"I really don't believe in concepts like creative genius," Argentine artist Fito Páez said at his home in Buenos Aires. "I'm more of a believer who expresses my will and desires, and that's the core of the problem."
The legendary Argentine rock singer released one of his most ambitious albums of his career at the age of 62: novelan opera he began developing in 1988 and was redesigned and completed in a long and angry creative spell in Madrid last year. Parn plans to turn it into a movie album to separate fans. Some online critics call it confusing and imperceptible, while the Argentine version of Rolling stones Call it the "Titanic Tour".
The plot takes place in the province of Santa Fe, Pais’s native country, and involves a witchcraft university, a touring circus and a meeting of the fate of two teenagers. The existence of strange rituals between songs female narrators doesn't help the cause, but some of them boast about the surreal, nostalgic beauty that already existed in 1992 Love after lovethis record changes Latin rock with euphoric spirit and Beetle-style melody. A complex work composed of 25 tracks, novel It will certainly be remembered as one of the singer's most fascinating albums.
Paiz talks to him Rolling stones about the madness of contemporary pop culture and his desire to create a musical narrative that might be personal and universal.
yes novel Is it going to be an antidote to music in the streaming era?
Not really, considering it has been cooked on low heat for many years. Now, this format has become an antidote and certainly serves as an antidote. Lala's opinion.
You have been working on this project since 1988. Anything that happened last year inspired you to reach the finish line?
Let's also be a little lacanian and pragmatic. My girlfriend Eugenia Kolosziej decided to study in Madrid. I just finished a tour and wanted to join her. But what should I do? I can't just take the time to read... novel Always adapting and starting. Actually, before finishing the album, I finished the script for the movie.
I called Sony and asked for impossible: a studio in Madrid that is available at all times of the day. In the process, I wrote 17 tracks and rescued another 8 tracks from the original version. The nature of the project may be somewhat controversial, but the initial motivation is just to accompany Eugenia and find what to do. It took me a month and a half to lock in the studio. It's a beautiful process.
A few years ago, I asked you if Reggaeton was the new rock music and your short answer still shocked me: "Obviously not, Ernesto." Do you still believe it?
I don't have much to say about this topic - at least not interested in me. I wrote an article titled "Music in the Time of Madness" and prophesy in Berkeley. I will read more chapters at the University of Buenos Aires soon, and the entire book will be released by the end of the year.
I think what I want to ask is, is the state of contemporary pop music yours?
I am the creator. Anger is achieved in poisonous and ignorant people. When you are busy creating, there is no room for being angry; only beauty and joy.
However, your album's ontology is the face of two minutes of pop songs. novel That's right.
It’s up to you journalists like you to develop these concepts. fact novel Existence gives us the opportunity to think. I started writing my paper three years ago because I noticed no dissident voices. It's all about the imminent threat of cancellation, or too old to speak up on these questions. Well, I have my story to tell, I won't be swept away by the herd. You ask me why novel Now I see the light of the day. There is no controversial reason. This is my nature and will not be tamed. There will always be faults in the matrix. I am one of them.
Ideologically, this makes me happy like novel exist. I will defend my life's rights as an artist to make such statements…
In the 1970s, a great philosopher named Bifo Berardi talked about what he described as "huge madness." Of course it’s time to think about what the meaning of today’s music is? The existing structure begins to collapse when something emerges from a pure love for music.
It will take me a long time to fully digest and understand novel overall. That said, songs like "Cruces de Gin en Sal" and "El Vuelo" are beautiful - Even if it's hard to understand what happened before or after them.
I think it's a lovely compliment. Yesterday, I wrote a poem about (Mexican painter José Clemente) Orozco painting murals at Dartmouth College, Vermont. The concept of murals is so beautiful because you will never get tired of looking at it. I also thought of (James) Joyce's introduction to him Ulysseshe seemed to like the fact that critics would never be able to completely decipher its content. I just read Jorge Luis Borges (classic short story) "El Aleph" and I discovered something I didn't notice in my previous readings.
The tension between individual and universality is obvious in the picture novel.
Painting murals in the village where you grew up is a little glowing. Villa Constitución (in the province of Santa Fe) is a small city. The imaginative element of this story - The Witch and the University - originated from growing up with his father and reading novels by Julio Verne and Emilio Salgari. But it is also the story of the boy who grew up in this world, and later became a man, and in the 1960s, he created a fantasy around him. This is very personal, but also common. This can happen in any village anywhere in the world.
Once again, the Beatles inform your music world in an organic, loving way…
I once told (producer) Phil Ramone that the song sounded a little like Steely Dan, and he replied, "Why do you care? If you do that, and it works well, why is it important?" His advice was valuable and made me think that hybrids are a sublime art form. We listened to Villa Constitución's Beatles when we were 15 years old at birthdays and dance parties. novel Touch the hallucinatory world of "Forever Strawberry Field".
"El Vuelo" is such a movie, those spiral orchestral music flourishes.
This is a critical moment in the story, with the protagonist floating and the entire town taking off. But it happens in the musical background, so slow and elegant, like slow motion.
When you publish Conquer the space In 2020, I noticed how luxurious your voice universe is supported by orchestral arrangements. Is that album a forefront to you?
It was a long process, which began in 1990, when I asked Carlos Villavicencio to do brass chord arrangements The Third World. We made several albums together and our collaboration is always passionate. Then I met Gerardo Gandini, my last great teacher. Eventually, I started to do my own orchestral arrangements. But it was an incredible moment for me because once I finished my next tour, I would start doing academic research on the work and arrangements. I want to drive a Ferrari myself.
I know an unfair question: you'll say Love after love Still your ultimate masterpiece?
Do you know what I think? We always talk about artists like Beethoven and Haydn or (film producer), such as Cassavetes and Fellini, and we chose a specific movie or record that we thought was the best. But today I might like a specific Felini movie that might change tomorrow. What is my favorite Charly García record? There are many.
I think music gives me the opportunity to express myself, experience happiness, liberate personal ghosts and make up for the fictional world, and enjoy a life that becomes more sober and entertains. Music takes you to unknown territory. As long as you continue to express yourself through art, life will continue to ease.