MAQUILLAJE PARA EL ALMA

Last night I was particularly sad and depressed. I guess I had too many things or people on my mind… I don’t know. So, when my friend called and asked if he and his girlfriend could drop by to meet the baby, I somehow felt my soul let out a big “whoosh” of relief…

We have been friends forever… in fact, he is the only friend that has remained close for over 30 years… so we feel pretty comfortable around each other… and we have a very strong bond that has somehow kept our friendship fresh over the years: our mutual love of music.

As expected, he brought a CD he insisted I played and commented… but this time it wasn’t anything from Fleetwood Mac, Jethro Tull, ELP, El Ultimo de la Fila or La Ley… It was Mario Maisonave’s collection of newly remastered greatest hits… and as the firsts riffs of “Todo en Su Lugar” began to play… my adolescence quickly flashed before my eyes: playing risk or monopoly until the crack of dawn or until one of us dropped drunk (whichever came first), the quest for the perfect tuna salad (we tried everything - mayo, ketchup, mustard, worcestershire sauce, BBQ sauce, tabasco... whatever was at hand), dancing at Leonardo's (every Sunday afternoon), imitating Rob Halford (the singer from Judas Priest) at La Copa del Cafe (I put quite a show... too bad I got thrown out of the stadium... in retrospect, I should have waited until the set was over...), getting the "night club" experience (remember that night at Hollywood?), exploring the zona roja with Canuto, passing out on the sidewalk, streaking down the street, wearing punk make-up and bringing bones to a headbanger's ball... in short, my sweet romantic teenage nights...

Nena, todo esta…
El pelo en su lugar, el maquillaje sin correr…
Tu paso practicas,
En el espejo comprabas todas tu armas de mujer
Que linda Nena…

Wow… his voice surely sounds different… I would have never guessed it was him… Maybe Beto Cuevas... By the way, the other day I ran into “Empe” (Distorsion’s former keyboard player)… He looked fine and married... He’s a chemist now, I think… What about Javier?... Oh, so he finished his PhD in Genetics and got tenured at the Pasteur Institute in Paris… good for him… yeah… he was always the smart one of the group, wasn't him?... Remember how he was once considered the best bass player in Costa Rica… he even played with Distorsion, right?.. He also played with Morgue, Avenida Nadie, Ictus (whatever happened to Rafita? He had such a great voice), Liverpool, 50 al Norte… the boy got around

Nena, todo esta…
Y cada luna llena es ideal para cazar…
Que bien te alucinas y el pantalón te ajustas...
Se va a romper si te moves...

We saw Suite Doble in concert the other day… at a bar in San Pedro... we didn't even know they were playing there... Martita can really sing… She sang a couple of Madonna songs in English… perfectly… if you closed your eyes, you wouldn’t even notice the difference… Remember when we used to hang out at Amalgama rehearsals?… I still have the “Holocausto Siglo XX” 45 somewhere… No… I never really liked how Jarquim sings… she lacks something... I still think “San Lucas” was a remarkable song though… lots of potential… but when they cut the 45… the production was shitty… what a bummer!

A veces te sentis mal,
Pero vos no vas a sufrir – siempre hay algo que tomar
Nunca te aburris, oh no..
Y hay muchos chicos que por vos darian su auto...
Asi es mejor!

Gotta tell you… this CD sounds pretty fucking amazing… better than most things I have heard from here… yeah… we have had some great bands… but shitty production always kills them... Tango India’s “Azul”, Gandhi’s “El Invisible”, Pato’s “Fragil”, El Parque’s “Juana Escobar”, Suite Doble’s “Al Final” or “Profanar”... even “San Lucas”, or Mario’s “Raquel”... they could all have been international hits.. but weren’t… the problem is that ticos stab each other in the back… we just don’t support our artists… did you know that Maisonave is promoting this CD in Guatemala and Mexico?… and he’s getting way more airplay than what we ever got in Costa Rica…

Que bien disimulas tus aventuras…
Vas a dar ejemplo de virginidad...
Nena todo esta... el pelo en su lugar
Pero tu ropa? Adonde fue a parar?

Capmany was a bad influence… at one point, everybody was trying to sing like him… and he could never actually sing… yeah… he was like the Tico version of Bob Dylan… Great songs but no voice at all... Café con Leche was great, right?... ah… but that was because of Leche… His death was horrible, don’t you think?... to burn yourself like that… ouch… yep… that guy was always stoned… but he was funny and smart… How many times did we sit for hours with them and Pato at the Pretil trying to fix the world with a guitar and a cangrejo dulce?... Those were happier days…

OK! Esta bien!
Que linda nena va a pasear
OK! Esta bien
Y que bien hablas Ingles...
OK! Esta bien
Todos te quieren pellizcar
OK! Esta bien
Pareces de la TV...

Dude! I can't believe they left out "El Ultimo Tren"! Bummer!