Patches – Judges brave, bold for placing him 2nd
by Kenton X. Chance
Calypsonian Robert âPatchesâ Knights believes the judges will have to give an explanation for placing him second in this yearâs national calypso competition.{{more}}
The artiste is not displeased.
He is commending the judges for being so âbrave and boldâ as to put him second in the competition, his highest placing so far.
Patches told SEARCHLIGHT late Sunday night that his song âThe Predatorâ has âpolitical overtonesâ and he felt that the judges were under pressure to not place him any higher than second.
But chief judge Clive Bishop said Patches has always been a strong contender for the prize, but Sunday night captured âa lot of the magicâ of the finals.
Patches spoke in an interview shortly after Bridgette âJoy-Câ Creese was crowned National Calypso Monarch for a second consecutive year. Kenneth âThe Vibrating Scakesâ Alleyne placed third among the 11 bards vying for the crown.
Patches congratulated the other winners, even as he commended the judges for being âthat brave and boldâ to think he deserved second place.
âBecause they themselves are going to have to face the wrath of people in this community who donât like songs like what I sang in the first round anymore,â Patches told SEARCHLIGHT.
A seven-member panel comprising Eustace Maloney, Kenelm Beache, Jennifer Glasgow-Browne, Earl Paynter, Clive Bishop, Alfred Peters, and Roddy Dowers judged the finals of the national calypso competition at Victoria Park.
Patches felt that the judges were âunder pressureâ from and would have to justify themselves to âpeople in the society who are biasedâ and do not want calyposonians to sing about things which âare not right in many circlesâ.
Patches also sang âWey the Good People Goneâ, a composition that spoke of the weakening of some elements of the social fabric, including honesty, trust and true friendship.
His song âPredatorâ was about a high-ranking man who preyed on young girls, even as he was absolved from police investigation and prosecution. âYou know who to blame/And everybody knows his name,â Patches sang.
Patches believes that that song eliminated any chance he had of clinching the crown.
âPeople could have sung anything and won. But it is not like that anymore,â he said.
He said there was âa lot of bias and funny thinkingâ and âpeople donât want to be honest with themselvesâ.
He said while calypso has always been critical of establishment and things that people feel should not be as they are, âpeople are critical when you sing that wayâ.
But Bishop, who was the chief judge of the competition, told SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday that judges have âa sort of professional responsibilityâ to adjudicate âobjectivelyâ.
He did not believe judges go to the competition with âgrudge or animosity or even any pressure, political or otherwise, to not pick or to pick someone.â
He said he would not judge if that were the case and was confident that the other adjudicators would do the same.
Bishop said judgesâ only allegiance is to the art form, the Calypsoniansâ Association and to the artistes.
He said judges use a ranking system developed by the University of the West Indies, which âremoves the most biases from the judging systemâ.
The judges look at lyrics – 30 points; melody – 30 points; rendition – 20 points; presentation – 30 points; and, originality – 10 points.
He said judges do not collude or collaborate and do not know how another judge scored a performer.
âThe system is not really giving you results based on points per se,â he said, adding that the highest and lowest scores are removed then averages calculated.
Bishop said while Patches has consistently been among the top performers, âthis year he had a spark that he did not have in several years in the final.â
In the five calypso seasons ending 2009, Patches made the finals in 2008, when he did not place among the top three, and in 2009, when he placed fifth in a three-way tie.
Bishop further said âcalypso is also a mystical thingâ and bards have to âcapture the magic of the nightâ of the finals.
âPatches captured a lot of the magic and thatâs what propelled him to that position,â he said.
He said while people always inquire about the judgesâ decisions, they should not place themselves in the position of the judges.
âThe judges have to have a different mindset and a different focus when they get to the park. ⦠I personally think we did a very good job this year,â he said.
He congratulated this yearâs top five calyposonians, saying, they âare in a class by themselves.
âThere is no difference between the first five really. Just means that some people shine a little more at some times than others.â