TUCO wants to get rid of us
By COREY CONNELLY Monday, March 9 2015 (T&T Newsday)
Dr Hollis LiverpoolThe Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organiation (TUCO) wants to “phase-out” veteran calypsonians from major competitions, presumably in an attempt to promote the development of younger artistes.Eight-time National Calypso Monarch Dr Hollis Liverpool, otherwise known as Chalkdust, made this claim in a recent Newsday interview, saying the move would set “a dangerous precedent” for the future of the artform. Liverpool, a headliner at the legendary Kalypso Revue tent, said he had learnt from a close relative who attended a workshop at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port-of-Spain that TUCO was seeking to eliminate all “Chalkdust-like” calypsonians from major calypso competitions. Liverpool believes he was eliminated from the semi-finals of the Calypso Monarch competition in San Fernando because of this decision. “I learnt from before that there was a judging session where they were training the judges and one of the officials at TUCO told the judges, and these were his exact words, ‘It is time to stop the Chalkdust era,” an upset Liverpool told Newsday.
“They meant all of the calypsonians from that era and all Chalkdust-like calypsos. So, that would perhaps be people like Pink Panther (Eric Taylor), Valentino (Anthony Emrold Phillip) and others.” Liverpool, Professor of Calypso Arts at the University of Trinidad and Tobago, said the workshop was held a week before the judges made their rounds to view the performances of the calypsonians at the various tents.
Saying he had a voice recording of the session from the NAPA, Liverpool said he had spoken with some of his colleagues in the artform and his attorney/agent, Ainsley Lucky, about the development. “I felt badly when I learnt about it because that would indicate that they (TUCO officials) don’t understand the artform. It would mean that anybody from my time, who sings like me or has my structure would experience problems,” Liverpool said.
“Obviously they want to put the emphasis on the youths but there is a tradition behind the calypso and you can’t just put the youths alone.”
This year’s National Calypso Monarch competition was won by 27-year-old Roderick “Chucky” Gordon. The young singer also won last year’s competition. When contacted, Lucky said when he learnt that Liverpool had been omitted from the Calypso Fiesta line-up, he requested an audience with TUCO officials at the organisation’s Jerningham Avenue, Port-of-Spain, office. “The meeting was on February 11 and I immediately told them that Chalkdust should have been included in the line-up of 41 calypsonians,” Lucky told Newsday. Lucky claimed that two of the TUCO officials laughed at his statement. “It was greeted with derision to the point where I had to ask them, why is this funny? Clearly, it was a pre-judgement on the part of TUCO.” Lucky said the officials even suggested that they should have had their attorney present since he (Lucky) was also a lawyer. “Clearly, they were stalling,” he said. Lucky called for improvements in the quality of calypso judging at competitions.
Liverpool had two strong calypsos, “Reparation” and “Gypsy Will Get Vex”, but was not selected for the semi-finals of the competition at Skinner Park, much to his disappointment and that of some of his colleagues.
“I couldn’t see them leaving me out of the semi-finals but knowing the frailties of calypso judging,” he said. “I didn’t think about it because I said that no judge in his or her right mind could pick 40 calypsonians and don’t pick me (semi-finals). I dismissed the whole thing as hogwash.” Liverpool told Newsday that he had long contemplated leaving the artform, but was encouraged by political activist Makandal Daaga to continue singing calypso. “Years now, I wanted to come out, but he begged me to stay to keep the standards in the calypso alive,” he said.
“He felt that if I should leave the standard would fall and the standard has been falling and that is the only reason I stayed in it.”
Liverpool said the persons judging calypso needed to be trained. “For a judge to leave us out of the competition, means they do not understand the tradition, they don’t understand the history and they don’t understand the artform,” he said.
Contacted for comment, 2013 monarch Eric Taylor said it is unfortunate that the administration of the calypso artform can be fingered in such a manner.
“It behooves them to clear the air, especially where there is incontrovertible evidence that there are serious discrepancies within the adjudication system,” he told Newsday.
“So, now that this has come out now, I am hoping, as a former President of TUCO, that this development will not be another bacchanal but would spark off meaningful discussions on this very controversial issue of calypso judging. That is my hope.”
Taylor called for consultation with all the stakeholders so as to “protect the artform from further decadence.”
