Professor Nuts - Claudine Housen/Staff Photographer
Last week Professor Nuts, christened Carl Wellington, spoke about his musical journey and why he embraced comedy as part of his performance. Today he speaks about the comedian's relevance to dancehall and why he stayed in music.
Why didn't you do hard-core deejaying?
From day one I was not a hard-core deejay. I am someone who teaches. I like to keep a low profile and have people listen to what I have to say. These deejays who do hard-core dancehall are just singing a whole lot of stuff that people aren't hearing. If I did hard-core dancehall, my thing would be so watered down and poor that I wouldn't reach nowhere. What I do has a subject, it's not just to make you dance - no, that's not me.
Do you think your decision to integrate comedy into your music, inhibited it in any way?
Maybe a little. According to the younger generation who just want to jiggy jiggy, then it has. Maybe if I went jiggy jiggy I would reach a little further, but I'm a storyteller. I consider myself a reggae artiste - not dancehall artiste, because it's two different kinds of music, but most people don't know that - and this is what I do.
Do you think comedy has a place in dancehall?
Sure. There's a place everywhere for comedy. I don't think I would reach where I reach, or be so recognised if there wasn't a place for it. But the thing is that most of the artistes now a pure under woman dem live and talking about the bling and who fah gas tank don't full ... The comedy is there, but the industry doesn't want to recognise it. If it was recognised, then there would be a comedy award. Right now I'm just trying to find some artistes who really want to do it that way because most of them who start, stop...You have people like Mad Anju, General Degree, but him jump all over the place and can't seem to decide, and you have a few others.
Have you ever released an album?
Only one album in 1987. It was called Tan So Back.
Why only one album?
Because maybe I wasn't so persistent in putting out albums. How that album came out, was because a good friend of mine, Dungle Man, inspired me to do an album. If he wasn't so persistent, maybe I wouldn't put out one all now. I am just waiting for the right producers to come to boost it. I am not into the hand to mouth thing. So until I find someone who is willing to invest and know say after him drop off two CD inna a country shop him nuh figget bout them.
Are you trying to make a comeback now?
Not really. I have always been there. I have always been on shows and been constant, so it's not really a comeback in that way. In terms of the recording industry though, I would say yes. I have a couple of songs that I have written. I haven't performed them yet or recorded them because fi tell you the truth, me fraid. Right now it's all about the CD because them finish with vinyl now. By the time one CD, yes me mean one CD, sell in America everyone else have a copy because them burning it and you end up not making any money. So the only way an artiste makes money these days is from stage shows. The album is just an advertisement and to get some publicity, but that's not where the money is. Me might brave it still and put out another album.
