Michael Mondezie
‘PEOPLE give me jokes ’bout my complexion all the time, but this one is true. Police stop me ah day and tell me meh tint too dark in de car, but I tell de police my glass down boy, da iz jus me.’
Comedian Kenneth Supersad ended an intriguing phone conversation on Friday with that dad joke, adding: ‘I iz a comedian nah boy, so ah have to leave yuh with a laugh’.
The bonus chuckle wasn’t even necessary. Almost everything the veteran funny man said during that 25-minute call brought a smile to the face.
A born storyteller, he is a living contradiction that a man with the name Supersad could leave you rolling on the floor and holding your belly from laughing after just a routine account of his day.
The Dinsley-born, ‘and still living on de same property till ah dead’ 59-year-old comic, says returning to the stage after the depressing two-year-long pandemic-forced hiatus, has given him new reasons to put a smile on the faces in his audience.
‘People need to smile a little bit, because of all the negative things going on with crime and losing loved ones during the pandemic. So, it’s good to be out there performing again now that the restrictions have been lifted a bit and we are following all health and safety protocols,’ Supersad continued in as serious a tone as he could muster.
A regular fixture in all incarnations of Randy Glasgow Productions’ comedy festivals, Supersad boasted about playing to sold-out shows over the Mother’s Day weekend earlier this month. The comedy troupe will play two more shows for Father’s Day on June 19 and 26, he added.
This Indian Arrival weekend the comic is heavily booked. He plays five shows on Sunday alone, including: an appearance at the Sunday Trini River Lime in Matura alongside musician Anthony Batson and Tassa Rama competition at the Saaman Tree bar in Aranguez. On Sunday night he hosts Ravi B & Karma in concert at Hot Shutts in his hometown of Tacarigua. On Monday for Indian Arrival Day he hosts a curry duck competition at Kamachie’s bar in Kelly Village.
‘It real nice to be back on stage. What I like about Randy Glasgow is we take the show into remote communities like Barrackpore and Penal and Arima and not just in Port of Spain and San Ferando. The response from the people has been overwhelming,’ Supersad said.
From class clown to global star
Supersad stayed busy and very visible during the pandemic as a cast member of Southex’s popular online comedy variety show Nah. Clips from the show went viral across the region and throughout the Caribbean Diaspora, leading to several international bookings, he said.
It’s a massive leap forward from the teenaged boy he once was, telling jokes in primary and secondary school and entering every school talent show.
‘I’m being called all over the world. I have become a little more popular than I already am,’ he beamed.
‘I intend to do some shows in the Caribbean. Like Guyana and Suriname as well as Canada and the US. I am in demand. Plus I’m so heavily booked in Trinidad till the end of the year,’ he continued.
Supersad was handed his big break by Randy Glasgow over two decades ago. Glasgow asked the burly comic to emcee a show in the Jean Pierre Complex after seeing him work the stage introducing chutney bands in central Trinidad.
‘One day Randy call me and give me a big opportunity to emcee a show at Jean Pierre. It had about 10, 000 people there. They loved me. Since then I’ve been working with Randy Glasgow Productions,’ he recalled.
A new way to see the world
As performers of all genres look to return to live stages both home and abroad Supersad says they must recognise they are coming into a new post-pandemic world. The dormant entertainment industry may not be able to sustain their regular costs, he advised.
‘Me? I charge very reasonable. I doh dig out people eye and people are hiring me. We now coming out a pandemic and the money isn’t flowing like it should, keep that in mind when you are setting your prices. All those who charge $10,000 to sing two songs, nobody hiring them now. I am asking the artiste to be reasonable,’ he said.
A vocal supporter of the Covid-19 vaccine drive, Supersad said he urges all nationals who have not yet gotten the jab to do so as soon as possible.
‘In my village 20 people have died and all were under 60. None of them received their vaccination. I am one advocating for the vaccine; without it you don’t stand a chance,’ he lamented.
We couldn’t let Supersad go without asking him about the slap heard around the world – Will Smith’s infamous clash with Chris Rock at this year’s Oscars. He said, were it him, he would leave the matter to the police.
‘I believe any form of violence should be reported to the police and let the police deal with the situation. I would not advise anybody to hit back. Violence cannot be responded with violence. We have laws in the land and people know dey rights and we have to use the law,’ he said eloquently.
Pausing he added: ‘Ah talkin like a big boy lawyer dey eh?’
Supersad said people should be equally cognisant of the hurt their words carry when attacking others on social media.
‘I want to urge people to be very careful what they say on social media. When you put out something you cannot take it back. Always try to be positive with the things you post, motivate people and help build their selfesteem,’ he said.
As for his parting words to his growing fan base, he said: ‘In everything you do always trust in God keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars. I want all my fans to know I love dem very much and without them I will not be who I am today’.
