Latin music is dominating the global charts, a shift that wasn’t always the case. But there was Víctor Coyote (Víctor Aparicio Abundancia, born in Tuy, 68 years ago), first as a member of Los Coyotes and then forging his own path, blending rock and roll and punk with hotter rhythms.
Now, he’s releasing a compilation of his solo work, El propio (El Volcán Música), and revisiting a book of short stories, “based on real events” from Madrid’s La Movida scene, Cruce de perras (Autsaider). Music and literature combine with art, which has always been central to his life and livelihood – illustration and graphic design.
Q: Your lyrics suggest you have something to say, which isn’t always common.
A: I’ve always been concerned with social issues. My lyrics often reflect current events, and I’ve always enjoyed capturing everyday life, something that’s often looked down on, but it’s simply about telling the stories of what happens in the streets. I endeavor to follow the line of Rubén Blades or David Byrne. That said, I’m not against dance music.
Q: Dance music?
A: It’s always existed: dance lyrics have always been more direct, more frivolous, spicier. The “mueve tu cucu” has been around since New Orleans, and who knows where else. It seems absurd to analyze reggaeton lyrics as if they were Shakespeare.
Q: Do you believe in the devil, as one of your songs suggests?
A: I don’t believe in esotericism, but I do believe in the existence of evil. There’s a lot of bad people out there capable of causing harm, even if it takes effort. I don’t believe everything has a justification; there can be a will to harm.
Q: You also say that rock is dead and Puerto Rico got everyone “perreando.”
A: Puerto Rico has definitely dealt a blow to rock. It’s been on top for a long time, starting with Marc Anthony, then came reggaeton, Tego Calderón, Bad Bunny… The fury with which rock fans attack reggaeton is a symptom. They say reggaeton artists sing a certain way, as if Bob Dylan didn’t sing like a congested sheep. Plus, rock musicians have abandoned the polyrhythms that came from Black music and now follow a military rhythm.
Q: Almost everything comes from Black music.
A: The 20th century is the story of the acceptance of polyrhythms, that is, drums. A rock mixed with mambo emerged, the shuffle rhythm, more upbeat, and things like that. The Beatles started making Black music, noisy and rhythmic, and then ended up making things more similar to European music, like a minuet, than African music. Well, they also made some amazing records that way.
Q: You return to La Movida in your book… More Movida?
A: When I started writing it, people said, “Why are you writing this if you’re not interested in La Movida?” And I replied, “Well, maybe that’s why.” There’s been a revision of La Movida: we went from “the arrival of Spain in color” to “the four posh guys in Madrid.” Let’s not go crazy: the first version was false. In the 60s, Los Bravos already had much more international projection than Alaska y Dinarama, despite the dictatorship.
Q: There was pop music before.
A: Yes, despite the dictator, just as there was excellent cinema, like El verdugo [by Berlanga]. That rock was born with Kaka de Luxe or with Ramoncín is a lie. But it’s true that there was an explosion.
Q: And regarding the “four posh guys from Madrid”?
A: It’s true there were four posh guys from Madrid, but there were others who weren’t so posh, or who weren’t posh at all. Or who weren’t from Madrid.
Q: It was said to be something individualistic, hedonistic, and neoliberal.
A: That’s right. Any reference to political things or what the singer-songwriters had said was frowned upon. I am hedonistic, but I have no problem with [the Chilean protest song band] Quilapayún. I’m not neoliberal.
Q: Does the underground still exist?
A: Now, people don’t think that someone is no longer cool for selling a lot of records. And it’s been a long time since young music and rock have been groundbreaking. The bebop of jazz scandalized people, Miles Davis played some trumpet blasts to mess things up… That doesn’t happen with current jazz. In general, the fierceness has been lost.
Q: A lot of time has passed since La Movida… How do you feel about the passage of time?
A: When you go bald, for me it was around thirty, there’s a phase that worries you…. But then I thought that age shouldn’t be taken too seriously. I’m an classic guy. But there was a moment when I decided to become a salsa musician and, since salsa musicians can play until they’re 90, I don’t care.
Q: Another song: I’m a worker, I’m self-employed, I’m an artist. How’s work going?
A: In my day, it was supposed to be possible to live off music. I’ve never lived off music. I’ve been known at times, and relatively. But I’ve lived off other things, like graphic design, and illustration. As a freelancer, you always have to look for work.
Q: You say: “I was born when there was still a middle class.”
A: When I was a teenager, there was a middle class. Today, everyone says they’re middle class and are actually lower class. There’s a lower class that pretends, that wants to act rich, like The Great Pretender [the song by The Platters, later covered by Freddie Mercury].
Q: Didn’t people desire to appear rich before?
A: It was a more austere middle class. Then came a time when showing off began, appearing wealthy. When the real estate boom happened, my brother went to apply for a mortgage and the bank told him why didn’t he buy a BMW and include it in the mortgage. Despite the insistence, he had to refuse with all his might, even shouting. It’s a very childish thing.
Q: Is there a lot of childishness?
A: There are people who want to be 70 and still go out every night, being lively, without commitments, having a car that stands out…
Q: To be very from Madrid, sometimes it’s necessary to have come from elsewhere, like you.
A: Madrid, like so many cities, is becoming a pain. The hospitality industry is on edge, finding a beer at an affordable price is a deadly trap. Having all Starbucks and tourism is awful. Housing is terrible. But, despite everything, I think Madrid is a welcoming city, because of the people, and you can still discover places and neighborhoods that are good…
Q: Will the world end well?
A: Some people think war is a button, but it’s not a video game, as those influencers who live in Dubai and were scared stiff found out. War can bring us a lot of suffering. Blood, sweat, and tears.
