This is a recent  interview (in Spanish)

http://www.promomusic.es/comunidad/Noticias/VistaEntreves/La-VistaEntreves-de-Evripidis-and-his-Tragedies

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=102668762046&h=ldoZb&u=W8syH&ref=mf

Primavera Sound festival is about to happen once more. Four days left and we will be roaming at Forum Park in Barcelona like animals of prey. And this fills my heart with the sweetest anticipation AND fear at once. Why should be that way?

For 3 days and nights I am going to live the same old story over and over again: I will be out of my head , with friends, watching concerts, drinking heavily, dancing and forgetting that the world outside Forum keeps spinning. For 3 days my life will be almost ideal, a real work of art coloured with music, love and drama. Yes, you..d better watch out you poor indie pop kids: Primavera Sound is not for the faint of heart! In fact, as far as I am concerned, the Forum Park and its special "geography" is the perfect setting for movie-like scenes: I have fallen terribly in love swinging with someone under the stars and I have fallen out of love on the concrete ground. I have said hellos on a grassy slope and I have waved goodbyes outside the bathrooms, I have snogged on the grass like a teenager and I have cried like a baby behind the reeds. I have gone out of my head, ecstatic, dancing to Jens Lekman or whoever, surrounded by my best friends or I have felt lost, dizzy and completely alone, without being able to watch any concert. Oh, I am sure all you festivals goers know the score already. You can spend hours wondering around, doing practically nothing, wasting your time...but then, sometimes, even going to pee can be a wonderful adventure straight out of a children..s book!
Another year then....another year of fun fun fun and tears of course. Emotions ride high, especially when you feed your poor body with molotov cocktails and weird combinations of substances instead of sandwiches and fruits. And there are plenty of songs to make a soundtrack and underline the best and the worst moments. So cry baby, cry and let those tears be tears of joy or infinite sadness. Summer is on its way. Old lovers are fading fast although they still can make your day a little bit greyer. And new loves are on their way.
I think of Catharsis, a vital element of the Greek tragedy. Primavera Sound can give you even this sense when it starts raining at 5 in the morning and you still dance heroically to some old rock 'n..roll song. Or when you tell someone who doesn..t love you anymore that you will never forget him but you will let go because what..s the use in trying?
Three days of absolute fun and then a week of the bluest blues. Every year is the same story. And still we do it. Even when I make calculations and the sum of the embarrassing moments is too high , I still believe it was worthy. My friends from Athens will be there, my friends from Alicante, Valencia, Madrid will be there, my Barcelonian friends will be there...and you, with those sunglasses , your tired face and THAT empty stare...I am pretty sure sure that you too will be there...dancing and kissing. All those summer parties, OUR summer parties, nothing could make them fade away...

All those summer parties that we used to share
I can hardly recall a thing,
that surely means that I was  there
dancing and kissing 
you don..t know what you..ve been missing
all those summer parties that we shared
no-one could make
them fade away

with our fists in our  pockets moving nervously
with a spring in our step and our dancing shoes on
we waited for this all winter long and nobody can stop us now

night is falling quickly stars above our head
the sea-breeze cooling our faces ,
noone dreams of going to bed
so  give me more of those screwdrivers
and if i go and overdose
they..ll say it was for the sake of sex n drugs and rock n roll 
what a shame...

killing  time on the grass before the next concert begins
my friends look pretty though slightly dazed
they laugh at this stupid grin on my face
and then Jens comes on stage
and then the Black Lips come on stage
and then the Vampire come on stage
my head explodes!


let..s twist again like we did last summer
clap and shout and shake it all out , it..s the time
to dance the night away

all those summer parties
left you with an empty stare
8am trembling with your shades on
that surely means that you were  there
dancing and kissing
and poor thing you..re already missing
 all those summer parties
now let..s catch the bus before we colapse and try not to miss our stop!

...till next weekend!

1."Abroad"

I'm wasting my time on long distance phonecalls / I'm wasting my money in internet cafes / I miss my family I miss my friends but I can't go back / I'm not ready yet / I'm wasting my time on long distance phonecalls / I'm wasting my money in internet cafes / I miss my family I miss my friends but I can't go back... / I'm not ready yet

my mother's hair is turning white and I'm not there / my father's getting older too and I'm not there / my sister wins and loses races / my uncle's dying and I'm not there to say goodbye

my friends are moving in and out of flats and 'm not there / my friends are falling in and out of love and 'm not there / my friends are getting married / will I be there to celebrate with them?

my friends are having nervous breakdowns / and I'm not there / my friends are falling apart and I'm not there / my friends are trying to kill themselves / and I'm not there to say " don't do it! / 'cause I need you, what would I do without you?"

everytime I go back / we pretend nothing's changed / besides the fun there is a ghost lingering between us / we adore each other but I'm not part of their everyday lives no more / and they are not part of mine / in a new town in a new scene, / with a whola lotte brand new things to do / my new friends are so brilliant they almost made me forget / but how could I ever forget, how could I ever forget you?

so I'm wasting my time on long distance phonecalls, / I'm wasting my money in internet cafes / I miss my family I miss my friends but I can't go back... / I'm not ready yet / I'm wasting my time on long distance phonecalls / I'm wasting my money in internet cafes / I miss my family I miss my friends but I can't go back / I'm not ready yet to join the army / I miss my family I miss my friends but I can't go back / I'm not ready yet to settle down, I want to run around / I miss my family I miss my friends but I can't go back / I'd rather stay a little bit more abroad...abroad / but I miss my family and I miss my friends.



