I’m tired of listening to them

Image: Luis Trápaga

Until now I’d completely ignored the issue, but the pitcher can only go to the well so many times before it breaks: mine was just broken by Juan Formell.

Beyond the dissertations about the different reasons—pressures, threats or compromises—that have brought Carlos Varela, Amaury Pérez and Juan Formell to speak badly of Porno para Ricardo in public, for me what counts is the consequence: the flip-flopping, the double standard and the sheer nerve. I remember once some years ago I had a depressing enough discussion with an friend who assured me that Silvio Rodriguez probably was elected to the National Assembly because they had threatened to kill his family.

At that time I was insulted, but today it makes me laugh to see the point to which we—the admiring and following public—are capable of justifying the shameless attitude of some of our artists and intellectuals. I suppose they are the same justifications they make it so that today Pablo Milanés is remembered for his declarations in Spain and not for his declarations on the National Television News after his concert in the Protestodrome: The concert that turned me into a revolutionary (or something of that kind)), while Gorki finished his third day in prison and Ciro was interrogated by State Security.

As the joke goes around here: with a ten minute role in the movie Brainstorm, Alberto Pujol overcame months of having been El Tabo*. With a five minute interview, Formall, Varela, Silvio and Pablo managed it so that I, while I continue to admire their work as artists, got tired of listening to them (I never did like Amaury so I don’t include him in the list).