Gabby lashes out at critics

THE MIGHTY GABBY has dismissed as “nonsense” criticisms that his Latin-flavoured song Ole Ashe was not calypso.The 62-year-old veteran, who returned to this year’s competition at the 11th hour, after a two-year hiatus to win the Pic-O-De-Crop crown on Friday night with Haiti and Ole Ashe, said the latter song was “nothing but calypso” fused with a Brazilian/Venezuelan flavour and “infused” with spooge, calypso and African rhythm.“There are four major components which the average ear can’t hear, such as Admiral [Nelson] and people like that it ‘cauffuffles’ but the judges are good enough to see and hear it.He was responding to questions during a breakfast session for visiting journalists at the Hilton Barbados yesterday morning.Gabby further lashed out at Admiral Nelson, the host of the popular calypso television talk show Festival Stage, saying: “There are people like Admiral and so-called soca experts on TV trying their best to destroy people like TC (Terencia Coward), who have done so much great work for this country . . . . Really, there should be a law that Admiral and company do not speak of what they do not know. They do not know what is going on because they have not spoken to me.”He added that TC, who won the Sweet Soca monarch contest, got better every year and had moved from “strength to strength” during her 18 years performing during the festival.The calypso king also criticised DJs who produced music for calypsonians and pushed those songs on the radio stations more than others. “It really should not happen,” Gabby said.TC, who sat at the head table with Gabby, also called on programme managers at radio stations to discipline DJs who engaged in this practice.“You can’t just let it run haywire. If DJs do not have the conscience or the integrity to discipline themselves then the programme manager has to step in,” she said. (MB)