Trisha Boone
Reporter
Charles “LaLa” Evans met his future wife, Louise, in a café. He made $25 a week polishing shoes with his father, and when they married at age 18, he didn’t even have a ring. They worked hard in the 59 years and 11 months they spent together, whether it was Louise cleaning homes or LaLa becoming the first African-American letter carrier in Starkville, Miss. In 2011, when Louise passed away, her final words to him were “I love you.” In her memory, he showcased the many photos and videos they took over the years by turning their home into a museum called “LaLa and Louise Land.” The story captured the attention of the band, Mutemath, and the band featured LaLa in the music video for their song, “Monument.”
On the name “LaLa”…
“It started when I was very young. I have asked people all my life where did I get it from. Nobody knows, but I’m proud of it.”
On life at home…
“I sit out there a lot and just wave at people. I don’t blame them for not stopping, because I call it ‘LaLa’s Junky Art’ and I’m so glad somebody told me once that art is anything, you know. I’m proud for that, because if it wasn’t for that, I don’t know what I’d do.”
On his wife…
“She would help me do anything. If I told that lady, if I’d say, ‘Baby, I think we oughta take a trip to the moon,’ she would look up and she’d say, ‘When?’ She was just that close.”
On filming the video…
“They were over here about four days, shooting. I’d kid the director, ‘cause he would say, ‘Oh! LaLa, you doing so good!’ And then he’ll say, ‘Cut!’ And I’m saying, if I’m doing that good, why he keep saying ‘Cut!’?”
On how the video came to be…
“See, my umbrellas, I have a trivia question section out there, and it goes from biblical to classic to jazz to whatever, and this guy, Danny Mattison, he came by and was the only person who came by and answered all the trivia. […] This guy tore me up. So, when he was leaving, I said, ‘I’m gonna get you. I’m gonna change everything out and be ready for you, you know!’ So, but it happened just the opposite – he got me. They messed around with that for some time and he was already connected with Mutemath. They figured out some way to do that video. That’s the way it got started.”
On their 50th wedding anniversary…
“We didn’t do the whole remarriage and all that kind of thing. Our theme was what we had the most: each other.”
On being married for 59 years and 11 months…
“It was just a beautiful ride. We did so much together.”
On telling others about his story…
“I’m just grateful to be able to be here to share it.”
On going to Hollywood…
“I tell people, ‘Whoever thought that this was gonna happen?’ 82 years old and going to Hollywood! What – and enjoying it!”
On visitors…
“It’s just so nice, to me, to have people come by. That was my story all along, to share and be a part of whatever.”
On what his family thinks…
“I’m the last one. I know they looking down and loving it, though.”