2."It..s June again"

Can you feel the change in the air? / now days are growing longer / and wine comes in bottles that we carry / to drink on terraces / and short sleeves are back in style / to show parts of naked flesh / hormone levels are high / I feel itchy between the legs

nights are getting sleepless / tossing and turning on your bed / can..t close an eye before the dawn / and touching yourself is futile

..cause it..s June again! / and it..s time for love / don..t be alone now / it..s June again / find a boy or a girl / to spend the summer in the city / if you..re clever you can catch a ship / and sail away to some island / ..cause winter will be back soon / and you will be sorry

it..s the time of the season for me / the time to leave the past behind / the time to forgive and forget / the time to find time / to begin one more time

..cause it..s June again / and it..s time for love / whan i saw you dancing / I told to myself / you could be this year..s man / to spend the summer in the city! / ...and won..t you come home with me? / I ..m dying to go down on you / and then we could some spooning

I..ll see you tomorrow / and the day after and next week / and I start visualising / that I take you in my car to that beach / close to my parents..house / where I always go with... / summertime boyfriends! / it..s June again! / thank God it..s June again! / thank God it..s June again!

I already know how it goes on / we will take the ship to go to the islands / I will have a taste of your salty back / we will fuck awckwardly in a tent / but it feels all-right

we will fall asleep under the stars / and we will take loads of photos to tie us together / when the first rains come / and as the days grow colder we..ll seek shelter under shared blancets

December is already here and you..ll buy me / the best xmas gift I was ever been given / and what a way to start a New Year! / screwing our brains out after a drugged up / New Year..s eve!

spring flowers up / but doubt already lingers / shall we break up for boredom or a touch of pain? / but can you feel it, can you sense it in the air? / summer..s coming, don..t tell me I have to do it all over again!

it..s June again, and it..s time for love / it..s June again, and it..s time for love / it..s June again, and if you..re still here / that means there is a hope / that means there is a hope / that means there is a hope / that means there is a hope to break this circle / of endless summer boyfriends!

but only if you stay till next June / only if you stay till next June...



3."Straydog"

When we met you had a straydog with you, tied on a leash / you asked me to take you home, I said I could not possibly do it, / 'cause my parents wouldn..t ever want / a straydog, filthy and full of fleas on their sofa / but I couldn..t resist your brown eyes / so I took in both of you, I took in both of you / through the back door / you were a straydog yourself, you were found in the park / looking hungry and lonely and beaten up, / I took you home, tied your wounds, gave you a warm bath and two arms / to hold you through the night. / they say when a stray dog looks at you / in his brown eyes you can see his past, his gratitude / and unconditional love....and that's how you seemed to look at me / that's how you seemed to look at me / that's how you seemed to look at me.

I had finally a friend to spend the winter with / you liked to play a lot and lick my salty tears / I even put you in my bed, much to my parents complaints / but soon you turned out to be more of a capricious poodle / than a friendly mongrel / and started showing your teeth! / I thought I'd found unconditional love but this straydog bit me hard / so I gave you a kick in the arse, so I gave you a kick in the arse / I gave you a kick in the arse and I let you go...

...but then we met again,after a long long time and once more / you were with a stray dog / you asked me to take you home I said no no, no I couldn't do it! / 'cause my flatmates wouldn't ever want / a dirty canine full of fleas in our home
but as far as I'm concerned, I'd still let you in, / I'd still let you in / through the back door ...through the back door.... / through the back door...how could I say no to a straydog? / how could I say no to a straydog? / how could I say no to a straydog?



4. "Transylvania"

In a land beyond forests / in a land of haunted souls / in a land where the sun never shines / I looked for you

in a land of wet dreams / in a land of nightmares / in a land of a thousand nightclubs / I looked for you

I drank my heart out, I blew my mind away / I fell asleep on stranger's floors / I met a lot of friends along the way / owls, bats, wolves, foxes and nightingales / and I kept on with a fire inside , inside it..s all inside!

and just to see your smile / it would make it all worthwile / but how far can I go? / how far can I go? / and will I be the last to know?

I was told that your kiss can kill a man / that your kiss can make the dead ones rise again! / I was told that your wings would give me wings / to fly above the world and float around!

I soon found out that your castle was upon the steepest hill / and the rocky path was not to be trusted / so I stayed down blowing my mind away with a fire burning inside / oh inside, inside, it's all inside!

just to see your smile / it could make it all worthwile / but how far can I go? / how far can I go? / and will I be the last to know?

I..m stuck suspended in Transylvania

when I realised / I hadn't seen the sun for years / I knew something was wrong / I knew something was wrong / Goddamn, I was the last to know!



