Argentine rock musician Gustavo Cerati, founder
of the power trio Soda
Stereo, died last week in Buenos
Aires after a four-year coma. Larry Rohter, the New York
Times South America bureau chief during much of the musician’s career, wrote Cerati’s
obituary for the paper. The clip below shows him on stage with Shakira in
the Argentine capital.
Except for tango, and the occasional folk musician such as
the late Mercedes Sosa, Argentine music has had relatively little influence
beyond the South American continent. Even the major figures of rock nacional, such as
the brilliant but erratic Charly García,
haven’t had a great impact in the English-speaking world, though Soda did
record one album in New York.
I’ve seen García live, as well as Fito Páez and David Lebón, and listened
to quite a few other Argentine rock musicians – I particularly enjoy the
Dylanish León Gieco – but I never managed work up any interest in Cerati or
Soda Stereo. Even my Argentine wife can’t recall anything memorable, and her
sister’s husband – who still owns a CD shop and often provides me music – never saw fit to even mention Cerati to me.
I don’t want to belittle Cerati, but my only real memory
comes from a visit to the northwestern city of Tucumán when Soda Stereo was
playing there. To promote the concert, a sponsoring tobacco company was passing
out free cigarettes on the central Plaza 9 de Julio – ironically (or
appropriately) enough for Cerati, whose three
packs a day habit undoubtedly contributed to the stroke that put him in a
coma at age 51. Argentina's tobacco laws have since changed, for the better, but I don't know whether or not this type of promotion is still legal.
Buenos Aires Live! In
Saratoga (California)
Next Monday night at 7 p.m., at the Saratoga Community
Library (in Silicon Valley, near San Jose), I will present a digital slide lecture on travel
to Buenos Aires. There will be ample time for questions and answers, and my
Moon Handbooks to the Argentine capital, Argentina, Chile and Patagonia will also be
available at (slightly) discounted prices.
2 comments:
Wayne,
Let's not forget Eduardo Falu, Los Fronterizos, Los Tucu Tucu. Northern Argentine music is my favorite. Dan
I didn't intend to cover Argentine music comprehensively here but, while we're on northern Argentina, I'll throw in a mention for Chango Spasiuk's chamame (for those who don't know it, that's an accordion-based immigrant style that resembles Tex-Mex music.
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