Calypso Monarch semis dubbed 'Calypso Fiasco'

By Terry Joseph
February 20, 2006

Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation president Michael "Protector" Legerton was yesterday already hard at work, conceptualising a new formula for Calypso Fiesta, the National Calypso Monarch semi-final, the sub-title of which has come in for blunt sarcasm at street level, where Saturday's marathon was being referred to as "The Calypso Fiasco".

On Saturday at Skinner Park, 30 singers squared off in a joust to select the final 11 to meet reigning monarch Chalkdust on Carnival Sunday night.

Interestingly, Chalkdust has not been attached to any calypso tent this season, so his songs will come as even more of a surprise than in previous years.

However, that is yet to come, and Protector thinks it may be somewhat better, since the cream of last Saturday's largely hapless crop will be on stage at the Queen's Park Savannah.

Protector was working yesterday, culling comments on the Fiesta fiasco.

"If I am to shoulder full responsibility for how that show turned out-and I do-it must also be my burden to ensure this kind of thing never happens again," Protector told the Express.

"I am hopping mad. Imagine we are supposed to be entertaining a massive crowd standing in blazing sun and what we have instead is a series of funeral marches that could not even get the people to move to the music, except for two or perhaps three contestants.

"This is outrageous and I am already working on selling the concept that calypsonians must be judged on one song and not the two as is currently the case," Protector said. "I have been speaking with several members of the executive and at least there is agreement that something has to be done and quickly, before people stop coming to the show altogether. I will do my best to ensure that next year's Calypso Fiesta does not turn into another fiasco.

"On Saturday, Ras Kommanda and I were looking down on the crowd and feeling embarrassed by the fact that just one week before Carnival Saturday, this artform cannot get people to move. We are not happy with that because we remember the days of Rudder, Tambu, Johnny King, Sparrow and several other names I can call, singing social or political commentary and people dancing the evening away. Now, the show sounds like a wake. "As one put it, the judges could only judge what comes before them, so I am not arguing with the judges per se, although I did wonder why they had to wait until Bally's song ended before announcing they hadn't heard him, forcing him to sing the song over, which is hardly what you want in a competition scenario.

"The singers are loading us down with preachy songs, during a festival designed to give us a break from the heavy stuff except it could be couched in a particular fashion, so as to make it entertaining without losing the point; which is really the essence of calypso.

FINALISTS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

BRIAN LONDON

BROTHER MUDADA

DE FOSTO

CRAZY

KARENE ASCHE

LUTA

RODERICK GORDON

SINGING SANDRA

SKATIE

STINGER

SUGAR ALOES

Reserves:

R1 BALLY

R2 HEATHER MCINTOSH

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