youth at heart and would rather not have the shenanigans of a grown up. So, I like to stay there.
What’s going to change about you now that you will be a year older?
What’s going to change? Basically, nothing. But I’m getting deeper and deeper into Buddhist faith. I’m beginning to learn very seriously and very profoundly the happiness that we all look for, where it lies…
(Interruption) – Where does happiness lie?
In ourselves! I’m beginning to become so less attached to anything material, including money and that glow that comes out of me is as a sequence of discovering this essence of life. My father had it a little bit, though I don’t know how he attained his own. Maybe he did it on the platform of Christianity and Catholicism. I’m doing my own on the platform of Buddhism.
Why did you choose to be a Buddhist?
Because I wanted something that will challenge my intellect, I wanted something that will challenge me. It’s about me conquering myself. What puts man in trouble is his desire. If I can only learn to conquer my desire, then I’m a free man.
The Buddhists, do they believe in the existence of God?
They believe in the existence of Jesus Christ…
They don’t believe in God?
They believe in a supreme being. You can give it whatever nomenclature you like…
How about you, do you believe in God?
I believe in God, I believe that something started something, I believe in a supreme being…
So, how come what you believe in is contrary to what they (Buddhists) believe in? They believe in a supreme being, you believe in God…
See, the fact that I went to America does not mean I have to adopt everything America. I take what works for me. And I’ve taken from Buddhism what works for me and what works for me is to know my inner self, to be able to conquer my desires, my wordly desires, because we are so attached to material things. That’s what puts us in problem. To be able to learn the art of contentment. For me, that’s enough; that anywhere I find myself, I will be content, I will be happy, because happiness is not given to you by anybody; it’s something you cultivate from the inside.
When is CB going to stop wearing all these things – chains, boots, etc?
I’m a young boy now, why are you worrying me?
You just added some new tattoos. The last time we met you didn’t have them? When are you going to stop doing all these things?
Why would I stop? Is it bothering me, is it disturbing me? It’s not disturbing me. I mean, from the last time you saw me, do I look better or do I look worse?
You look better. Just that you’ve added some new tattoos and so on?
Exactly! So, maybe it’s to look better, better, bettest (General laughter).
Will CB ever change?
Why? Change to what?
To live a better life?
I don’t think I live an abnormal life. I’m more normal than you are, Azuh. I’m more normal…
So, you think it’s normal for a grandfather to be wearing earrings, tattoos, rings all over…?
It’s perception. You, is it normal that you will be going everywhere with a pen inside your dress? But this is you, this is how you want to look and you are not disturbing me by looking that way, by being free to dress how you want. This is how I love to look. Don’t forget, I’m not a lawyer, I’m an entertainer, I’m expected to jolt your mind for you to like stop and look at me and say why did he do that, why is he like that? That’s what I’m meant to do whenever you see me.
Your children and grandchildren, don’t they sometimes talk to you, maybe call you aside to say daddy or grand pa, isn’t it time you stopped this?
Why? Stop what? You are talking like I’m doing something that I shouldn’t be doing. You see, before my children, I’m Mr. Oputa; I’m not Charly Boy. We all laugh at Charly Boy’s shenanigans most of the time because we all understand what it is and what the brand is trying to say. In this country, it’s hard to be yourself. Don’t you know? Haven’t you realized it? Because a lot people, 90 percent of the people out there, they are fake, they are hypocrites. Otherwise this kind of stealing, this kind of plundering; the mess and the rot the country is in right now is absurd and then you look at the churches, you look at how they’ve contributed to this. Most of it is through these churches, especially these silly Pentecostal people out there, preaching prosperity rather than preaching nourishment for my soul. Why because it is all about money. I mean, check out the people who are plundering the country. They are not people who are dressed like Charly Boy. They come in their 3-piece suits and agbadas. You can’t see somebody like me or like D’Banj or like Denrele going to do fraud or rip people off. No! They are artistes…
It’s been a long time that you released an album. When are you going to sing again?
Am I a musician? Is that the only thing you’ve seen me doing?
We are going to take them one by one. Why did you stop singing, why did you stop producing albums?
You know, when somebody dreams about something and they are able to live part of those dreams, I think it’s a blessing. I dreamt one day, I used to admire musicians, that how do they stand up and things just come out of their mouths and I attempted to be one even though I don’t count myself as a musician. A musician is somebody who can read, write and interprete music. I can’t do any of that…
So, what are you?
I’m just an artiste. Yeah! I’m artistic and my job is to challenge people’s mind set, make people think. So, I dabbled into music, not because I wanted to get into music as a career. Of course not! By profession, I’m a journalist, I studied Mass Comm. And that was why from music I delved into my TV job.
We are going to talk about TV, but before we do that, you released a couple of albums. Which of your songs still excites you?
1990! Yes, yes…Because the things I said those days are the things that seem to be happening now and because that song was my entrance into the music industry and along with that song came a bunch of experience because the first person I played the demo to, I remember, was Fela. I went to Fela, I was so excited; when Fela came out from prison. My father said oh yeah, your friend, Fela is out of prison. Then, I was in the village and I went to meet Fela, all so excited that Fela was going to give me the encouragement of my life, Fela was going to blow horns for me. Fela, after listening to the thing just stood up, walked and went to sleep and never said a word to me. But then I didn’t understand Fela. It wasn’t because he didn’t like it or anything. Everybody get him way. That was his way. And that thing nearly f–ked me up, till I complained bitterly to everybody, including Femi and then one other day, I now saw Fela, I think, at Jazz 38 and I was just trying to keep to myself and Fela came and shook me vigorously. He hugged me and said ah, bring that song, that song was good, I like dat song. That was all I wanted to hear and I felt like I’ve won N100 million that day. So, that song has a history. And when I remember what I went through to put that song together…That’s my favourite.
What happened to Zoom Time? It stopped airing…
Yes, I was looking for Charly Boy, like the youth I am. I was looking for something next to excite me. So, after doing Charly Boy Show and Zoom Time for almost 15 years, I felt it was time to move on and try something else. Then, I left creative work a little bit and went into real estate…
So, you are currently into real estate?
I’ve left that too…
So, what do you do now?
I want to come back to my first love – to music, to TV…