#galleryyuhself/fake death

[galleryyuhself]

Galleryyuhself - PETER MINSHALL’s death - ABSOLUTE FAKE NEWS on a grand scale

and a reflection by Richard Burton on Facebook - Thank you Peter Minshall for still being hereHow come Neil Guisseppi knew that he needed call Peter Samuel to confirm that one of Trinidad and Tobago's greatest national treasures, Peter Minshall is still alive before he posted on his page? How come the folks at TV6 know that all rumors need to be verified as true before they are first reported to the public?It is one thing for some attention-seeking, idiot wannabe to start a rumor, but for legitimate news houses to run with it and report it on national television, and on their online platforms without first verifying both its source and veracity is lazy, sloppy, and irresponsible. This is not journalism, this is rumshop reporting.As I watched the "mas" today I kept reflecting on the magnificent presentations we received from Peter Minshall over the years. I remember as a child and even as a young man watching the pretty mas even when all we had was black and white TV. We used to watch the parade of the bands all day waiting patiently on Mr Minshall's band to cross the Savannah stage. The masqueraders in the other bands were dancing and having a time but Peter Minshall saw mas as more than just a party. Every year Minshall gave us street theatre. I could never forget the year he presented "Rats" and Paul Keen Douglas narrated the story behind each section.

"Callaloo" and "The River" were epic presentations. My proudest moment as a musician occurred in 1990 when my band Fireflight supplied road music along with Charlies Roots for Minshall's winning band Tantana. I got to see Tan Tan and Saga Boy up close. Such are the memories I have of Minshall's mas. So, for somebody with nothing better to do than start a rumor of his passing on Carnival Tuesday of all days, well that is as effed up as it gets. However, it is still not as bad as a TV station ruining the Carnival spirit by reporting on it without any hesitation, ironically close to the time of day when Minshall's band would traditionally be getting ready to hit the Savannah stage.Look, it was bad enough to have to endure those two women's lack lustre Carnival commentary all day, but to have them report on something this important that turned out to be not true is the proverbial icing on the cake. Holly B. or Maurice Brash, or Allison Hennessy would have checked first because they were real journalists.Trinis like to kill people too much, and they love to carry bad news even more. Those two women and the director at TTT who gave them the green light all need to be either suspended or fired. They also need to stay off Facebook while they are on the job.Thank you Peter Minshall for still being here. Here's hoping that we will one day see another Carnival presentation from you.

Peter Minshall (1941 - still with us) May you stay forever young.