5. " Some nights are sleepless" / Some nights are sleepless / some nights you feel so small / your head is like a ballroom / ghastly thoughts are doing the waltz / yellow eyes and pointed ears / give shape to all your fears / on a night like this / don..t look under the bed! / ..cause it..s scary / some nights are ugly / some just rip you to the bone / memories are uninvited ghosts! / in the hours before the dawn

the hours love falls apart / the hours death pays a visit / on a night like this / your lover said "goodbye..." / and it was scary / some nights are sleepless / some nights you feel so small / you are doomed to stay awake / and just before the dawn / you will come up with ideas / and plans for a brighter future / after a nights like this / you see things more clearly...

and that..s scary...




6. "Long-lasting lovers"

Sometimes I can hardly stand you / sometimes you'd gladly kill me / I guess that's the prize we have to pay / for being so close / the way we met was vulgar or magic / I guess it depends in each one's point of view / one thing I know is that since that very night / we've never being apart for too long / sometimes we get tired, sometimes we get mad / I need more freedom and you need a better man / but in the end of the days we sleep like brothers / and the bed that we lay upon is sacred

'cause in a world that's so modern and fast / I'm so glad I found an old-fashioned man / who wants me to to meet his parents / and wants to live with me in a penthouse / closer to heaven.

I had a terrible dream last night / our love was the flame of a candle / a tiny torch in the darkness / it could be put out by the slightest breeze

I set a fire with it / that way it could not be put out / but the fire grew out of control / so we got trapped in flames

last thing I saw were your terrified, questioning eyes / "i did not mean to betray us" I said / " I just couldn't watch us fading away / so I'd rather die with you / I 'd rather die with you in flames!"

I woke up with you kissing my face / you'd never seen me crying / so I guess you got worried
"what's the matter baby?" you asked me in your husky voice / "I don't know...I don't know....."


7. "Ru Ru I..d love to..."


Oh I dedicate to you / every girl-group song, every doo-wop song / anything moody or soulfoul, anything swinging, anything groovy...

the sound of being young, / the sound of being in an out of love (and fool!) / the sound of being sixteen  (but you..re not!) / if only  you could hold my hand...only if you..d hold my hand!


Ru Ru Ru Ru Ru! I want a boy like you! / Ru Ru Ru Ru Ru! I want a boy like you! / Ru Ru Ru Ru Ru! I want a boy like you! / Ru Ru I ..d love to... but you never seem to care / you always play it cool and this fact I just can't bear

I don't even recall / if we kissed before or after the Beatles song / and I don't remember our ride back home / but I do remember being inside of you / it felt like heaven, that expression on your face / keeps bringing spring into my step / but you're the wild kind I bet / confusion..s all I ever get

Ru Ru Ru Ru Ru! I want a boy like you! / Ru Ru Ru Ru Ru! I want a boy like you! / Ru Ru Ru Ru Ru! I want a boy like you! uh uh uh! / Ru Ru I..d love to...  I get high every time we talk

I wanna squeeze and kiss you, I love the way you walk! / ( but how does he look like?) / well, he is pencil-slim / (aha!) / not exactly gorgeus but cute as a boy can be / (mmm...) / he does the shake like no-one does / (wow!) / I wish he would take me out to dance! / he's so smart, he is well-red and knows tons about music! / (cool!) / and yeah, he is kind of dirty in bed / ( mmm!) / if  I could be in his head / if I could make him understand that...

Ru Ru Ru Ru Ru! I want a boy like you! / Ru Ru Ru Ru Ru! I want a boy like you! / Ru Ru Ru Ru Ru! I want a boy like you!

oh darling our story is all ups and downs / one minute I'm on fire / next minute you give me the cold shower / I can never make you stay / nothing but a heartache every day!

Ru Ru I ..d love to...but you never seem to care / you always play it cool and this fact I just can't bear!

you said that we had to stop! / I said no! we had not even started! / my romantic dreams all gone down the drain / but don't expect from me to cry in the rain / a good and faithful friend of yours I can always stay / someone just to write music to / one last time I..m telling you / you..ll never ever see me sad and blue


Ru Ru Ru Ru Ru! I want a  boy like you! / Ru Ru Ru Ru Ru! I want a  boy like you! / Ru Ru Ru Ru Ru! I want a boy like you! / Ru Ru Ru Ru Ru! I want a  boy like you! / Ru Ru Ru Ru Ru! Ruben I..d love to... / oh I..d love to...oh I..d love to!!! / pity it won't be you! / ...still I dedicate to you / every girl-group song / every doo-wop song....



8. "Antarctica"

Ice ice ice ice ice ice ice / millions of years old / and all around an ocean
full of life / krill and fish and penguins and seabirds and seals / and whales

so much life around a cold empty heart / so much life around a cold empty heart / so much life around a cold empty heart / so much life around a cold empty heart

don..t try to heat me up baby / it..s dangerous / the atmosphere is getting warmer / the ice melts / an iceblock was parted from the icecup
and collapsed / and 10.00 penguins met death / in the cold water

Venice is drowning! Venice is drowning! / soon Holland will be under waves / and what will come next? / oh what will come next? / oh what will come next? / oh what will come next?

