If Julius ‘The Genius’ Agwu, one of the celebrated stand-up comedians in Nigeria, decides to pen his memoirs, some events in 2013 will certainly be fore-grounded. How? In 2013, he marked his 40th birthday at an elaborate shindig; he published his first book titled Jokes Apart-How did I get here?; he celebrated his 20 years on stage; he reunited with Globacom on Glo Laffta Fest and he also had a baby boy. But beyond this, the humour merchant, in this interview with MERCY MICHAEL, opens up on his most embarrassing moment, style and marriage, among other interesting issues.
WHAT does style mean to you? Style is who you are. Everybody can afford to be fashionable, but style is what you make out of it. So, style defines you.
Who is your favourite designer?
I am a very spontaneous buyer. I do not believe in the idea of having someone as my best designer. I could meet you on the street, see what you’ve done and start to wear your designs. I have some Nigerian designers who walked up to me and we hit it off immediately. The most recent one was Vans Kere. I have been watching him from a distance and have seen stuff that he’s done. He came up to me and said, “Julius, I want you to wear me.” I am very choosy, but because he has impressed me, I now wear his designs. What he does is that he makes them pro bono and I wear them because he understands I can help him showcase his designs. As expected, people see it and they ask me who made it for me.
Another young man is David Bowler. He is a Nigerian, but when you see his stuff, you will marvel at what the young boy is doing. There is this white suit I wore recently, which everybody has been talking about. It’s on instagram. He made the jacket that I wore to the Africa Magic@10 event.
I’m a spontaneous buyer; so, I just walk into shops like Fusion, Message, Wardrobes and Fomula.
How often do you change your wardrobe?
At times, I change my wardrobe weekly. It used to be bad when I was single. But now that I am married, I had to tone it down because of my wife and growing responsibilities. Truly, it is called show business and you need to show. I have clothes, shirts, shoes and trousers that I haven’t worn.
How many pairs of shoes do you have?
I can’t count.
What do you do with the excess ‘luggage’?
I give out and relocate some home. At times, I bring them out and call my staff to select. I do this from time to time.
What would you not be caught wearing?
I have won a skirt on stage before. Hmm! I can’t be caught wearing a G-string.
You seem to have a preference for local designers because you have not mentioned any big international name.
Well, the truth is there are so many big names that I’ve worn.
How much is your most expensive pair of shoes?
You know, I can’t really tell now. I have Giuseppe Zanotti shoes – original one, not the Nigerian made. Seriously, the man is planning to come to raid Nigeria very soon. Which other expensive shoes do I have? I have Louboutin for men. Now, most times, when my wife is around, I buy and sneak them into the house. So, anytime I now put them on, she asks me when I bought them; and trust me, I claim that I’ve had them since.
When I got married, I had to tone it a bit because whether you like it or not, you have to cut down on your shopping so that you can pay school fees, take care of the children and take care of the family. But then, she knows that it comes with the job.
Which outfit gives you the most confidence?
I don’t joke with my suit. I am not particularly tall, so the only thing that can stand me out is my dress sense. The only way I stand out is to be outstanding. And how do I become outstanding? It is to look different. I have been to a wedding, where I was the MC, and when it was time for the cutting of the cake, the bride got carried away; she was admiring what I wore and the groom got very angry.
I can see you always take your time to look good?
Funnily, I really don’t take my time to look good. I don’t plan what I wear. I could just enter, pick this and that or mix and match. You know, I have to stand out, even if it’s casual. So, that is me.
I have seen you wear some crazy belts…
(Cuts in)You remember the one that has a cup; it is still there. I am planning to open a mini museum. The reason is that my wife, most of the time, will say something like ‘I don’t think these clothes can stay here again’; so, she will just pack them in a box and give them out.
I plan to do a one-man show next year and the idea is to get some of those costumes I wore even in Okombo, including the wardrobe and drum set, on the stage. It will just be something like ‘Julius the Genius Agwu Live.’ I want to have a show, where Julius will be live on stage rough, rugged and raw. But it will be for 18+ only. It’s probably going to be the last vulgar, raw performance I am going to have before I finally answer the call of God. Because I believe God is calling me, except that I have been waiting for a direct call, so I don’t want any flash or text message.
What has been your most embarrassing moment on the red carpet?
Hmm! Interesting, you know, I really can’t remember anyone because if I bumped into any red carpet that I didn’t prepare for, I would rather not go on it. I would prepare to just sneak into the show. It has happened only once. I think it was the premiere of a movie, but I can’t remember the name now. I didn’t know they were having the premiere. You know how the paparazzi do; everybody was trying to get me to come on the red carpet. I told them that I didn’t come for this, but they thought I was probably posing. I didn’t want to get interviewed on the red carpet, so I dodged them. Next year, I am going for the Grammy.
And what do you plan to wear to the show?
I don’t know yet. I haven’t settled for any particular outfit, but I am going to dazzle them.
Which is your favourite perfume and how many do you wear at a time?
