Manu Chao:
Interview by Garth Cartwright (January 2002)
This interview took place last August in Paris. Later that
evening Manu Chao and his nine-piece band took the stage at Grand
Halle De La Villette and performed for more than three hours. Chao
was touring in support of his album Proxima Estation: Esperanza (Next
Station: Hope), which had quickly racked up several million sales.
While most of Europe was on Chao's tour itinery, the UK
was conspicuously left off. While Chao has galvanised the public in a
way unseen since The Beatles heyday across the Continent and Latin
America, Britain remains oblivious to Chao's magic. Perhaps having
won the Innovator award at the Radio 3 Awards for World Music, the UK
public may finally wake up to his music. Not that this appears to
concern him: he's turned down Later With Jools and WOMAD, and the
last time he played in London was a bit of busking on the Central
Line four years ago.
A small, youthful looking forty-year-old, Chao speaks a
mosaic of languages including fluent English. He's a straightforward
character, eschewing the star antics that often accompany huge
success. When the tour finished Chao, as promised in this interview,
returned to backpacking. It appears unlikely we will see or hear from
him for a good while.
Q: You played a free concert at the Genoa G8
demonstrations the day before everything exploded. What are your
feelings about the anti-globalisation movement?
A: I'm completely in support of the anti-globalisation
movement. I donate royalties to the Zapatistas in Chiapas, and I
don't trust politicians - you've got to act on a neighbourhood level.
But the last thing the movement needs is for someone like me to be
held up as its 'leader'. Getting away from icons and
personality cults is what makes the movement so attractive.
Q: You first came to prominence with Mano Negra who were
often tagged 'the French Clash' and your music then was a lot more
rock. What made you shift to the hybrid of Latin and reggae that has
shaped your solo albums?
A: When Mano Negra toured Latin America we found that the
local people often didn't like the rock beat and I wanted to make
music that had more appeal to people beyond rock fans. The thing is,
the ska rhythm is loved everywhere, it's employed by lots of Latin
American bands, and it's easy to dance to. Also, with Mano Negra we
had to go into a studio for a couple of months to record an album but
now the technology is such that I can take the studio as hand
luggage. I've spent considerable time in Brazil, Madrid, Mexico,
North and West Africa and as I develop songs I can record them and
the sounds surrounding them.
Q: In the UK you are largely promoted as a World Music
artist. What do you think about this label?
A: It's a lazy label. I mean, I'd like to appeal to people
all around the world but my music is only specific to the world I
inhabit. I'll tell you what my definition of world music is and
that's Bob Marley. Wherever you go in the world you'll always find
people listening to Bob Marley. So when I hear the term 'world music'
I can only think of Marley because he is the one musician that
everyone loves. When Mano Negra played in Colombia we found the
audience didn't like our rock rhythms so that's how I came to adapt a
reggae feel. People everywhere appear to enjoy that.
Q: Mano Negra were a cult act: what do you feel has lead
to your albums enjoying such huge popularity?
A: There's no single answer and, to be honest, it's all
been a surprise. I think initially it was the people who work the
markets playing Clandestino that helped people hear it. The
travelling people, the backpackers, they heard it this way and began
playing it. So it's come about through people hearing it on places
other than radio or television.
Q: You have claimed that you have no plans beyond
completing this tour. What can we expect to hear next from Manu Chao?
A: Don't expect anything, I could vanish for six years!
I'm serious. I'm enjoying it (success) but I don't want to be one of
those entertainers who get stuck in the fame trap. When this tour
finishes I have no plans beyond travelling more. Travel is the best
teacher and I want to venture through India and Africa. When we (Mano
Negra) played Colombia all the audience had guns and if they
felt you don't respect them you are dead. That kind of reality really
teaches you to engage with the music and the culture. _________haut de page