I..ve been sleeping a cold sleep for about / a billion years / I..ve been calm and alone for about / a billion years / I..ve been without dreams for about / a billion years / now what will come next if you keep heating me up like this / with your love?

now what will come next if you keep heating me up like this / with your love? / now what will come next if you keep heating me up like this / with your love?


10.00 penguins met death / in the cold for your love! / Venice is drowning,soon, Holland will be under the waves / for your love / the Empire State will be the only thing visible from / what used to be Manhattan / and Mount Fuji will be a solemn island in the / Pacific Ocean / for your love!

..cause the whole world is drowning in a wet dream for your love

for your love!
so much life around a cold empty heart / so much life around a cold empty heart / and what will come next if you keep heating me up like this? / oh what will come next if you keep heating me up like this... with / your love?



9. "I want to be there"

I want to be there when crying will be over / I want to be there when your eyes will be dry again / you..ve been lost for a long time baby / and your head has been full of smoke

you bought fancy new clothes / you bought a ton of records / the latest i-pod, even a flat / but nothing seemed to work

and we had to part / you took the slide down alone / I was not good for you / or maybe no-none could be / and you need me to stay away / and it..s so cold, the coldest winter in a million years / but don..t you agree / that the seeeds that you..re planting now / will flower next spring... / you..re gonna be hunky-dory / baby don..t worry / but let me stay close , simply because

I want to be there when your panda eyes will be from / dancing all-night long / not from crying

I want to be there when you..ll be shaking your hips / on the dance floor / just like you did / the night I met you / and I want to be there when your lips will be forming that / perfect smile / that used to light my days / and I want to be there when all the pretty boys in town / will be falling in love with you / just like I ..d do....

I want to be there / I want to be there to see your flowers bloom



10. "Red is the sky above the harbour"

Red red red is the sky above the harbour / I have a dream of sailors and a lady just barely dressed / I have a dream that tastes like oxidized metal and red wine / and smells of seaweed and sweat / corroded iron in my mouth and a rock between my legs / as we get to know each getting drunk in bars / and a minute just before they take us oh! back home / I can hear the lady blonder than an angel singing

la la la la la la la la....

red red red is the sky above the harbour / while the sailors kiss us, the sailors undress us / they sailors take us far away / they show us an ocean deep and wide / they sail us to the end of the world / and did you know the world is not really round at all / in fact we reached the part where it pours down down down into the / Universe / and we took a glimse of the abyss / and the minute just before / I let myself fall and die in pleasure / I can hear a lady blonder than an angel singing

la la la la la la la la ....

red red red was the sky above the harbour / now it's black, lit by a killing moon / the sailors slap us! the sailors beat us! / blood ,sweat, tears and cum / they make me fuck you my dear lady / strangely I like it so I keep my hard-on / while one of them is giving me hard time from behind... / the sheets are manic waves / and these men..s bodies leviathans / but you, like a siren, you can tame the monsters / my dear lady blonder than an angel singing

la la la la la la la la

blue blue blue now is the sky above the harbour / I open my eyes but I still can feel my beautiful sailors / with thighs stronger than mine and arms stronger than mine / they could suffocate me in a deadly hug but no! / this did not happen to me...but a friend came by to see me / he had a blackened eye and he could hardly walk / and sported a wining smile upon his face! / and as the day unfolds I can't wait for the night to come / so I can go to sleep and dream my sailors and my lady singing:

lalalalalalalala / lalalalalalalala / just take me to the end of the world / just take me to the end of the world / and did you know? the world is not really round / the world is not really round at all.... / the world is not really round at all!

lalalala / lalalalalalalala! / lalalalalalalala! / lalalalalalalala.... / red red red is the sky above the harbour.....



11.".....Cause I shall rise again"

When I died / I was at my best friend..s house / we had gathered one more time / to drink the night away / Evi was dancing alone / Jim and Olive snogging / there was Alex dressed in drag / Christine and Lena giggling / but it was really late / and I was really tired / I slipped away listening to their voices / and I was smiling

when I died / they had a party in my parent..s garden / with barbeque and paper cups / and loads loads loads of wine / Panos got my mummy drunk / and Sofie danced with my father / Marina made killer vodca shots / and our David was dj-ing / he played my favourite song / "teenager in love" / they knew i..d be all right so / no-one shed a tear / and I was smiling


when I died / they buried me in hillside / facing the sea / away from the cemetery / the first months my friends were coming / to have picknicks there / they..d get stoned / and they..d get drunk and would tell me / all the hot new stuff about town / now only field mice / are playing around me / but I got seabreeze, open skies / and I am not afraid of time anymore / so I..m smiling

I..m smiling, I..m smiling / I..m smiling / ......cause I will rise, I will rise, I will rise.... / again!

hahahahahahahahhaha



12."Gregory (we..re coming out in the light!)"

