His natural good looks is the first factor that magnets people to him. Off stage, Tunde Adewale, massively addressed as TEE-A, remains so ordinary. But on stage, everything about him is simply laughter. The celebrated comedian, who's obviously an a-list comedian, divulged and maintained that he learns from every Comedian. In this close-up, he lets our Contributing Editor, IFECHI OKOH, into the know and other things about him and comedy. Excerpts:

Can we know how comedy started for you please?

Honestly, I can’t remember how it started for me because it has been long. All I can remember was that it began from my secondary School days. Then, I was doing it for the fun of it. When I really started, money was not my priority. I was just doing it for the love of it. But along the line, money started coming in and progress started.

What were you into before you attained your celebrity status?

I started out as an actor in Tales by Moonlight. That was before I got into the University. I even took part too, in Wale Adenuga’s Papa Ajasco. That time, I was doing it for the fun of it and not for monetary sake. I love money, but I know how to draw the line quickly when it’s about to scandalize me. Honestly!

What did you read in the school and in which university?

I read Linguistics and Yoruba Language.

What factors stand you out from your colleagues, please?

I think I am just me. Call me the gentleman of the Nigerian comedy community and you would be right. I don’t pretend to be who I am not. Oh yes! I don’t crack other persons jokes, I don’t dress to look like others. I don’t just joke to make people laugh. Rather, I do to impact on the society.

How do you get inspirations for your jokes?

Good! Please be informed that I read a lot. I learnt the act of reading from Ali Baba. You read to broaden your knowledge about life and living. Not all the jokes you bumped into online, you use because not everyone will love it. Hence you must be pretty enterprising and creative too. I must confess that I derive inspirations from my surroundings.

Have you ever been embarrassed publicly in the cause of doing your jokes?

Oh yes! It happened when I suddenly fell off the stage mistakenly. Immediately it happened, I bounced back on stage as if nothing happened and the audience applauded me. Since then, it had not happened again because I have been extra careful to forestall such embarrassment.

Update news