[News]The Rodríguez: 30 years of Ariel Rot's epiphany watching the Stones

[SougarLord]

 

On September 28, 30 years ago, Ariel Rot and Julián Infante were stopped by the Civil Guard on their way to Barajas. His paints pointed to them, gaunt "with eyes on hands." They were going to pick up the recently landed Andrés Calamaro, still unknown in our country, and who was leaving behind an organized life in Argentina, with his record collection, his partner and his house. He had a magic keyboard. La Benemérita did not put them in trouble, and that day was remarkable for Spanish music: that day Los Rodríguez was born. And yesterday, three decades later, “Sol y sombra”, an oral biography of Kike Babas and Kike Turrón, or their story, was presented at the SGAE. That of a Spanish-Argentine group that was too short and that didn't have a bad album.

 

Both Rot and drummer Germán Vilella and Calamaro himself attended the event. I realized that Ariel had had an epiphany watching the Rolling Stones… And I was in a position to give up everything and be born again in Madrid, almost 30 years old. It reminds me of the Brazilian movie “Macunaima”, that there is a baby born with mustaches and who is 30 or 40 years old, says the Argentine artist, who came with a “bomber” and crest, a punk uniform, and who we cannot forget his recent defense of the Emeritus. "Long live the king. We Juan Carlos are still standing, "he tweeted on August 3 in the middle of the controversy. "Political vanguard", he explains it himself.

 

For her part, Vilella reveals that she did not know Calamaro or his music, but she trusted the taste of the former Tequila Ariel. In fact, he formed the band on the condition of choosing the singer. Because Rot knew Andrés from Buenos Aires well, they had even played together, so his vision triumphed: “In three bars rehearsing, not even four, I saw the talent of the group. And I said to myself: “I will continue with this until the end” », says the drummer. "For me it was essential that Andrés was present," says the muñidor. Calamaro mentions several times that "vision" that the prophet Rot had. Conclusion: a unique and intense six-year experience: "We could argue for two hours for a chord," says Ariel. "It's a good reason to argue," says Calamaro. "Six years that were ten or twelve", replies the guitarist with a smile.

In this oral biography there is sex, drugs and rock and roll, of course, and they tell us about it themselves and also luxury guests such as Enrique Bunbury, Raimundo Amador or Josele Santiago, who flow or collide through different scenarios. Like the mythical rehearsal premises of Tablada 25 in Tetuán, where Gabinete Caligari also stopped. "An almost mystical place," Rot recalls, where they were allowed to practice for free "because we were lucky enough to accept many favors," says Vilella, laughing. "It would have to be a museum," they argue for all the memorabilia left there by all these groups, including Almodóvar and McNamara. Other key sets would be the Malaysian night of the postmovida and "El Rancho", the base in Chamberí that Rot had paying old rent and where several Rodríguez were staying. It had been Ruphert's hair salon before. Calamaro brings out street scholarship: "Ranch in Argentina is" humble dwelling "or, in prison slang, when inmates gather for dinner." But it was a luxurious ranch. At the same time, and as a fun contrast, they were going bad for money.

 

"Some rested Tequila"

Why Los Rodríguez? Calamaro explains in the part of the biography called "A strange name": "The thing about calling us Los Rodríguez was rather because I found out that he had a social equivalence, in the cinema ... A kind of urban legend of losers." Be careful, the name was not received between ovations: We loved it. Yet everyone, all of our friends, hated it. With this brand of personality, like any self-respecting band, Los Rodríguez reneged and also denied the label they were awarded: Latin rock. For me that's Santana, I loved him and listened to him a lot. All those melodic scales came from there and from what was heard at home. But at no point did we have or have a concept of Latin rock, quickly tackle the Rot question. I think the industry invented that term to sell to groups that came out like Maná or many others, ”adds Vilella. Or Los Lobos, super band, says the keyboardist and singer, although during the talk many people talk about the Rolling Stones, Burning, Leño or the Allman Brothers. The author of Brutal Honesty »specifies: We were a reposados Tequila.

 

On the cover of "Sol y sombra" we see the now three veterans and the missing Julián Infante naked covering their private parts with their discs, just as Albert Rivera did to promote Ciudadanos but before they were inspired by a cover of Red Hot Chilli Peppers. They come out slim and hairy. And in the biography there is a key moment: "Without documents" was an album that changed many things. And we return to the longed-for Infante, to his death. For Calamaro, the year 2000 would have been a good time to recover Los Rodríguez, but his loss occurred. “For me personally meeting in 2000 would have been a real salvation. It was a period in which it would have done me very well, "he confesses.

 

Thus, it was only six years of growth and splendor, from 90 to 96, where they began in the conspiratorial shadow of passionate dreams until they touched the sun to act and sweep Las Ventas. "As Janis Joplin said, we made love with 25,000 people and we went home alone," says Calamaro, joking at the same time because, in reality, they lived together. And what would be the ideal setting for a future meeting? «I would like to go back to Tablada, three or four people, nothing more. It would be a good destination. And start from scratch », continues the Argentine. His "brothers" nod. "The Rodriguezes enjoyed that so much," says Rot nostalgic.