It seemed so wrong long ago / it seemed so wrong long ago / even my best friends didn't know / I had to hide it all inside

it seemed so wrong long ago / it seemed so wrong long ago / everything was written in a diary / hidden under the bed

all top-secrets and thoughts / swallowed in for so long / oh they built up and caused / a volcanic reaction / a new land is born / and I can't believe I am on it right now

it doesn't seem wrong anymore / it doesn't seem wrong anymore / I'll tell all my friends about it / the words are just pouring from my mouth

it doesn't seem wrong anymore / it doesn't seem wrong anymore / to look you straight in the eyes / to bounce like a puppy by your side, / no, it doesn't seem that wrong

people are going to say " boy you will get cold" / I know I'll have my fair share of cynisism / but at the moment I can't think of future pains / I am 3 metres tall and crazy and brave....

it is not wrong anymore / it is not wrong anymore / they way I hold you tight / the way you drive me crazy all through the night

it is not wrong anymore / it is not wrong, not at all / to say these words I was hiding inside / inside for so long / in my diary, can I show it to you? / I saved these three words for you / and only for you / after a thousand years in the dark in the cold / I wasted my nails away / but I finally opened a hole / and I..m coming out!

don't make me say it loud / it would spoil the moment / just let me come closer and whisper....

I love you / I love you / I love you / and it's the first time / we..re coming out in the light / we..re coming out in the light / we..re coming out in the light / we..re coming out in the light!

it will end in tears (we..re coming out in the light!) / it won't last for years (we..re coming out in the light!) / but I will never forget the high of this first time / we're coming out in the light! / we're coming out in the light! / we're coming out in the light! / we're coming out in the light!

don't let it go away (we're coming out in the light!) / don't let it fade away (we're coming out in the light!) / don't let it slip away 'cause it's the first time ( the first time!) / we're coming out in the light!

I have the impression that Jonathan Richman must be a very amusing man- he often sings about his friends and about having fun and parties, especially spontaneous ones. He sings about " a new kind of neighbourhood" where the neighbours " stare but they don't frown". He sings about the block parties of the sixties and gets nostalgic and concludes "We need more parties in the U.S.A". He sings about playing the tag game or banging conga drums and you imagine him between twenty people all dancing and handclapping and doing backing vocals. And the truth is that he is right. I cannot think of better thing than going to good party in your neighbourhod.

Yesterday I was lucky to be invited to play on one of the most beautiful places I have ever played- a rooftop! A friend was moving into her new flat and she threw an housewarming party, concerts included. The plan was quite simple. Myself and fellow band Abrevadero would provide music, Anna (the hostess) would provide drinks and her rooftop, a vast and wonderful space on top of a six-storey building in the heart of the Raval neighbourhood in Barcelona and on the same block as my house! Good friends and a wonderful summer sky would do the rest.

Of course I was delighted to play there. After a hot and sticky day what else could be better than playing a gig wearing tennis shorts in front of people who are sitting on the floor sipping cold martinis and vodkas under a sky that beautiful? I was having so much fun that I ended up giving a lengthy concert, presenting new material and doing versions of Marianne Faithfull, Marlene Dietrich and Jonathan Richman ("That summer feeling" is THE definite summer song-and I had to play it reading the lyrics from a sheet of paper that was about to fly away in the wind). Marisol and Mark (from Abevadero) sang some songs with me and did some ocasional handclaps.

Then it was Abrevadero's turn to play. Abrevadero is a peculiar group. Apart from guitar, bass and drums they play various bizarre or funny instruments (musical saw, banduria, whistles, mouth harps, bells, toy melodica and toy accordion). They define themselves as a "covers band" but they end up sounding terribly original as they are able to turn relatively well-known songs into tunes that sound deliciously unrecognizable. They can make Simian Mobile Disco's "We are your friends" sound like Tom Waits, Vampire Weekend's "Oxford coma" sound like alternative country and "Leader of the pack" by Shangri-Las sound like the Moldy Peaches. On top of that all the members are very cute and the singers, Mark and Laura, as well as Luis, do funny dance routines that make them seem even cuter.

When they started playing we were all already a little bit drunk. So there was a lot of goofy dancing, handclaps, lip synching to the songs (very few of us knew the exact lyrics by heart) and toasts to the hostess who had offered us such an amusing evening.

After a while the alcohol ran out and the concert suddenly stopped. We had to wait for half an hour for Anna to come back from the liquor store. It started raining but it lasted like 3 minutes, so pretty soon the concert began again and the second part was even better that the first (crowd participation and all!). In the end they invited me to join them and we played completely out of tune and rythmless versions of "Too drunk to dream" by Magnetic Fields, "Teenager in love" by Dion & the Belmonts and "Be my baby" by the Ronettes, plus some doo-wop tune the name of which I can't even remember. Nevermind. There was a lot of "shooba doobas", "shalalas", hanclaps, maracas,
a split-in-half coconut, whistles. I think Jonathan might have liked it after all.

The party ended for me at one–thirty as I had to wake up early today but a lot of people stayed there till late (the police arrived at some point eventually and spoilt it all). I went to sleep quite dizzy and today I have funny memories of a girl holding the lyrics to "That Summer Feeling" while I was singing it, so that it would not fly away, Marta proposing marriage, another girl taking photos standing on the edge of the rooftop, giving me vertigo, the neighbours watching from the windows without calling the police, Anna's boyfriend telling me that my music reminds him of a Broadway musical.

Now I am at the office, light years from the night before. I would like to thank our hostess and Abrevadero and everyone who made yesterday night so special.

Jonathan is right- after all we are starving for affection. We need more parties. We need new kind of neighbourhoods, friendly and tolerant. That summer feeling is gonna haunt us for the rest of our lives.

