Comedian Charlie Murphy


As a kid in Brooklyn growing up with his little brother Eddie, Charlie Murphy's nickname Charlie Walie(ph). As a teenager, he adopted the name of Omar Alla(ph) when he became a member of a religious group called Five Percenters. He was also known as little boss to fellow members of the King Python's Gang in Roosevelt, Long Island. He served in the Navy where he said he was called a lot of things, worked as the head of security for his by then famous sibling and inevitably known as Eddie Murphy's brother.


He's now written a book about finding his own voice and his own identity as a stand up comedian. Click on TALK OF THE NATION.


Later in the program, we'll talk with the chief prosecutor at the Rwanda Genocide War Crimes Tribunal. But first, Charlie Murphy joins us here in Studio 4A. His new book with Chris Millis(ph) is called, The Making of a Stand Up Guy, and thanks very much for coming in.


Mr.


(Soundbite of applause)


CONAN: We'll also take some questions from the audience here in Studio 4A. There's a name [url=http://www.redskinsmalls.com/authentic_clinton_portis_washington_red_skins_... Portis Redskins Jersey I left out of that list that I wanted to ask about and that is Ratman(ph).


Mr. MURPHY: Ratman, yeah, oh, well, Ratman was actually that was my first part in the feature where I got to make a sound but it wasn't a word


Mr. MURPHY: It was a (unintelligible). It was a Mario Van Peebles TV show Sonny Spoon.


CONAN: And what was Ratman's distinguished


Mr. MURPHY: Ratman was supposed to be this Jamaican that chews his own arm off dove in the water and swam from Jamaica to the [url=http://www.redskinsmalls.com/authentic_clinton_portis_washington_red_skins_... Portis Jersey States, well


CONAN: That's a tough dude.


Mr. MURPHY: Tough dude.


CONAN: I guess all he does have to do


Mr. MURPHY: He had his other arm in his back pocket like a sack lunch.


CONAN: This was a tragedy, no doubt.


Mr. MURPHY: I was glad to get the job. Man, I was happy.


Mr. MURPHY: I had been laying on the floor. We've got a friend named Desmond Gumms(ph). MURPHY: I had my own [url=http://www.redskinsmalls.com/authentic_art_monk_washington_red_skins_jersey... Art Monk Jersey place in there and all that but I couldn't afford to bring my whole family and everything, you know. So I had to go by myself and that's what I had to do it to get my feet wet and go on auditions and whatever so that's what I did.


CONAN: You write after you had already left working for your brother by that time and you said in your book that you never got any part or any movie script accepted because you were Eddie Murphy's brother.


Mr. MURPHY: Pretty much, yeah. It was for a long time (unintelligible) having fun, like, okay, he thinks he's going to get it.