laspapi's way

Warning- The post below contains strong language and sentiments. It also displays an utter lack of modesty by this blogger.

An anonymous sort came on here saying, under my the bold, the cool and the beautiful post featuring funmi iyanda, that "I really like your blog laspapi, but the sucking up big time is really beginning to get to me now."

I thought to myself, "what was the matter with asking funmi iyanda questions?" She's a very good friend, she's a Class A Celebrity in Nigeria, I call her Moses because of the ground-breaking work she does and she considers me her official "joshua" in that work, I've been a guest on her show more than a dozen times, she attends my stage shows... too many reasons, many personal I'd rather not go into for the sake of anonymous comments.

Funmi gave me TV exposure years ago when I needed people to know of my genius (they know now, who ever said laspapi was modest ;-D )

So when I talk to/about my friends, I'm considered a suck-up by anonymous commentators.

I have a trait. I stand by my friends, I extol their values, little and large, celebrity and street boys (I'm friends with all sorts). I won't stop this for anyone, if anonymous would like to reach the bold, the cool and the beautiful, I'll do a hook-up. I know them in droves, they are good friends, not people I pass by in restaurants and whisper, "that's ....". There might be a problem though. People usually know when you don't really like them, so no amount of intros will give you friends.

I also know that comment wasn't really about Funmi, anybody who knows me in real life knows the way I am with her. When they organize "girls-only" surprise parties for her, I'm one of the only two or three males invited (and I'm not gay).

Now to the matter. That comment even though placed several posts down was really about my post on jahman anikulapo of the Guardian. I know these things. I love all my friends and I consider loyalty as one of my greatest strengths. If these friends happen to be powerful, that's a plus. Sometimes I write as things come to me and as I ponder issues.
Jahman and his literary twin, Toyin Akinosho, stood by me in the initial days of writing and staging plays, as I meandered through ferocious criticism. I was trained as a lawyer, and obtained two post-graduate degrees that had nothing to do with theatre. People spoke, felt I had no business there. I stayed the course. And today, everyone's gonna laugh at you if you say laspapi's training is just in the law. I'm a Class A dramatist. Drama's taken me everywhere... And jahman's support was a major part of it.
He and I have had our spats as all people have, "when two people agree all the time, it means only one is doing the thinking". But he is, in my opinion, the most powerful man in the Nigerian Arts and Cultural circuit and you ignore him at your own peril.

By the way, this is my blog. I'll speak highly of whomsoever I want and write in the exact style I want. I'll also kindly ask you, "anonymous-really-liking-my-blog" to get the #$%^&* off and go study why pluto's no longer a planet.
And just as a parting shot, remember, "it's not who you know, it's who knows you".