ROCK EN ESPAÑOL: THE LATIN ALTERNATIVE ROCK EXPLOSION by Saúl Hernández and Ernesto Lechner (Chicago Review Press, 2006). Excellent, if slightly dated introduction to alternative Latin music from Café Tacuba to Orishas.
THE SPEED OF DREAMS: SELECTED WRITINGS 2001–2007 by Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos (City Lights, 2007). Selection of lyrical and polemical writings from the Zapatista leader and Manu associate.
THE OPEN VEINS OF LATIN AMERICA: FIVE CENTURIES OF THE PILLAGE OF A CONTINENT by Eduardo Galeano (Serpent’s Tail, 2009). Classic political work, much admired by Manu – and the book Hugo Chavez chose to present to President Obama when they met.
DANCING WITH DYNAMITE by Benjamin Dangl (AK Press, 2010). Good analysis of grassroots movements in South America.
SANTERIA by Luis Manuel Núňez (Spring Publications, 1992). A practical guide to Afro-Caribbean magic.
AMEXICA by Ed Vulliamy (Bodley Head, 2010). Top-notch investigative journalist on Mexican narco gangs.
PLEASE KILL ME by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain (Abacus, 1997). Revealing and entertaining interviews with the major players of the Blank Generation. The best punk book, alongside England’s Dreaming by Jon Savage.
A RAGE IN HARLEM by Chester Himes (Penguin Classics, 2011). Hard-boiled detective story set in the mean streets of New York. This was the book Manu used in order to learn English.
THE I CHING (Penguin, 2003). The ancient Chinese divination manual and book of wisdom and Manu’s ‘favourite book’
In French
MANU CHAO, LE CLANDESTINO by Andy Verol (Pylone, 2009). A fairly comprehensive account of Manu’s life and times.
MANU CHAO, UN NOMADE CONTEMPORAIN by Véronique Mortaigne (Don Quichotte, 2012). A more expansive, literary book by Le Monde contributor Mortaigne.
MANU CHAO AND MANO NEGRA by Souâd Belhaddad (Librio, 2002). Short, sharp, amusing introduction.
MANU CHAO: DESTINATION ESPERANZA by Philippe Manche (Serpent à Plumes, 2007). Book of conversations with Manu.
Photo Credits
We have attempted to contact all copyright holders of images used in this book, though some are lost in the depths of time (and the post-punk scene in Paris). We apologise to anyone who has not been properly credited and ask that they contact the publishers so that we can amend this in any future edition of this book.
Youri Lenquette: p.4; p.13; p.78; p.87; p.94; p.103; p.119; p.128; p.133; p.145; p.159; p.182; pp.188–189;
Manu Chao: p.16.
Ramón Chao: p.18; p.21; p.167.
El Mano (from Mano Negra book): p.83; p.99; p.109; p.112; p.116 (David Lorapido).
Renaud Letang: p.172.
Getty Images: p.201; p.211; p.282.
Because Music: p.239.
Peter Culshaw: p.215; p.246; p.272; p.295; p.309; p.320; p.323.
Wozniak (from the books Manu & Chao and Sibérie M’Etait Contéee): p.224; p.311.
JJ Medina: p.228.
Roxanne Haynes: p.279; p.284.
Maria Santos: p.292; p.307.
Marc Fernández: p.255.
Francina Islas: p.263.
Juan-Carlos Rincón: p.265.
Acknowledgements
A thousand thanks are due to Andy Morgan, who co-wrote the first three chapters. A couple of years into the project, I had a lot of material but was frankly confused whether it was a biography, a travelogue or some mutant hybrid. With ninja-like powers, Andy immediately saw the wood from the trees and, with unflagging enthusiasm and empathy, got the whole thing moving forward. A particular problem I had encountered was the early Paris years of Manu’s various bands, and the alternative scene of the 1980s, about which there wasn’t much available material. Andy had lived in the city in the 1980s, knew this background, and came with me to Paris and translated numerous interviews. His forthcoming book on the Sahara and its music (Andy managed Tinariwen for a decade) will be essential reading.
