Bright Okpocha, a seasoned comic known as Basketmouth, has declared his intention to leave the business when he turns 50 in the next five years.
Okpocha recently stated in an interview that he wants to venture into new fields because he doesn’t want to be known only as a comedian.
“For the past six years, I have just been floating,” said Basketmouth. Last year, I told myself and my team that when I come back to comedy, I am going to do five years and I am quitting. I am quitting in five years. I have got just five years to go with this, and I am done.
“I can quit. There is a plan. The way I planned my life, I said when I got to 50, I would drop the mic. Definitely, I will be cracking jokes every now and then but it will not be a ‘professional’ thing for me. If you see me doing a gig, it is just me doing pro bono but I will not charge anybody to perform again.
“I have made enough. I would not say that I have made enough but I have committed myself to the art long enough to say, ‘take a break or quit and whatever you do from now till the end of time it is just you having fun’.
I am into TV right now — movies, series concerts, and production. I want to start a new journey, I want to experience something new. After five years I would have spent 31 years in the game. That is a lot of time and pretty much more than half of my life. I want to do something else and be remembered for something other than comedy.”
I Am A Standup Comedian And Not An MC
In another vein, he stated that some of the difficulties in the way the Nigerian entertainment clime is; had to do with being forced to toe a line he did not want to.
“I was being forced to do what I don’t want to do. I am a standup comedian and not an MC. But in Nigeria, they want the two. That is not my design,” he said.
“Staying relevant isn’t a problem, and that is not my problem but for other people. For me, I just enjoy the ride. Getting to the top is not easy, but staying there is very difficult. I have to stay fresh and everyone is looking at you, waiting for your mistakes. You cannot forget who you are.”
For the comic, fame is not everything since he would love to live like a normal person without everyone paying attention to his every move.
“I am human, and I want to be free. That is the life I want to live. After 50 years, I want to be free and leave the space and live a normal life.”
“For the first time in about 26 years, I am going on a holiday next month – a boat cruise. They have lots of things in the boat, and some people won’t know who I am, so I will be myself. I picked the right boat, I am sure.”
