SHOWTIME: Great company to be in...

CHAKO: Yeah, we thought so. After that we went back to Germany, and we did our shows -our Cabaret shows -for the rest of the year. We also began preparations for Carnival.

SHOWTIME: Did you write something new?

CHAKO: Before we left Trinidad last year, I had already begun working on something. We had put down some of the basic tracks and thought they would work. But one night at Caribana we were talking with Ajala when he said, "Listen I have this idea for you, it's a bit strange, but if you two put on an act with it, it could work well." I '!. listened to it, and at first I didn't know, but then after a while, when the engineer worked on it and I wrote the lyrics, I thought, "Yeah, this could work."

SHOWTIME: What's it called?

CHAKO: The title of the song is "Wild Meat". It conjures
some... thoughts. At first we worked with Juiceman Roberts, he also arranges for Stalin and Sugar Aloes, but he's not known as an arranger yet. And eventually we talked to Robin Imamshah, who just parted with Amar and founded his own record label, Arc Angel and he said, "I want this song, I want it". So we went to the studio and worked on it.

SHOWTIME: I see the Trini accent is getting better.

CHAKO: Well we work on it everyday. Even at home. The distance is so big, the only thing that could keep you going is the music.

SHOWTIME: Compared to last year, how do you think Calypso is doing in Germany?

CHAKO: As I said before Calypso king of Germany without a kingdom, it's very hard. So people will know it, because there is a group of staunch supporters of Caribbean music, but the general public don't know of it. A lot of work into be done still...
We were lucky, last year a television crew from the biggest TV station in Germany based in Venezuela came over from Venezuela to film us. We were featured on the German National News. That was about three minutes. Some people took notice. Eventually, I hope to bring some calypsonians over to do some shows.

TINA: When we go back to Germany we usually do everything we could to promote Trini culture.

CHAKO: it's not just the Cabarets.

TINA: Yeah, it's also like workshops.

CHAKO: She teaches dance. I would give a lecture about Carnival - Trinidad Carnival. I would tell them about the traditions and how it developed and all that. Then they will have the theoretical background and then she'll teach them the physical - the dance.

TINA: Then you've got 30 Whities wining down the place. They really enjoy it. When they hear the music and they see the movement, it's really nice.

CHAKO: I think it's an exchange, because we get so much from this culture here and we try everything to promote it. The thing I miss most is roti. Because the music is on CD, I could take it back, but the roti will spoil!

SHOWTIME: What do you want to achieve this time around?

CHAKO: Everybody told us that this season especially ' will be difficult for us because the novelty has worn off. So . everyone is like sitting back and looking on (to see what we have to offer this time around). We want to be accepted by ; everybody.

SHOWTIME: If you never came back, what would be your most memorable moment on stage?

TINA: Opening night. I'll never forget it. That moment ;' when we went on stage, that feeling... the way the crowd reacted, hands in the air, that feeling. It was the biggest thing that ever happened to me.

SHOWTIME: Besides Carnival, besides Calypso, what is your greatest happiness?

CHAKO: My greatest happiness... I have two. My greatest happiness is being together with my wife. We've been married for about six years now and it feels like we got married just today. On a more general scale, my greatest happiness will be when I see people of different races sitting together, doing something together, and they don't think of colour any more.

SHOWTIME: As someone in the limelight, someone people may lookup to because you're living out your dream, what advice would you give to the youths of Trinidad?

CHAKO: Three things. Some people say they don't have talent, everyone has talent somewhere, so they should discover that talent. Once you know what your talent is-focus. And the third, what many people forget, is work. Work hard and work to be different, more meaningful.
 

Chako and Tina will be performing "Wild Meat" at the National Stadium on Saturday, January 28, along with the other acts under the Kisskidee tent this year. " Wild Meat" should be released by the time this article is printed and on the single's B-side is a Rapso track called "Message From The Underground", which zoos recorded in Germany.
All the best to Dr. Christian Habekost alias Chako, and his lovely wife Tina for this Carnival season.