I’m hugely grateful, too, to my editor, publisher and fellow Manu enthusiast, Mark Ellingham at Serpent’s Tail, who, using the (possibly apocryphal) Galician proverb ‘One man’s butcher is another man’s surgeon’, expertly fine-tuned the book to where it is now. He also had the vision to sign it in the first place. The team at Serpent’s Tail and Profile have also been impressive in their dedication – notably Anne-Marie Fitzgerald, Pete Ayrton and Penny Daniel, while Nikky Twyman proofread beyond her wildest imaginings. My agent Kevin Conroy Scott and his team at Tibor Jones are due much gratitude as well – and Kevin was instrumental in the book happening, brokering a deal in the un-agent-like environs of a Peckham squat gig. Sophie Lambert at his office gave useful tips on the book. Marcus O’Dair read the book as it went along (I read his excellent Robert Wyatt biography in return) and sharpened up the text and encouraged me.
The book would not exist without the support of the team around Manu, especially his manager Emmanuel de Buretel, Jenny Adlington in London and Luc Sarrabezolles in Paris, all of whom were hugely helpful and generous with their time. Andres Garrido was particularly kind, hospitable and good-humoured and put me up more than once in Paris. Jenny was fabulously supportive throughout.
It would take too much space to credit all the people who helped in the many countries I visited in pursuit of Manu, but I would like to thank his road manager, Paget Williams, for letting me on the bus; and without Francina Islas, I would have been completely lost in the Western Sahara.
I’d like to thank all the scores of interviewees – notably François Bergeron, Bernard Batzen, Jackie Berroyer and Manu’s father Ramón – who gave their time with amazing generosity. Tom Darnell should win some kind of prize for sitting through at least seven hours of interviews one day in Paris. Maria Santos was more than helpful and, as one of the first readers, her comments on the draft book were invaluable. The photographers, who contributed greatly to the book, are credited separately – but the images of Youri Lenquette, who took the cover shot and has photographed Manu since his early days in Mano Negra, are outstanding. The book’s designer Henry Iles turned it into the handsome object you are holding. And thank you to Jacek Wozniak, Manu’s artistic co-pilot, for the cover title lettering.
I would not have met Manu without being commissioned by Caspar Llewellyn Smith at the Telegraph and then at the late-lamented Observer Music Monthly, who sent me to Barcelona and the US. Other editors who let me write about Manu included Tom Horan at the Telegraph and Simon Broughton and Jo Frost at Songlines. Roger Short and James Parkin got me to do a BBC Radio 3 programme on Manu and sent me to Paris.
Closer to home, my father and his partner Pauline Law put me up several times, and I would like to thank them for their hospitality and my father for his love and support. Quayside in Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk was a beautiful bolthole.
The book probably wouldn’t exist without Michelle Anslow, who tolerated writerly moodiness, came up with excellent suggestions and was unfailingly magnificent.
Finally, of course, I must thank Manu Chao, who put up with my intrusive questions and getting in the way on tour in several different countries. His positive energy remains an inspiration. Thank you, Manu. May all your travels be full of truth and beauty.
Index
Figures in italics refer to captions.
A
“A Cosa” 303
Absolut Vodka 196
AC/DC 324
Actuel (magazine) 51
Aerosmith 70
“African Witch” 58
Africando 178
Afro-Cuban All Stars 283
Agence Française D’Action Artistique, L‘ (AFAA) 108, 125, 132
