‘Not much heard of Gladiators’

TENT MANAGER of the Kingdom Of The Super Gladiators Calypso Tent, Roy Byer, has charged that over the years “Gladiators [music] has been denied airtime”  by local radio stations. The charge was made during a Press conference which launched Kingdom Of The Super Gladiators and its sister tent Tomorrow’s Children at the tent’s Village Gate, Waterford,  St Michael location.Byer admitted, though, that as of last Crop-Over season, he had been hearing the recordings  of Gladiators’ calypsonians being played on radio stations. He pointed out that every year was a journey  to the unknown because you never knew what  was going on in the calypso arena. “What is happening in Barbados is that nearly everyone who tries to sing calypso has a story to tell. Unfortunately, we got to listen to certain storytellers. I believe  that if you take time  out to listen to the other writers you would hear that the stories are just  as interesting  as the other ones you believe are leading.”Stressing that “this  is the year that we need  to make an impact  in the calypso arena”,  Byer expressed the view that his tent was  not “favoured”. “As we enter a new decade, I would like to leave the last two [decades] behind. I think it is time to move on because when you go to school you don’t remain in first or second standard – you graduate. And I’m hearing this talk about get rid of the competition in calypso . . . you get rid of the competition and you get rid of calypso same time.  I heard a guy say last week [that] competition is bad for calypso, but I believe he said it because he never won,” he said.Gladiators, which is sponsored by Dacosta Mannings, is under the patronage of Emile Straker and the Merrymen. It is scheduled to open tomorrow night with a line-up of 18 acts. Tomorrow’s Children will open on Saturday night. Each tent will host five shows.  (AH)