Full Text – Larry Madowo Bans Davido from The Trend

Larry Madowo may have acted cool when he hosted an arrogant Davido last Friday night, but deep inside, he was nothing but.
Apparently, what we saw on screen was only a tip of the iceberg. In his Monday column on Daily Nation, Larry describes the events leading to the unfortunate interview, and further bans the Nigerian from The Trend, forever.
Here’s an excerpt.
“Davido only has 20 minutes here,” one of the Nigerian musician’s handlers announced when he arrived at Nation Centre last Friday.
Only half an hour had passed, and we still had at least 40 minutes before #theTrend could start,but he was already antsy.
I greeted him and introduced myself as he walked to the green room. He didn’t make eye contact.
I was not surprised. I first met Davido in Mauritius last year, when he and half a dozen other stars launched the song, ‘Africa Rising’.
To say he is pleasant to those he does not deem important to him would be an understatement.
For his grumpiness, his compatriot, Tiwa Savage, was patient and gracious with the many fans who came up to her asking to take selfies and declare their undying love.
During the interview, he was disinterested and rude, almost as if the whole thing deeply irritated him and he would rather have been elsewhere.
Granted, he had just landed from Lagos, but he flew on a private jet, not cattle class! Besides, the interview was part of NTV’s sponsorship deal with the event organiser.
The Internet erupted. Many of the people he was supposed to convince to attend his concert considered him arrogant and proud, and said they would skip his performance.
A television chat show is a performance that involves deftly balancing guests’ egos, managing time, and trying to get something meaningful out of an interviewee, a bit like walking a tightrope.
Most times you manage to pull off that delicate dance and the production team, presenter and guest are all pleased with the outcome. Sometimes it all falls apart, like it did during the Davido interview, which was equally hated by everyone involved – guest, host, producers and audience. It takes extra effort to produce something that monumentally disastrous.
Good television relies greatly on camaraderie, even if false, that lulls viewers into thinking the people they are watching are cordial with each other, are on a first-name terms, nod when the other person speaks, thank each other, that sort of thing.
Most artistes, performers, politicians and those whose career depends on a degree of self-promotion quickly learn how to make the most of these situations. Machakos Governor Dr Alfred Mutua is a master of the dark art of winning at being interviewed on TV.
International artistes like Akon, Alaine, Anthony Hamilton and the great Papa Wemba were all refreshingly pleasant to interview.
The first time I interviewed President Paul Kagame, he stayed behind to chat after the cameras stopped rolling, providing me with a great window into how his mind works and his drive.
Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey (a favourite of President Kagame’s by the way) was particularly gracious, listening attentively and answering with extensive insight and joie de vivre. #theTrend has played host to a long list of Davido’s compatriots like Rita Dominic, Basket Mouth, Omawumi, Yemi Alade, Flavour, IK and none left a bad  taste in the mouth like the 22-year-old’s did.
… That attitude stinks and stars should get over themselves, their ego and their inflated sense of self-importance. As for Davido, he’s banned from our show for life.
Missed the video? watch it below.