Air 234
Aitzi 262, 264, 265
AK-47 282
Akli D 260, 262, 269
Al Jazeera 310–11
Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM) 179, 260
Albarn, Damon 275
Aldo 144
Alenco prison, Mexico City 283
Algeria 16, 17, 196, 258–69
Algerian war (1954-62) 38, 269
All Or Nothi
ng label 57
Alliance Française 82
Almodóvar, Pedro 164
Álvarez, Saul ‘El Canelo’ 274
Álvarez de Sotomayor, Fernando 17
Amadou & Mariam 208–13, 211, 235, 251, 291, 293, 29
Ambassadeurs du Motel de Bamako, Les 209
Amigos del Sahara, Los 265
Amparanoia 176
Ana 275, 277–78, 279
Antheil, George 289
Apollinaire, Guillaume 289
Arab Spring 303
Aracataca, Colombia 22, 131
Archaos 90, 106
Arenas VFG, Guadalajara, Mexico 274
Argentina 117–18, 137, 168, 243–57
Argentinian junta 168
Arias, Oscar 9
Arizona 306, 307
Armenian community, Sèvres 35
Armstrong, Neil 24
Arpaio, Sheriff Joe 306
Arroyos, Tomás (Tomásin) 64, 73, 76
Art Cloche, Montparnasse 40
“Asi Branca” 315
Association for Victims Of Terrorism (AVT) 205
Atenco, Mexico 220
Atlantic Records 234
ATTAC 200
Au Prix ou sont les Courges 56
Autenticos Decadentes, Los 282–83
Automatik Kalamity 169–70, 169
Autonomes, Les (Les Totos) 38
“Ay Que Dolor” 58
Azimuth 76
Azzi, Maria Susanna 245
B
B-Roy 186
Babel Bar, Ménilmontant 197, 258
Babylon By Bus 193
Babylonia En Guagua 193, 200
Babylon’s Fever 193
Bach, Johann Sebastian 22
Bad Brains 153
Bad Manners 51
Bagayoko, Amadou see Amadou & Mariam
Bagayoko, Sam 212, 251
Bahia, Brazil 160, 307
“Bala Perdida” 134
Bamako, Mali 177, 181, 210, 211, 251
Bamba, Amadou 179
Barcelona 7, 11, 12, 185, 218, 219, 223, 226, 232, 273, 292, 298, 303
Bardem, Carlos 259, 265
Bardem, Javier 259, 265, 265, 269
Barrett, Keith 64–65
Barri Gòtic, Barcelona 217, 226
Barthes, Roland 23
Bashung, Alain 28
Basir (a Sahrawi) 263
Bastida, Cecilia 153
Battle of Algiers, The (film) 269
Batzen, Bernard 89, 90, 98
on Mano Negra’s not promoting albums properly 11
and Les Casse Pieds 63
on Manu 67
promotes Mano Negra’s first gig 76
agrees to manage Mano Negra 76
and Virgin contract 77
sends the band to South America 82
disappointed over US tour 95
resignation as manager 109–10
and Clandestino 174
Baye Fall 179
Beach Boys 173
Beatles, The 28, 97, 117, 283, 293
Beatnik 253
Because label 233, 234, 293
Beethoven, Ludwig van 22
Belhaddad, Souad 106
Belize 247
Belleville, Paris 39, 51
Benainous, Cati 125, 132
Benhumera, Alexis 281
Bergeron, François 75, 92, 134, 147, 174, 175
Berlusconi, Silvio 199, 202, 203
Berroyer, Jackie 57, 85, 120
Berry, Chuck 25, 28, 29, 32, 41, 48, 58, 59, 60
Bérurier Noir (‘Les Bérus’) 40, 52, 53, 79, 80, 81, 82, 291
“J’Ai Besoin De La Lune” 237
Best of Mano Negra 186–87
Biafra, Jello 115, 116
Bidji 186, 193
Bijou 49
Bilbao, Basque country, Spain 15
“Bixo Do Coco” 168
Bizot, Jean-François 51
Black Bloc 202
Black Flag 152
Blackwell, Chris 184, 237
“Bleedin Clown, The” 238
Blind Faith 56
Bloomsbury, London 297
Blue Demon 230
“Blue Suede Shoes” 27, 33
Blues Brothers 61
Blues Brothers, The (film) 269
BMG 153
Boco Juniors 254
Bogotá, Colombia 114, 124, 126, 134, 146
Boisset, Yves 65
Bola de Nieve 22
Bolivia 191, 280
Bondage label 28, 52, 54, 79, 80
Bondy, Paris 294, 295, 295
“Bongo Bong” 100, 172, 193, 219, 229, 273–74
Borda Hospital, La, Buenos Aires 243–44, 252–53
Borne, Pascal 42, 45, 45, 59, 61
“Borregos Kamikazes” 153
Boston, Massachusetts 220, 230, 233, 234, 236, 238
Boucherie Productions 54–55, 68, 69, 77, 80
Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris 20, 25
Bourguignon, David 186, 229, 275
Bowie, David 219, 257, 298
Braque, Georges 289
Brazil 115, 117, 140, 141, 158–63, 314–24
Breaking Bad (television series) 100, 272
Brel, Jacques 48, 288
Breton, André 289
Brilleaux, Lee 34
Brit Awards 219
Brittany 47