...it is already Monday, 2.53 in the morning. Needless to say I woke up at 6 o..clock ...and that is because yesterday I went to Faraday festival. I discovered it only last year because we were invited to play there...and my summers will never be the same again.
Forget anything you have ever known about summer festivals.....forget big stages, huge crowds, excesive merchandizing, long queues or losing your friends among thousands of people. Faraday Festival is small but it has a big heart. It takes place on July in Vilanova i la Geltru, a small seaside town 50 minutes from Barcelona.The site is the garden of an old mansion, built on steep rocks overlooking a wide sandy beach.
You can expect a fine selection that combines legendary artists like Momus or Robyn Hitchcock with emerging-and-on-the-verge-of taking-the-world cases as El Guincho ....or the Pipettes 2 years before. In between there is space for beloved international artists as Jens Lekman last year and local groups like Mishima .Add to this a handfull of very good djs (among them my favourite Our Favourite Club!) that play everything between indie hits and soul stompers, spanish yeye and electropop and you have the perfect plan for the weekend.....
....But frankly, for me music a a secondary thing in this particular festival. It is only a soundtrack to a summernight filled with friends and laughter, dancing , running up and down the garden, falling in love or simply falling after a not-so-good dance piruette ...From time to time some girlfriend of yours disappears and then reappears after a while and in between giggles she confesses that she went down to the beach to snog with a guy , like teenagers do. At some point you find yourself dancing to the Exciters embraced with a couple....your boyfriends finds you after 10 minutes of being apart, squezes you and with the cutest face in the world says "I thought I had lost you forever..." ...or you just lay on the grass, looking at the pine trees or at the reflection of the moon in the sea. Sounds like Paradise....and it is actually! Of course after this dose of heaven, going back to normal life is quite painful and you need at least 4 days to get yourself together...but everything has a price in this life, hasnt it?


Now that is is over one more time I cant help but feel a little bit sad and wish to be able to go back there next year.
Jonathan Richman once sang " ...that summer feeling is gonna haunt you the rest of your life..."...and Faraday festival is THAT summer feeling.

TIME ENOUGH FOR ROCKING WHEN WE'RE OLD

(the text was written sometimes in winter 2008)

Our first recording of 2008 was a Magnetic Fields cover. A song from the band's emblematic "69 Love Songs".

When I first thought about recording a Magnetic Fields cover from that particular album, it was quite a nightmare deciding which one I should choose. There are dozens of songs that I love and the truth is that the one I finally chose to cover was not even one of my very favourites. But still it started lingering in my head, demanding my attention, making other apparently more obvious choices among Magnetic Fields songs fade out. Till recently this particular song had only been in the lower positions of my long ATFSMS list (stands for All Time Favourite Stephin Merritt Songs). Then something happened and changed my mind.
I was in Athens. It was the end of December. I ended up at a girlfriend's house at 3 in the morning on a Tuesday night. I had taken out 2 wisdom teeth just the day before and as a result I had a terribly swollen mouth, I could not drink nor smoke but of course I had been out all night. I drank just orange juice through the whole evening but who cares when you are in your hometown among friends and when David-my favourite dj ever maybe??- is djing at Pop bar?
The night was quite sad though. Bad news had spread among friends of mine and everyone seemed altered. The scent of a terrible and inevitable loss was everywhere.

When I went home with my friend we decided to smoke a joint and eat some gargantuan pies and listen to the Velvet Underground's third album. After raving for half an hour about why Moe Tucker is the coolest musician on earth (and Yo la tengo's Georgia Humbley her heiress) we started craving Magnetic Fields. I guess neither of us had listened to "69 love songs" for ages but now, almost 10 years after its release , we decided to let the sounds of our late teens-early adult days soothe our ears and sore hearts.
And that's exactly what we did. And every very song was a trip back to another time…

….my "Magnetic Fields days" were when I was between 19 and 22.The first thing I knew about them was a lyric that broke my heart: "Don't look away, we can never be lovers, there's one chance to take there won't be any others, I'll be spending my life with your eyes like a knife in my heart". I red it in a fanzine, on my bus trip returning to Athens from Thessaloniki. Outside it was cloudy, my long weekend had ended and I knew I wouldn't see my Thessaloniki friends for quite a a while, I had a Blueboy seven inch in my bag and I was feeling ….well….hopelessly romantic, in the innocent, unshameful way we used to feel those days. Blame Sarah records and Morissey for that!
A year later a friend of mine (with whom I was well, hopelessly in love back then!) put "All the umbrellas in London" on a mixtape. After a while I bought "Get lost" and then "69 love songs " came out and then I just turned crazy and bought everything I could find. It was a turning point in my life back then . I had just met new friends , I was coming to terms with my sexuality (a wonderful and at the same time spooky new world was opening before my eyes) , I was sleeping on people's couches or floors too often 'cause I did not feel like going back to my suburban family home, I had terrible fights with my parents and I was feeling quite restless and hungry for anything…but I was still quite reserved and totally naive…I was having late teenage dramas and heartaches and my smoking and drinking habits were growing dangerous, and then, as the Shangri-Las would put it, "Like a child without a toy…and then a Miracle! A boy! And that's called GLAD".
I met someone. During 2 years the Magnetic Fields and their family were the soundtrack of that love affair, for good and bad. When the story ended, I had to move on in every way. There was no place for weeping any more and Magnetic Fields were put aside during a time. When the wound was healed, I came back to them but it was never the same.



