THE DAILY NATION of Tuesday, July 27, published a front page story, breaking the news that former calypso king David Kid Site Piggott had called it quits from the Crop-Over Festival.Since the publication there have been several comments challenging the authenticity of the story, including charges of inaccuracy by Piggott.Today, we publish the full text of the telephone interview which was conducted by Associate Managing Editor Tim Slinger.Slinger: Hello . . . morning, Kid Site, this is Tim Slinger.Piggott: I called THE NATION first because I’ve made a decision to end my participation in the Crop-Over Festival from this year. Slinger: Why is that?Piggott: Reason being, what is happening to the Crop-Over Festival to me that it’s no longer enjoyment or fun, and it’s no longer a competition anymore either.Slinger: Why do you say that?Piggott: I’ve always resolved that in relation to calypso; plus calypso is . . . in its interest in the people’s mind, and I’m talking more about social commentary, you have to get it more entertaining, because I think that all through the island in front of a community crowd, cavalcade crowd, a finals night crowd, I gear myself to that crowd all the time. You have to be more entertaining. When I performed at the semi-finals, and I’m entertaining, I create impact and am left out for people that don’t even create a ripple among the audience at all. It is time that I finish, because I know what direction calypso has to go in. I’m not going back to singing calypso for a message and just present a song and not entertain. I’m an entertainer about 27 years now and I look to entertain when I bring a song. I bring a calypso with humour and performance. It’s no longer a competition anymore, I don’t enjoy it anymore. It makes no sense putting your money in it anymore. I resolved before the half-time at the semi-finals Friday night that I’m finished with this. It only confirmed after the second half was over that I make my decision even more firmer. Slinger: Do you think you were not treated fairly?Piggott: I don’t know if I was so much unfair, in that how it’s run now. I personally feel that if I was in one of those “tents” that pull so many people, if I was in those tents singing, and I had over-powered the people judging night, I would be there in finals. So that can tell you something. I know from playing this game that once you’re in a tent with a big following on the judging night, you can make it into the finals and make it to win. I know that game. I know how to play the game. And that is the game I saw playing on Friday night. It’s not about a competition anymore. I see a major sponsor come in to Crop-Over and sponsored a tent, sponsored individuals and made a big speech on the radio. So I know that the major sponsor has to have a lot of people within the finals and winners this year. This is no longer a competition and anything about development. I’m seeing the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) moving in a direction that they don’t care anything about development at all. Slinger: Which tent did you sing with this year?Piggott: I sing with Bachannal Time. Bachanal Time has a big following at the gym show.Slinger: Are you saying that if you were in another tent you would have made it through to the finals?Piggott: I think that if I was in another tent, I would have gone through to the finals. Maybe if I was in All Stars I would’ve definitely gone through to the finals. I would have been able to overpower the same people that gone through in front me. But having overpowered them and performed superior to them on the night, I still expected to go. I’m very disappointed. I’m not even accepting a reserve from NCF. NCF can take their reserve and give it to somebody else. I’m not interested. Slinger: How many times were you calypso king?Piggott: Four times.The recording of the full interview with Kid Site can be heard below.
