BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – LESLIE ‘Sugar Bowl’ Morton has become more than a radio personality since he first started out in the communication business some 15 years ago. He is a DJ, an Emcee, a devoted father and a self-taught videographer and editor. However, there’s more to the man that always brings laughter to those he encounters. He chats exclusively with ‘Juicy With Suelika’ about his favorite place to dine and what went down with his last relationship in our first edition of Juicy!
JWS: Where is your favorite vacation spot?
SB: Mmm, I’ll have to say Orlando, because of Disney.
JWS: Where’s your favorite place to eat in St. Kitts?
SB: Over the peninsula, Reggae Beach is my ultimate favorite place to eat.
JWS: Do you twitter?
SB: No I don’t twitter! I don’t have facebook, I only have Hi5, but I really need to get a facebook and myspace…but it’s the time to do them.
JWS: Why is it that sometimes you seem to be moody and other times you’re funny and down to earth?
SB: I guess that’s probably the switch from Sugar Bowl to Leslie. Because sometimes some persons see you and they think it’s Sugar Bowl all the time, and especially when I’m with the kids. I don’t like people come expecting Sugar Bowl when they see me with my family and I’m trying to relax and spend time with my kids and they come. Sometimes I get an attitude for that and I would think that they see me with my kids and would just leave me alone.
JWS: What is your all-time favorite song and why?
SB: Me mothers, that’s hard! I old you know, so it will be hard for me to pick something. I’m too much into music to pick one…of all times wow…(laughs). I can’t think of anything like that, but I’ll say, ‘We are the world’.
JWS: Why?
SB: Because I use to sing all the parts and I use to try imitate all the artistes.
JWS: What’s your middle name?
SB: Steve
JWS: So Steve, where did the idea come from for the Sugar Bowl show?
SB: Well, basically I had the idea all the time and I used to watch Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien every night before I fell asleep, and up at ZIZ I was thinking about it and then I asked a couple of questions and the feedback was like, ‘I’m not gonna get anything out of it’. Then Wanda (Connor) use to encourage me when she came on at ZIZ, and although nothing was in it for me she persuaded me to start it.
JWS: Who would you most enjoy spending quality time with and what would you do?
SB: My kids, because I’m always busy and back and forth working and when I do get time I definitely make quality time with my kids. We normally go to the beach. After the beach we would probably go to Sprat Net or somewhere else for dinner. And when we’re driving around and we see a St. Kitts flag (We have a game called St. Kitts flag) we shout it out and we get points and so on; so we really do have some good times.
JWS: What happened with your last relationship and what have you learnt from it?
SB: I think we just weren’t seeing eye to eye anymore. Everything was arguing, arguing, and I don’t like being upset, I’m usually the guy who gives a lot of pep, lot of smiles, so I just couldn’t do it anymore and I decided to get out. What I’ve learned is not to trust anybody and not to put all your heart in it. If you get mash up, you can get mash up bad.
JWS: You’re rumored to now be involved with track star Virgil Hodge, any truth to that?
SB: We’re just dating.
JWS: So how has that been going?
SB: Things are going really well.
JWS: How long have you guys been dating?
SB: Couple of months.
JWS: How did you meet?
SB: We been friends a long time ago, even when I was in my former relationship we use to talk all the time. And then we started talking you know… about how my relationship ended etc.
JWS: Do you plan to get married, and if so what kind of person would she be?
SB: Married? I don’t know, I use to think about it before, honestly. I use to think about it when I was in my former relationship…one of these days, couple of years from now.
JWS: What kind of person would she be?
SB: Just gotta love me, that’s it. I just want someone who just loves Leslie and not Sugar Bowl.
JWS: So tell me, who is Sugar Bowl and who is Leslie?
SB: Sugar Bowl is the popular person who everyone knows, the joker, the entertainer; and Leslie is the one who loves his kids and wants pampering now and then, kisses on the cheek, tickle here, some massage there, someone to just relax and watch TV or comedy with.
JWS: So what turns you on and off about the opposite sex?
SB: Loudness turns me off, like when the ladies are loud and callous, I can’t deal with that. They’ll be shouting and you’re right there or they’re shouting to someone across the room, just generally loud and obnoxious, swearing, that’s definitely off. Shyness, quietness, I mean those are things I like. Because I know normally when people shy or quiet, when you get down to it, you find out they’re really not shy they’re really not quiet, so it builds excitement.
JWS: When you left ZIZ, it was such a shock, what made you finally decide to leave?
SB: Well it was a shock to the people, the fans, the listeners, but it was a little too overbearing. I was there for 14 years and the pay cheque was not reflecting the time I put in plus the quality of the product that I was giving them being on radio and TV. To be paid under $2,000 was overbearing. I got two kids, I got a car, and eventually want a house, so there was no way I can do all of that under $2,000.
JWS: Your favorite local person?
SB: I would say my favorite local person would have to be Zicomo Condor. He’s younger than me but sometimes his maturity and love…he’s really mature for his age and gives out a lot of love for me and a lot of people around him and I have him to be like my lil brother and he got me to be like his big brother…even just talking about it brings water out of my eyes.
JWS: How has your clothing line been going? Any plans for expanding?
SB: Well, I got to admit, persons have really been sending a lot of vibes and support to Sugar Klothing. In terms of expanding, I want to be able to sell online shortly because most of the clients are those overseas. People who live here they don’t see it as a big deal to wear the national colours or boast off in their colours. But it’s those who overseas say, “Gimme one of those, I wanna represent”. So eventually I plan to start selling online.
JWS: Would you be voting at the next general elections?
SB: Once I’m on the island I always vote.
JWS: What’s your ideal date?
SB: Ideal date? Go by Reggae Beach, relax chat, eat some lobster, shrimp, and take in some of the ocean breeze.
JWS: Which of the local bands is your favorite?
SB: That’s easy, Small Axe Band.
JWS: Wasn’t there some sort of falling out with you and the band?
SB: Just one individual in the band, but I’m a Small Axe man all the time.