….All this came to my mind this cold December Tuesday night. A flashback to a time long gone. As if we were looking at old photographs where we appear with a better looking skin and without panda eyes but certainly less wise and with worse clothes!

And then "Time enough for rocking when we're old" came on. My friend said something like "isn't it ironic ? we are listening to this while we know that some of us will never live enough to grow old…". And suddenly I knew that someone would surely not get to the point of rocking "all day in rocking chairs of gold"....

This cover is a farewell for those who left early. I dearly hope there's "time enough for sex and drugs in heaven" for them, a huge eternal party.

…and for those who are left behind… "Tonight I think I'd rather just go dancing."


Our  cover and all the covers that various artists did on  Magnetc Fields..songs can be downloaded free here:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=18256924&blogID=365739321

enjoy!

OUR FAVOURITE CLUB (out of this world and into my heart and soul)

The resurrection of Our Favourite Club took place on Friday 18 of January, in Poble Nou, Barcelona. I cannot say I am a veteran of that particularly good party. I wasn't there in its beginnings. In fact I have not ever been in the bar where it took place for the first times… it was far too underground for me. I had only heard some rumours about a, very hot and sweaty, monthly event where they played mostly sixties soul and pop (although our drummer Jaume already knew since he is a friend of the those who put it together… I should have listened too him!).

Last year, on a particularly drunken night, at last someone dragged me to what would turn out to be my favourite club, too. I had already been in the "venue" were it was taking place (some damp dungeons used as a rehearse space), but only in order to play music with a friend, never in a party. In order to enter you had to crawl beneath an iron door, go down a flight of stairs and walk along endless corridors only to end up in a series of small rooms that resembled caves. There you would find a microclimate of nearly deadly heat and humidity, dozens of music-loving nightcrawlers , cheap alcohol and very good music, mostly sixties soul, garage and pop. In the earlier hours some concerts would take place, too. The dancefloor was tiny and resembled more like a sauna, it reminded me of the movie "Bonjour Tristesse" where a young and beautiful Jean Seaberg dances in some underground club of Paris' Rive Gauche of the late fifties. You certainly had to have guts to keep on dancing under those circumstances. Apart from the heat, the floor was lethal and I personally fell a lot of times and was almost murdered by viciously dancing feet.

The most fun part of Our Favourite Club, apart from the music, is the fact that it is totally unpretentious, unlike a typical "sixties" party where everyone is too posey to undo their ties and stain their three piece suits. In fact everyone would get so fucked up that it would not be uncommon to see piles of people laying on the muddy floor, all covered with dirt, laughing hysterically after a failed dance figure that ended in a collective graceful fall. I remember once that it happened to me (or maybe wasn't just one time??) and shortly after my clothes became crispy from the mud that dried upon them (remember? It was so hot that everything liquid would evaporate in a matter of seconds).

For me, Our Favourite Club was also a theatre of lust and love. Every single month there would be a memorable scene… quite funny now that I recall them all. They were all, of course, totally alcohol-influenced. Love, or its very absence, or denial would pour from my every pore….I mean, how can you not fall in and out of love and totally believe you are in a teenage romantic drama when the soundtrack of the night consists of " I am a Believer", "Mr.Postman", "Runaway", "Wouldn't it be nice?", "Out of this world", "He's got the power", "All day and all of the night", "Let's spend the night together" ,"Do you love me?" and as a final stroke "Be my baby"? You would have to have a heart of stone.

In July, Our Favourite Club was the closing act of the unforgettable Faraday Festival in Villanova I la Geltru. We played live there and it was quite paradisiacal! Imagine a small festival taking place in the gardens of a large early 20th century villa overlooking an enormous beach. With artists such as Jens Lekman playing live under the moon just for a few hundred people…. brilliant. Anyway, the closing party took place in a part of the garden shadowed by pine trees and with a grassy ground that was totally not permitting wild dances and that almost killed my poor Chelsea boots. The moon was high up in the sky, colouring the sea with its silver light, and the beat was definitely right. I'd love to believe that anybody who danced fiercely that night, fell to the ground, or got a kiss to those songs our parents once danced, will never forget it. I never will.

In late 2007, after serious damages that took place in the subterranean venue (after another memorable party), Our Favourite Club had to stop for a while. Last week it opened once again in a proper (although still quite shabby) club. I was lucky enough to be invited to dj alongside Sergi (from the group Le Pianc) and Miqui and Dani who are the regular djs and masters of ceremony… It was definitely fun and packed as always. That time I was quite anxious about playing music so I behaved myself and did not get too drunk, I did not fall to the floor, I maintained my clothes relatively clean and tidy till the end, etc, etc… Most of the time I just stayed in the dj booth or some corner, watching my friends with a little bit of jelaousy, drive themselves crazy. But beware… next time I am going to kiss the floor once more …

-Are you ready?
-Yeah!
-All right now! One two, one two three!!!