Brixton, London 302, 305, 308, 309–10, 309, 324
Brixton Come Together 309–10
Brixton Ritzy 302
Brouwer, Leo 22
Brovelli, Fabrice 297, 299
Brown, James 29, 33, 42, 44, 97, 249
“Brown-Eyed Handsome Man” 33
Buena Vista Social Club 184, 283
Buenos Aires, Argentina 7, 117–18, 153, 220, 237, 243–57, 246, 301
“Buenvenido En Tijuana” 173
Buffalos, Les 102
Buñuel, Luis 44
Buretel, Emmanuel de 142, 146, 173, 183, 206, 213–14, 233, 234, 235, 293, 294, 300, 310
Burroughs, William 58
“Busca Otra Amor” (Looking for Another Love) 55
Bush, George W 116–17, 253
Buster Bloodvessel 51
Byrne, David 315
C
Ca Chante 212
“Ça Plane Pour Moi” 28
Cabo Polonio, Uruguay 191
Café de la Mairie, Sèvres 26
Café Glaciar, Barcelona 217, 218, 220, 303
Café Ondes, Paris 300
Café Tacuba 137
Caillonneau, Mayor 41
Cain and Abel 33
Can 98
Cancodrillo 160, 311–13, 311
Candomblé 115, 134, 158, 166, 317–18
Cannibals, Les 54
Cantat, Bernard 208
Cantina Cervantes, Buenos Aires 249
Canvey Island, Essex 33, 34, 44
Capeña, José Maria Martin 205
Caracas, Venezuela 111
Carayos, Los 54, 55, 56, 62, 63, 67, 72, 80, 165, 308
Corcuera, Javier 265, 265
Cargo Tour 95, 105–18, 112, 116, 123, 124, 125, 129, 131, 158, 165, 176, 253
Carmona, Juan 43
Carolina (a prostitute) 261
Carpentier, Alejo 22–23
Carré, Pierre 92
Cartagena, Colombia 111
Casa Babylon 11, 113, 120–21, 130–35, 137, 138, 146, 153, 188, 236
“Casa Babylon” 229
Casa Babylon, Córdoba 7, 8, 9, 12
Casariego, Adrian 24
Casariego, Marina 24
Casariego, Santiago ‘Santi’ 21, 24, 25, 59, 78, 94, 187
musical family 24
joins Manu’s first band 25
first rehearsals 26–27
in Les Flappers 42
in Hot Pants 42, 45, 45
joins Kingsnakes 60
and creation of Mano Negra 60–62
ninja fit 71
pseudonym (Santi El Aguila) 76
on signing to Virgin 78
ru
ns TF1 channel 100
Casse Pieds, Les (‘The Pain in the Necks’) 62–65, 64, 69, 72, 130, 186
Castro, Fidel 165
Caunes, Antoine de 57
Cave, Nick 100
CBGBs, Lower East Side, New York 238–39, 282
CBS 79
Ceará, Brazil 115, 161, 314–15
Cendrars, Blaise 288–89
Cervantes, Miguel de 249, 250
Chagall, Marc 20
Chan, Jackie 306
Changó (Yoruba God of Thunder) 158, 318, 321
Chao, Antoine (Manu’s brother) 23, 24, 27, 54, 78, 94, 167
brought up in intellectual household 21, 62
given musical grounding by Ramón 23
studies drums at the Conservatoire 24
joins Manu’s first band 25
first rehearsals 26–27
love of motorbikes 27, 110
suggests Joint de Culasse name 27
squats in Issue de Secours 40
the Chihuahuas 49, 61
and creation of Mano Negra 60–61
trumpet player 66
pseudonym (Tonio Del Borño) 76
leaves the band 118, 132
Chao, José (Manu’s paternal grandfather) 17, 18, 19–20, 23, 323–24
Chao, José-Manuel Thomas Arthur (Manu) 21, 39, 45, 59, 78, 87, 94, 103, 119, 128, 167, 268, 272, 279, 284, 292, 295, 309
birth (Paris, June 21 1961) 15
given musical grounding by Ramón 23
early musical influences 21–22
meets intellectuals at his home 22–23, 25
studies guitar at the Conservatoire 24
forms first band (Joint de Culasse) 24–26
joins Communist Youth League 25
buys a bass guitar 25
advertises for band members 26
first rehearsals 26–27
Peña-Ruiz’s influence 29–30
promise to his mother 31, 42, 58
impact of The Clash on him 36–37
Issue de Secours squat 40–41
forms Les Flappers 42
Hot Pants formed 42
starts writing own songs 48–49
first song to be released 50, 50
Los Carayos 54–56, 55
“Oscar Tramor” as his pseudonym and alter ego 56, 72, 99, 166
first TV interview 57
busks in the Metro 33, 63–64, 64, 186
cocaine binge in Peru 85
‘Jesuit’ nickname 86, 127, 194, 304
obsession with chance 88, 171, 318
work ethic 135
all members of the band turn on him 138–39
lost years (1994-97) 141
peyote use 85, 141, 147–49
converts to Islam 177, 179–80
marriage 177, 180–81
Clandestino Page 31