SOUR NOTE

He said the Revue will form a body that can provide legitimate and unbiased representation to the nation’s calypsonians. Saying it was hard to stomach the fact that only one of its cast member Hollis ‘Chalkdust’ Liverpool was selected by TUCO to compete in Calypso Fiesta, when Revue boasts several past Calypso monarchs and even more promising new talent, Taylor accused TUCO of major victimisation and discrimination against the tent.

“For the first time in our 54- year history, we were only able to secure one spot at the national semi-finals to be held on February 18, at Skinner Park,” Taylor complained yesterday. “This is not withstanding that we have had excellent reviews from patrons who have attended the tent so far.” Semi-finalists were chosen as the executive of TUCO visited each calypso tent during the Carnival Season and decided who qualified for the Calypso Fiesta, which is the next step for the coveted crown of Calypso Monarch held during Dimanche Gras, Carnival Sunday night.

Taylor, a four-time calypso monarch, said the Revue tent has one of the better programmes to offer the nation at a calypso tent. “They are hurting calypso.

It is like TUCO is running the competition and they have their own tents, they have their own interests. We are a private tent, so therefore we are not insulated from whatever possible victimisation that takes place at that level.

They are running the competition, they select the judges, they pay them, so they have that position of advantage.

“It’s more than favouritism, it’s nepotism, it’s all the ‘isms’ you could think about. They operate tendentiously, they have their own tents and they promote the interests of their own tents because it is their own tents that keep them in power,” Taylor claimed.

Klassic Ruso, Kaiso House, Kaiso Showcase, Kaiso Karavan all fall under TUCO, with two more tents in Tobago.

“So they get all, we get one out of the 42 who were selected.

The Lord Kitchener (Aldwyn Roberts) must be turning in his grave,” he said. Roberts started the Kalypso Revue, where he nurtured many up and coming calypsonians, in 1964.

“This is not right and we have to turn to you (the media) because we have nobody to turn to. If we turn to TUCO it’s like a policeman doing something on the street and when you go to the police to report him, you are reporting to him. So, you can’t get justice from TUCO because they have their own interests,” he said. Taylor said last year they had about ten calypsonians from their tent move up to the semi-finals.

On the decision to pull out of TUCO, Taylor said, “There is no law that states it is only TUCO who could represent calypsonians.

Clearly a neutral body has to run this thing because you can’t run it and have your people taking part in it. We need to get an independent authority to handle the adjudication of calypso.” Taylor made reference to reigning Calypso Monarch Devon Seales who is TUCO’s public relations officer. “We have taken a decision to come out of TUCO because TUCO is no longer serving our interest,” Taylor said adding this is not a case of ‘sour grapes’ but fairness and equity.

“I was a past president of TUCO and I know the happenings.

I tried to change it during my tenure, but they tell me to go.

I know what is going on there, so I’m talking from experience,” he said.