Carmen Linares, Cantaora.
October 2000

Photo: Anahí Cármody

Your name is Carmen Pacheco, but, since the start of your career, you've been known as Carmen Linares.

Juanito Valderrama gave me that name. We were in a bar in front of the Calderón theater, I was about to go on a tour with a group, and he asked what my name was. When I said "Carmen Pacheco," he said, "What? You're from Linares.... Why don't you call yourself Carmen Linares?" It seemed like a great idea, and that's how I got the name Linares.

Wasn't it strange to see yourself announced with that name?

Sure, but it sounds good, and it makes sense, because that's my town.

You grew up with flamenco in your family. There's a photo of you dressed as a flamenca when you were very small.

Yeah, I started off singing at home. My dad played guitar, and we'd sing and play all the time.

But he wasn't a professional.

No, he had a job, but he'd pick up his guitar and play, and I'd sing, just like that. Then, we went to live in Madrid. When I was 16, I started to take it a little more seriously. There was a great flamenco atmosphere. We'd go to see people sing, and I started to sing professionally. From that moment on, it all started to happen, little by little, singing for dancing, and all of that. The first time was in France, in a tablao. I went with some of my father's friends You know that, back then, a girl wasn't allowed to do that alone. Now a seventeen-year old girl can go off on a tour, and no even thinks twice, but back then it was different.

At that time, you knew that you were going to be a singer, and you weren't going to prepare any other profession.

Right. I didn't know what to do; I did like all the other girls, and I went to high school, and then learned typing and shorthand. I was pretty good, and it was the typical thing; to be a secretary, or something like that. But at home, my parents couldn't understand why I wanted to do that. They said that secretarial work was a good job, but that I'd been gifted with certain abilities, and that I should take advantage of them. They were right, and I'm glad I listened to them. It's a question of luck, and when you're born with that talent, it's destiny. I'm much happier doing this, of course (laughs).

What do you think of the evolution of singing in women? For a while, it didn't seem like there were many women singers, but now there are more and more.

There are some great singers now. Society has changed a lot; families never used to support that kind of thing. The family or the boyfriend would try to prevent it from happening. There was always a man in the house that'd get in the way. In my case, my family was delighted; it was a joy for them. Now women are freer in all regards, not just in flamenco.

Were you ever treated differently from male singers?

No, I can't say that. If there was discrimination towards me, I didn't realize it. Work's been no problem for me; I've been respected as an artist. There have been times when I've worked less, due to my own situation. I got married, I had three kids; and women are the ones that have the kids and raise them. During that period, you move away from performing, although I was singing at seven months. After seven months it looks a little strange... I felt fine, and there was no reason not to do it. When I've worked less it's been because of personal reasons: to balance my family life with my career. Now, I've got more time, and I work more.

And better...

Yes, working conditions are better now. I've sung for dancing, in clubs, in a lot of places. It's been a long career that I've built little by little, all by myself. No one's given me any breaks. When I'd gained a certain amount of experience, I made my recordings; nothing happened quickly. I've never stopped singing. It's always been a question of circumstances.

If you stop singing you get out of shape...

Completely, and you lose your place. I've done one performance instead of four, but I've never stopped singing.

How did the idea come about of doing popular songs of Lorca? After your recording there were several others.

Following the original recording of Lorca with La Argentinita, mine was the first, after sixty years. I don't know of any others before mine. I listened to the recording, and it was exciting to hear Lorca play; it's as if there's even more of him there. I thought we could do something interesting with those songs, updating them and moving them towards my area, into flamenco territory, and sung by a cantaora. I'm really happy with the recording.

It even seems that, when other artists play those songs, there is more reference towards your recording than the original.

The people involved in the project made it a labor of love. It was my idea, and I knew what rhythms I wanted to use at different points, but, for example, Juan Parrilla, who plays the flute, caught on really quickly to what I wanted to do in each song. We first did the whole thing in Granada ten years ago, and when we saw how well it went over, we decided to record it. Then, we worked on it a lot more for the Lorca centennial, but it was already prepared and had been published long before that.

At least you didn't appear on the cover with Lorca, like in the photo of Ana Belén...

Yeah, there was a big uproar about that. I wouldn't have done it, but, everyone's got their own ideas...

What did you think about all the activities programmed for Lorca's centennial?

It got to be too much. I'm in favor of anything that shows what a great poet he was. If they do a good job I think that's fine. But there were some pretty awful things being done.

You got an impressive line-up of guitarists for your anthology.

If there are so many guitarists, there must be a reason. Paco Cepero was the guitarist of La Perla, and he adds a special touch to the bulería de La Perla that no one else can. Juan Habichuela plays on the tangos of his aunt, Tía Marina, with that Granada air; that majestic quality. Perico el del Lunar is the best player of nanas, and that's why he's there. Enrique de Melchor plays the soleá of his aunt Jilica de Marchena. Vicente Amigo because he's great! And Tomatito because he's great! And Morao, because he adds a special air to the bulerías-like a romance-, and nobody else sounds like he does. Each player did what he does best.

That's like having the ideal guitarist for each cante.

And having so many guitarists added variety, because the singer is always the same.

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