He Vistalegre Palace will be transformed into a large film set, for the festival under my hatwhich will recall the golden decades of Spanish pop of the 80s and 90s. On stage, certain protagonists of these years relive an era of artistic excitement and creative freedom. There they will meet Rafa Sanchez (The Union), Social security, Mondragon Orchestra, Jaime Urrutia (Caligari Firm), Carlos Segarra (Rebels), Javier Ojeda (Invisible Dance), Doctor Livingstone, Miguel Costas (total loss) and Tennessee. As an added incentive, the concert will be recorded to be part of a film in which the audience will play a leading role.
Rafa Sanchezsinger of The unionfundamental group of the pop scene of the 80s, is still active as a singer, touring Spain dressed in a tuxedo in a more intimate role. Answer the call of 20 minutes from his home in the mountains of Madrid, to talk about those years when time passed so quickly that it almost derailed him. The context of the music industry and the current moment in his career are also topics that come up in the conversation.
Do you have good relationships with the singers and groups who will participate in the concert on the 12th?
I have had more contact with them in recent years, taking advantage of the revival boom and the fact that we coincided with the festivals of the 80s. During my stay in La Unión, circumstances did not allow for a smoother relationship, if any, with the opening band that accompanied us, generally little known. I remember interesting festivals like the 25th anniversary of Los 40 Principales, which took place simultaneously in Madrid and Barcelona. We met on stage Miguel Bosé, Mikel Erentxun, Presuntos implicados, Mercedes Ferrer, José María Cano… There were a lot of interactions on stage.
Perhaps in the previous era, that of the Movida, there was more contact between the groups.
Of course, but we were children of Movida.
Pop music has never received public support in the form of subsidies, unlike cinema
In 84 the album was released 1000 silhouettesof La Unión, with many important themes, which define image trends.
Many facets of life intervene in music, whether in fashion, or by opening paths on the sexual level, breaking taboos. Music is a very powerful medium, especially for young people, but little valued by institutions. It has never received public support in the form of subsidies of any kind, quite the contrary, unlike cinema for example.
A time without social networks, but where video clips had a lot of impact.
Television left this promotion aside, because there were programs like Applause, Music yes, Toccata…. All of this has been replaced by “talent shows”, in which the only thing that is valued is the ability to sing, rather than the talent to compose.
How has the music industry evolved from the 80s and 90s to today?
At an essential level, it still has the same components of youth, styles, fashions and mannerisms in motion. The change has occurred in terms of audience reach and relationships with record labels. Before, very few of us were able to record in the studio, because it was very expensive. This greatly limited the panorama. With the emergence of the “home studio” and social networks, everyone can record an album at home, broadcast it on the networks and, if they have the means, it will end up working. Internet is the tool that all groups use to publicize and promote our content, although at first it seemed to be a problem, due to piracy and the possibility of transferring files. But all this was controlled.
Are music streaming platforms profitable for the artist?
If you’re a big international artist it’s profitable, and even nationally if you get a lot of tours, but for musicians like me the only thing it means is staying on the scene. There is a series called The playlistwhich explains the evolution of the music world: how it went from Napster to Spotify. The final chapter takes place in the future and talks about how the record labels and Spotify end up making money, but the one who is demonized is the artist.
There are few record stores left, unless they are vinyls.
When the CD came out, you were offering a master that you could copy as many times as you wanted and that didn’t lose quality. This gave rise to piracy and significantly reduced business revenue. Now it’s not even convenient to go and look for something in a music store, when with a single click you can have the song you want on your phone in seconds.
I live in the mountains of Madrid because I’m no longer interested in going out in the evening and I like to enjoy nature
Lavapiés was the neighborhood of your childhood, wasn’t it?
I lived in Lavapiés until I was 11, and when we were a little overcrowded at my grandparents’ house, my parents bought a house in the suburbs. I lived there until I became independent. I lived for a while in Santa Ana and other places, but now I live in the mountains of Madrid.
In other words, the city dweller had the soul of a mountain man. How did this change happen?
Yes yes. Now I have the soul of a mountain person (laughs). Well, it’s an adaptation to a different type of life. Going out in the evening no longer interests me and I like being in contact with nature, going out by bike… With jobs like mine, where I don’t have to clock in every day, I’m very comfortable here. However, when I go down to Madrid, I discover a different type of city. I’m more excited, I’m more surprised by the windows, the crowds… I went from hating Madrid, because of the complications and the traffic, to appreciating it much more.
