Interview with musical guru Diego A. Manrique
Our guest in this edition of Interviews is one of the greatest musical authorities in our country. His columns and articles in the most prestigious publications are followed with fervor by music lovers and his blog is a bible for music lovers.
Journalist, writer, music critic and radio host, he is one of the fathers of music television in Spain. He was one of the founders of the mythical and remembered Popgrama. He came to Saragossa to inaugurate the concert series Los que siempre Volver, at Teatro Arbolé. And he did it with a suggestive talk with a provocative title: The music is dying. It was an honor to meet him in person and it is a pleasure to introduce you to Diego A. Manrique.
Is our music dying? The title of his talk is disturbing. Do we remove the question or is there still hope?
No, no: the title sought to provoke and arouse curiosity. It was achieved, I think. In reality, these are good times for music lovers (there has never been more music available etc.) but horrible times for creators.
Arbolé presents a heterogeneous and quality cycle that goes from crooner to fado through flamenco. What do you think of the poster?
It’s a smart poster. There is a tendency to equate pop with music for teenagers and not at all. Justin Bieber, One Direction, Beyoncé are just one side of the diamond.
Heterogeneous is also his literary creation. He started talking about rock but he has touched all the genres. Is it a natural evolution?
I don’t believe in strict diets: as you grow older, you realize that there is a lot to discover in other music that you didn’t consider before. Be careful, it is a danger: the fishing ground seems infinite.
You were one of the creators of the legendary Popgrama, one of the benchmarks of musical television in Spain. Isn’t the current situation in which there is only music on TV in talent shows discouraging?
Surely there is a double responsibility. That of TV executives who, although trained in music, have rejected any possibility of reflecting musical reality. And also, it is our fault for not making – when they could be made – less elitist, broader-spectrum television programs.
You have done press, radio and television. Today we follow him in his press articles and on his blog. Where do you think the future of music journalism is?
On the internet, obviously. We have never enjoyed so much information, although we have to apply rigorous filters to avoid wading in the swamp of foolishness and lack of culture. Exclusive music magazines are already coming out for tablets…
We are experiencing the transition from the physical to the virtual. Will the album disappear or remain a fan fetish? Will the podcast win the war on radio with a receiver? Will we end up reading the press on a tablet or will paper survive?
I always lean towards an optimistic vision: the media tend to coexist, even if the Masters of the Universe decree the obsolescence of such support. But yes, it is very possible that the physical record and the paper press will remain luxuries for elites.
After so many years writing and producing music, have you ever been tempted to start out as a producer or musician?
It never ever occurred to me! He didn’t have the knowledge or the brains or the vocation to produce or play or, horror, sing.
In his many trips, everything must have happened to him. What is the strangest thing that has happened to him in a hotel?
From what can be told, there was a time when many New York hotels were barely maintained. I remember a very modern one in which a kind of lattice panel from the bathroom ceiling fell, causing sharp splinters (I was inside, imagine the shock). And another old one where, in the carpet, I stepped on a nail. A nail! It seemed designed to hurt: it was wedged with the point up.
What absurd object cannot be missing from his suitcase?
It’s not absurd and I don’t always remember to take it, but I consider an electric blanket essential if you have back pain. Something almost inevitable for those of us who spend so many hours sitting in front of a computer.
We are still savoring his book “Riders in the Storm”. Is there any new project in perspective?
At this point, it is better not to consider big projects: day-to-day life is already complicated. It’s enough for me to know what I have to do tomorrow. Since it’s Sunday, I have to prepare Monday’s column. It’s a weekly litmus test: a certain type of reader is becoming more picky, more aggressive, more stupid.
