Edwin Ayoung

“In Time To Come

America Will Have a Black President.

“I am happy I live to see history in the making.”

— CalypsoniaN EDWIN ‘Crazy’ Ayoung

MICHELLE LOUBON

In 2000, Edwin Ayoung dared to make such a bold prediction in the classic In Time To Come. In 2008, he lived to see it fait accompli.

As he monitored Tuesday night’s election coverage he was ecstatic that Barack Obama was elected America’s first African American president.

Obama clinched arguably the most prestigious job in the world from Republican John Mc Cain, 73. He was also the first Democrat to receive more than 50 per cent of the popular vote since Jimmy Carter in 1976.

In his typical, ebullient style, Ayoung said: “Wow! Big licks!

“I backing Obama. I want him to win by a landslide. The man will be great.”

Breaking a bottle of red wine, Ayoung gushed, “I am just so happy for Obama. When I sang that song people said I was mad. People in the calypso fraternity said, ‘He really mad. Now, we know he crazy for sure.’ Everybody say ‘I was singing stupidness.’”

Ayoung, who pioneered soca parang, said he had received the same response from his fraternity when he sang the first soca parang—“Parang Soca” in 1976.

“They say I singing stupidness. They pelt the tapes at me.”

Still, he persevered; receiving nightly encores at the Revue Tent, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain, for In Time To Come.

The gem even took him to the Dimanche Gras finals in which he had placed sixth; while Shadow ruled the roost—with the rib-tickling What’s Wrong With Me.

Last laugh for Ayoung

Again for 2008, Ayoung, 64, had the last laugh on his critics, detractors and “doubting Thomases.”

He said: “I am happy I live to see history in the making. I may not live to see my other predictions. But I live to see this one. This is the big one, baby, as Sanford (Redd Foxx) would say.”

Ayoung said: “I remember Duke...my good friend... ‘boy, that will never happen now.’ People must be saying Crazy is ah obeah man. I is a Jesus man. I eh have no crystal ball. I just had foresight. You, see, I eh so crazy after all.”

Ayoung, who had just returned from a performance in Antigua, said he felt, if they had been given the chance the entire Caribbean would have voted for Obama.

Ayoung said Obama’s victory has enabled America to regain the respect of the international community, particularly for its bungled war against Iraq.

“This is great for America. This is fantastic for black people all over the world.”

UNC in Laventille?

In Time To Come, Ayoung skilfully combined the historical contribution of men like Alexander The Great, the Wright Brothers and Rasputin—Russia’s mad monk. The commentary had made reference to German’s Berlin Wall, Nazi Adolf Hitler and the two World Wars (1934-39) and (1945-1949).

Relying on his prescience, he had the audacity to sing more zany lyrics like:

In time to come,

California will submerge under the sea.

Breakfast and lunch will be a tablet.

Babies will be born with moustache and beard.

People will have sex by remote control.

Trinidad will make a nuclear bomb...

in Time To Come.

UNC will win in Laventille...

in time to come.

Meanwhile, for 2009, Ayoung has been working assiduously on pieces like The Stand Too Hard and another social and political commentary—Ahead of The Time. He has a special line—“Obama ahead of the time.”