This house in the mountains has very careful architecture. Are you interested in this world?
I’ve been lucky enough to travel a lot with La Unión, and now on my own, and I appreciate the architecture of the sites. I think it influences the appearance of the city and the spirit of the people. For example, a city like Bilbao, which was totally depressed, suddenly organized itself with the Guggenheim. In India, we arrive in Agra, with the Taj Mahal, and everything is much more orderly and beautiful than the rest of the cities. Anyway, India is constant chaos: everyone is constantly whistling and you see misery in the streets. I have been to other places that are very poor, but they retain their dignity.
I remember these words SyldaviaDid time pass slowly or rather quickly during your period of success with The union?
Very quickly. These years passed like a time machine, at high speed. This song was about stopping time, slowing it down with substances like hashish. Now I no longer slow down time (laughs), but time is very variable. When we are doing well, time seems to pass very quickly, and when we are doing poorly, it passes very slowly. There, I feel very close to Einstein, not on a scientific level but on an emotional level.
My experience as a drug addict was hell and the most humiliating thing was the relationship with the dealer; I got through it thanks to psychiatric treatment and anxiolytics
These and other harder substances devastated many bands of the 80s. How do you remember all this and how did you come out of it?
I remember it like hell, mainly because of the humiliation of your relationship with the dealer. You also isolate yourself a lot because, since the drug is for you alone, you try not to share it or even talk about it. Lying is the daily life of a drug addict, even if the money runs out and you start selling things, or even stealing from those closest to you. From the third or fourth month, I wanted to stop, but it was very difficult for me. I made several attempts on my own, but it was just a bad moment and then I would come back. I was “lucky” enough to have a motorcycle accident and it left me immobile. With psychiatric treatments, anxiolytics and sleeping pills, I finally managed to come out alive and well, as I say on my show. Biography.
In this show, he started wearing a tuxedo. When did you realize it looked so good on you?
The tuxedo suits everyone, especially if it is tailored to you. It’s like a well-ironed white shirt, which transforms your face. It makes you very stiff and the drama was learning how to tie the bow tie. There were moments of despair (laughs).
I went public with my homosexuality to support those who lived in smaller circles, where they were considered weirdos.
A crucial moment in his biography It was when he admitted his homosexuality in an interview about fifteen years ago.
I had already told my family, my band and my record company, I think as early as 1989. Making it official was a more casual thing. My friend Oiane, who changed her gender and is now called Oian, had a conversation with Ovido (Alaska) and told him that people like me need to make ourselves visible to support those who live in rural circles or smaller places, where the control of society is more brutal and where they consider themselves weirdos. This gave me food for thought and I decided to make it public to try to help these kinds of people. This is why I did the interview in Shanghai.
Do you feel comfortable as a crooner?
I get a lot out of this smaller, more intimate form of concert. It’s very popular and I have around twenty performances coming up. I’m not bad at being a crooner, talking to people at concerts.
WhatWhat interests you most in current music?
Now I listen to a lot of Melodic Techno. People like Anyma, Massano, who kill all over the world. Las Vegas, Shanghai, New York… Basically, it’s music closely linked to pop, although with the structure of techno.
We end with the concert on the 12th. Nostalgia always attracts people of all ages, doesn’t it?
As for the target audience, those aged 45 or 50 and over, these are people who have had children and acted as parents to the detriment of their adult life. Once children can stay home alone or have already left the nest, they return to the years they missed. They vibrate to the rhythm of the music of their moment and jump like teenagers.
Decades seem to be delayed, don’t they?
In my grandparents’ time, a 50-year-old was already an elderly person. Now morals have changed a lot, the way of eating, the way of dressing, doing gymnastics… 50 is the new 40.
By taking care of ourselves, we will reach one hundred and something.
Well, until this age, I don’t have much interest, to be honest (laughs). When they put me in diapers…. Although I have had friends with painful illnesses and they clung to life like a hot nail. Recently my mother said to me, “What a long day! The day when I feel that the days are very long, it will be time to think…
…the farewells and the closing?
Yes, but always glamorous, with a tuxedo.
About The Author
