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| Julius Agwu |
We would like to meet you?
My name is Julius D’ genius Agwu, a
graduate of the University of Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, where I studied
theatre art. I am an indigene of Rivers State, Choba village precisely. On
April 7, 2013, I became 40 years old and it was on the same day that I launched
my new book which I entitled “Jokes Apart”. I am a music-comedian, an actor,
producer, director, motivational speaker and very recently I became the MD|CEO
of ‘Reel Laif Limited’. I read a lot and I am a very jovial person.
How was your growing up days like?
Actually, it was not juicy. I grew
up with my parents in Choba village, my father could not afford a television
set in the house but he had the belief that one day his child will even buy
much more. There was no money for me to go to school most times therefore, I
had to trek down to school. I would not have gone to a university talk less of
becoming a graduate if Uniport was not in my village because things were so
tight at that moment. Due to the situation at that moment, my mother wanted
me to be a carpenter. Meanwhile, my dad had plans of making me a lawyer, so
I was a victim of career imposition. In a nutshell, I give all the glory
to God for making things better today and before my late father died he laid
his hands on me and blessed me for making him proud.
You used to be an actor, why did you
stop?
Yeah, I was still in school while I
was acting, and my first ever movie was an Amaka Igwe production entitled ‘Rattlesnake’
which was in 1993, among other movies that I have done. But at a point I decided
to quit.
Why did you quit?
At a point I felt like I was begging
people to give me roles in the movie industry and that was quite embarrassing
so I decided to branch out of movies completely. Funny enough, at that moment,
I didn’t have a place of my own so I was living with Segun Arinze and I was
working with Okey Bakassi. Due to the fact that acting was not paying off, I
decided to face comedy squarely.
At what point did you discover that
you were funny?
That was in the village; then I used
to make people laugh especially close ones and when I got to secondary school I
was a member of the dramatic society and I focused on the comedy aspect.
How do you get your inspiration?
Observations, personal experiences
as well as experiences from friends. I read a lot and I get inspired by topical
life issues and I listen to the news as well and make out jokes out of all these.
How did you feel the first time you
were embarrassed on stage?
Ha! It’s like you should turn to lot
as in salt because you wouldn’t know how to turn back or disappear, so it is
very embarrassing.
What has been your most embarrassing
moment on stage?
I have had several shows, both in
and out of the country so I cannot categorically place my hands on a particular
moment that I can consider to be my most embarrassing moment.
How do you feel when people steal
your jokes?
It is very sad because it takes
pains and so much intellectual sacrifice to create jokes. Most comedians listen
to my tape and crack the jokes exactly how I did it while others add little
spice to it in other to make it look fresh without giving kudos to me as the
owner of the jokes and still refer to it as their personal jokes. So it hurts
me so much when I see other people doing my jokes without giving me credit.
What’s your advice to such people?
Personally, I refer to such people
as “live band” because it is the same way that live bands perform other people’s
songs that they crack other people’s jokes, so they should stop cracking other people’s
jokes and focus on doing their own jokes. Secondly, if you must use other people’s
jokes, learn to give kudos to the owners by saying the name of the owner of the
joke e.g a Julius Agwu joke and that won’t stop people from
laughing.
How has the journey been so far?
Well, I am 20 years in the industry
and I have learnt so much and so far, I really thank God for how far he has
brought me and for all the good things that I have achieved and yet to achieve.
What are your major achievements in
the industry?
Aside being a standup comedian, I
have my own comedy shows like Festival
of Love, Laugh for Christ’s sake and of course, Crack Your Ribs which is
actually 13 years this year. Aside that, I am also involved
in comedy club live in Lagos for M-net and I travel around the world for shows,
I also go to various universities among other places.
With all these, how do you make out
time for your family?
Basically, I am happily married to
my lovely wife Ibiere and God has blessed us with two kids Zarah and Zadok. I
love my family very much and I always put them first in everything I do. I
always make sure that they are comfortable and currently they are in America. My
wife is a full house wife because I want my children to get absolute attention
and proper care as well as enough motherly love that they need.
How do you handle female fans?
Like I said earlier, I am
married to a very beautiful wife so I don’t get carried away by any other woman’s
beauty or whatever. Aside that, I am very professional and I know when to draw
the lines without hurting any of my fans because they are the ones that
appreciate my works most and buy my CDs. So I always try to stay professional
with them.
What are you working on currently?
Every Christmas, Crack Your Ribs
storms Port-Harcourt so that is what we are working on currently and it will
take place on December 25. We are really working hard in order to make the show
a success.
What are your plans for 2014?
This year, I launched my book and it
details every single aspect of my life, so by next year I am looking forward to
selling a lot. Aside that, I want to officially start a one-man show next year
which will be my personal talk show on TV.
By ELIZABETH BASSEY
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