With perfumes, I combine. In my bag, you will find one and in my car, there is another one. I have them everywhere. I love bottles; I just look at a bottle and if it is catchy, I buy it. So, that is it. I have different collections.
How about your favourite wristwatch?
The one I am wearing is a TWS and is a limited edition signed by Kelly Rowland. She’s like their brand ambassador. I think they did just 100 of this.
Who styles you?
You know, people meet me and ask me, “Do you have a stylist?” and I always say no. So, I just do my thing; I just combine. My father was very fashionable. I guess I took it from him. I’m very eclectic. Though I could go wrong at times, I don’t care. The thing about it is that if you are bold enough to wear anything or if you are bold enough to make that statement, go ahead. Whether you like it or not, I do not need to impress anybody now.
Can you remember any particular occasion you ‘missed’ it?
Yes, it was at Kate Henshaw’s book launch. I was in a hurry; the shirt was flowered, yes! The tie went well with my jeans and the jacket was violet, so I just threw it on. I said let me just confuse people a bit. Then, my wife, who was in America, started ‘yapping’ me because na she be my greatest fashion critic. Meanwhile, at the event, people were hailing me because it’s Julius. But deep down, I knew I wasn’t particularly looking good because my shoes were brown. I wanted to block, but I come over block.
How would you rate the year 2013?
You know, I can’t thank God enough that I am alive. My wife is alive and God added another bundle of joy, a boy! That makes me a man. I just thank God. I can’t just ask for more. He’s been too nice to me. Glo has not used me for about eight years and finally they called me and I became part of the Glo Laffta Fest after a very long time. During those periods, different gists were said about me. And after so many years, God just spoke to them to remember me. I just give God the glory. He has just been too nice to me. You know, in life, we can be age mates, but not ‘grace mates’.
Would you say celebrity marriages are different in some sense?
My dear, the truth is no two marriages be the same. Everybody’s marriage has its own peculiarity and every relationship in life depends on what you ‘PUT’. I propounded this theory when I was in the university. Whether in your relationship with your father, mother, daughter, neighbour and God, it depends on what you ‘PUT’; and the ‘PUT’ stands for ‘Patience, Understanding and Tolerance’. You must understand these terms; otherwise, that relationship can never succeed. You must be patient at all times, you must understand each other at all times and you must be tolerant. If you don’t have those qualities, e no go work.
You should know that no two people are the same. I’m a very difficult person and I sometimes wonder how my wife, with her quiet attitude, copes. I am the most difficult husband anybody can have. I snap easily. Sometimes, I wonder how she copes because she’s the nicest wife anybody can have. But she sometimes annoys me too. She’s the most stubborn woman on earth. I know I am difficult and for any woman to cope with me, I raise hand for am.
For instance, my wife is the kind of woman that doesn’t call me. She no send. At times, we could be in the house and she will be quiet all through. Usually, in that circumstance, I will be the one to be worried. But that is my wife and me. At times, we keep malice for one month. We would be together in the same house and keep malice. So, no two marriages are the same. But that is the fun of it. When it is sweet, it is very sweet. But in Nigeria, we pretend a lot. Husband and wife will just come out and laugh, giving the impression that all is well. But the truth is, at times, you quarrel.
I saw this Christmas picture of you and your family. What does Christmas mean to the Agwus?
Christmas, for us, is a time of celebration. I actually didn’t want to do the picture you just saw, but a lot of people insisted I do it. I put up the one we did last year. Remember, it was when we took that picture that celebrities started snapping. Na we start am. Everybody come begin snap. This year, I was just going through my BB and I just put on my DP ‘Memories of last year’s Christmas’. I put up the picture of my wife, my daughter and me and people started saying something like “This is cheating! Where is Zadok, your son?” Meanwhile, I went to see them in October, which was when my wife gave birth. I just had to tell my graphics guy to use one of the pictures we took there. I know we didn’t quite go to the studio to pose and prepare, but some people liked it. My wife wore a green; so, the whole thing like blended.
Do you see yourself going into politics now or in the future?
I don’t have anything like that in mind. If I get an appointment, fine! But for me to go and print posters (pauses)…Nigerian politicians are deadly. Politics is deadly.
You have not achieved, if you have not impacted on the society. I believe strongly that a real achiever is one that has given back to people; one who has succeeded in building brands or one who has impacted on other peoples’ lives. That is exactly the reason we have created a platform over the years.
This year marks the 13 years of Crack Ya Ribs. And I have been able to create a platform where so many of the up and coming talents have been showcased to the world in London, America, Abuja, Port-Harcourt and Lagos. That is what we’ve been doing over the years. And that is why God has always renewed his grace upon my life. This year, I celebrated my 40th birthday and published my book. Also, this year, I celebrated my 20 years as an entertainer. My first film, Rattle Snake, was in 1993. So, what more can I ask for? People have come and gone, but I am still here. This is just the beginning of my career because my best is yet to come.