TARARARA! TARARARA! TARARARAAAAARARARARARAAAAAARARARARARA!

Out of this world indeed…

Athens could have been prettier than Paris and Barcelona could have been cooler than Berlin but that will never be. There is a very simple reason for this: Barcelona is turning into Disneyland. It is becoming a pleasant but false city, dedicated to the pleasures of the tourists (especially those who own fat wallets…) whereas those who live here are ignored (at least if they are under 45 years old…). Whatever is considered ugly or unpleasant or decadent by the authorities (whatever is simply interesting or fun I would say!) is eliminated sooner or later.
A handful of examples? A lot of bars have been closed down and those who remain open cannot have disc jockeys anymore or live bands playing. You will get fined if you dare to drink beer on the beach or in the street (except if you are with a bunch of foreign hooligans in La Rambla, outside a pub, pissing on the street and shouting…then you are untouchable!) . Those who ride bicycles are facing a lot of new inconveniences… And most important of all, all those magnificent empty old industrial buildings that housed all forms of artistic expression because of the large spaces and the low rents are now turning into luxury residencies or commercial centers or hotels. A whole neighborhood (Poble Neu) is turning into a financial districts and the artistic community who used to rent cheap lofts and paint, take photographs, produce audiovisuals, rehearse with their bands, dance, sculpt, throw parties or simply hang out there was left in the street.

That's how we lost our rehearsing studio last February, when we got kicked out because the building would be demolished. One year later the building is still there, waiting it's sad fate. We had a hell of a time in order to find a new space to rehearse.

A sad case is that of the studio in Riereta 10, in the old district of Raval. It was a space used by photographers, painters, graphic designers and illustrators, many of them good friends of mine. It was a place always full of activity, with the usual piles of interesting books and magazines stacked everywhere, the messy work desks, paint splashes all over the place and good music coming from someone's laptop. Now, those people who used to work there have to go. All the studios in the building have been evacuated and their doors are taped with cement so that no one can enter anymore.

I have some very fond memories of that place. Sometimes I would hang around there just for fun .Sometimes I would paint something or appear in some friend's video. Sometimes Jose or Marisol or Ico would try to take promotional photos of me and I would drive them crazy because I am unable to pose without closing my eyes or doing funny faces. Furthermore, in Riereta 10 we would spend every New Year's Eve. The kids would throw big parties were everyone would be too fucked up. Those parties would start with 12 people and would end up crowded as hell.

A few days before evacuating the studio, those who worked there decided to throw a 3 day farewell party. On the first day various people painted the walls, producing some really interesting work (and a lot of New Ravesque fluorescent calligraphy that is not my cup of tea exactly but who cares?).
On the second day there were concerts. I was invited to play and, I must admit, I was very reluctant, even bitchy, at the beginning because I was very tired. I was in bad humor and also there was no proper sound equipment. In the end Javi persuaded me. I arrived late and performed with Annie, Marisol and Nora in what ended to be one of our finest concerts. My voice was horribly wrecked and weak after several nights out in a row (and there were no microphones) but people in the audience just remained silent during the songs and enthusiastic afterwards. I felt so embarrassed of my previous reluctance. I have to apologize forever for being such a bitch! I am sorry Javi!

On the third day, New Year's Eve, there was a big party as usual. It started as a dinner among friends (we called it the Toulouse invasion because it was full of French people from Toulouse who brought delicious food) but as the night was on its way,all kinds of people kept arriving and in the end it got so crowdy that Marisol started asking everyone who the fuck had invited them and stating that any man who was not heterosexual and single would not be accepted. Me and her were forced to stay in one corner, watching people that we had never seen in our lives occupying every single square inch of standing ground. Inside the studio the temperature and the air density was approaching the conditions of a sauna….going to the bathroom was totally out of question. One thing that, strangely, remained available almost throughout the whole night was alcohol! People danced as though they were possessed, snogged wildly, and Guillaume almost took off his clothes to Nancy Sinatra. Yeah, it was definitely fun…

At some point, really late, me and my lover found a hole in the wall and sneaked into another studio, one that had already been abandoned and had its door already blocked. The place was silent and dusty . Corpses of broken furniture and canvasses were laying everywhere. The first pale sunlight was entering from the broken windows, forming patterns on the dirty wooden floor. Next door the party was still going on but in this room, it was like having entered in another dimension. It was peaceful, it was beautiful and it was sad.

After a while we returned to the party and stayed there until only a dozen or so people remained; hugging one another on the sofa and saying their last farewell. The sun was already in the sky. The previous years I had gone home before the dawn but this year it was different. This year it was OUR LAST TIME IN RIERETA 10.

Just remember… we only want places where we can live, get inspired, create and socialize. And do not underestimate the importance of fun. Every intelligent form of life needs it (just think it the next time you get furious because your cat has ruined the curtains, your dog has eaten your shoes or your ferret is bouncing on the walls, driving you crazy. Maybe you should have a goldfish after all). Barcelona does not need more luxury hotels and office blocks and houses for millionaires. As Jonathan Richman once sang…WE NEED MORE PARTIES !