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Bunji fights fire from critics


Soca artiste Bunji Garlin will be hosting his first ever concert in T&T this Carnival Saturday and it is part of a three year collaboration with the popular Brass Festival. Photo: David Wears

IT has been a rough Carnival 2007 for soca artiste Bunji Garlin. Never one to shrink away from a fight he has taken his critics head on for their apparent disparaging of his talents and what they call a lack of a big tune this year.

What does the fireman have to say about his temptation to put out not only his flames of criticism but his own soca career?


SOCA WITHOUT THE FIREMAN

I was actually going to take a backstage to soca this year and done with everything,” said Garlin resolutely in an interview with Guardian last Thursday at TSTT House, Edward Street, Port-of-Spain.

I used to ask a lot of old artiste: How you reach a stage of frustration in this business, and feel to come out of it? And they always used to say we can’t explain it but don’t worry you will feel it,” said the former soca monarch, reigning raga soca king and the indisputable poor people prophet.

And then I end up realising wait you in this business eight years and the same thing keeps happening year after year and you are not elevating to anything.

It drags you to a sense of ‘let me get out of this thing before I injure somebody or injure myself trying to stay on top or stay afloat.

I was feeling kind of tired and I just wanted to let my mind rest, fly out of the country…take a personal break.

When you reach up to this level and they start comparing you to artistes that have been around for years, I mean it is a good feeling but at the same time it is a pressure…because the moment you slip they say you are over hyped.

I remember Faye-Ann was talking to someone and was saying ‘before you do an extension on the house, you have to break down the wall you have up already, mash up your foundation, dig up your ground that settle and bear so much fruit, you have to go and power tool everything to extend your house and you have to feel uncomfortable in your pocket because you have to spend X amount of money, you have to lose sleep and make sure that the workmen not thieving thing and doing all the work and not lapsing.

At the end of it all you do what you have to do and feel comfortable. But some people don’t want to go through that process to get what you want, because if you are not strong enough you will flop out.”

FIGHTING THE LOVE

Some people still look at it as this is pleasure this is business separate the two. But if none of the other bands want to back her and that has been going on for three years and her husband has a band….,” said Garlin addressing criticisms that the married couple may be damaging their careers by keeping them so closely entwined.

Why I must not defend the person who is closest to me?” he asked.

She is doing her own thing and there are certain things she does that I cannot do because of her talent and where she comes from and with me there are things I do that she cannot do and when you put the two together there it is.”

BIG TUNE

The other day I saw an article in a newspaper that some promoters have a grouse over paying certain artistes certain price and they have no hits. I think almost every artiste in Trinidad probably burn that newspaper,” said a clearly annoyed Garlin.

“I don’t know why in this country we have a way of being hypocritical and very talented about it. They are trying to put this pressure on we because they feel that every Carnival you must have something new.

“They have me up in the calibre as one of the bigger artistes in soca. I still have years of experience to gain to learn, to override mistakes,” he said on a sigh.

There are times when I tell myself I don’t know how much longer I could last in this thing but then I always remember how resilient I am as a human. The strength that I see myself executing as a person my age in the business I could see myself going for twice the length again.”

BUNJI & BRASS—B2B

I am very grateful to God for granting me an opportunity to be part of change and also revolution and a part of evolution—to be one of the pillars and post and the mile mark along the journey of the music that we present not only to T&T but to the world,” he said.

I did get burn a few times in the beginning of my career but now being eight years in soca it is a great achievement as far as I am concern, because some people just come in and you never hear from them again. So I thank God for what I call longevity in the business,” he explained.

I would have liked to have done my concert a little later but what is to be will be. And I guess everything fall into place now because it was suppose to happen.

I am kind of glad that the idea came for both promoters to work together and put Bunji and Brass together. I have a lot of faith that this B2B One is the start of something new and a continuation of something that is here to stay and it will be a success,” he said about his concert scheduled to be held on Carnival Saturday at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain.

So that night I will be presenting repertoire on the stage, so all the fans of Garlin, Asylum and Brass are welcome to come and all the haters also. We have a certain VIP section to sit down and enjoy the show the same way,” he added in his warrior like way.

http://www.guardian.co.tt/features1.html

I totally understand where he's coming from. This business ain't easy (as u can tell by some of the threads u bounce up in this forum..lol), and is only so much a person can take. I wish him the best for his concert on Saturday and for his future endeavors.

is MachelMontanoHD playin in da party to? if not da brass go buss again

MM HD is not performing there, but I doubt it'll buss man. Doh be thinkin so negative nah. Steupes!

Dais what he was talkin bout in de article, your comments is just pushing the point home. I doh blame him if he wanna just take a break and chill out nah. In this biz yuh damned if u do, and damned if u dont.

he shoulda go with his first thought and tek deh year off

Hasn't it been a while since machel performed in Brass? didn't seem to hurt them, they are still one of the biggest fetes for the season.

nah ppl sayin machel make Brass buss last year cuz he had AC4 the same nite as Brass hence the reason they moved it to this weekend. I guess ppl will go to whichever party machel performing at as opposed to seeing everyone perform for brass.

Did anyone find it interesting that he said "no band wants to back her (faye-ann) up"? Now why would no band want to back her up???

when i land in trinidad 2morrow nite i will str8en out all this nonsense. this IS the year of the FAYE-ANN and i will make sure it remains that way.

salty

After reading that article i feel bad for di man. allya give de man a break nah....cho....he has been working for 8 years giving people solid tunes, cant a guy get a chance to rest? sheesh, whatta you think his is...a robot or something?





ALL the great artists have been giving us hits for 15+ years NON STOP. Bunji work half that time and bawling for a break!



Its now you go see ting! MACHEL HD going and FLOP di cry babys show. He is gonna show who a artist and who a hurry come up heeeediot soca/dancehall artist.

it could be a number of reasons oui, but the main reason, a lot of them bands in trini doh like to back up nobody cuz they doh wanna share their time on stage with another artiste, without makin ah extra change for doing it. Is a whole bunch of bullshit involved in it oui, and like i said I doh blame bunji one bit for wanting to take a break.

i dont know the situation on all dat, but i always felt ahow when i used to go big fetes and when artists show up lass minute (or artists not even on bill) hop on mic and band automatically has 2 know their music and perform. i dont c nothin wrong w/ them makin a lil xtra change.

salty

why doesnt she get her own band...ever great artist has one

don't know y, but i disagree w/ u every great artist had a band. she was part of invazion and then went to asylum, but not sure if she still w/ them.

salty