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By the way, Pepe, now that you're singing I want to ask you about your recital
at the Seville Biennial Festival. You had a bad experience up on stage and I know
it was really hard for you to perform. How do you feel about that incident?
I've been feeling bad about it, but an established artist has to take these
things in his stride. I have to admit I sang with the cejilla positioned
too high on the guitar. I came straight from recording in Madrid, and I had a
dry granular pharyngitis, the worst type there is. That's why I made my people
suffer, the people who were out there watching me. But even then I did the best
I could, I put my heart into what I sang. I made a good impression because the
audience showed respect for me, and I'm truly grateful for that respect. Still
I'd like to take the opportunity of this interview to apologize to those who had
to suffer during my performance. Instead of trying to put the guitar so high in
future, I'll try and sing in a lower tone, I don't mean give an average performance,
but at least be truer to myself.
Pepe de Lucía (Photo: Javier Hurtado)
Well it wasn't so bad, Pepe. This is art, and you're an artist not a machine.
Of course. I've always known that there are good and bad days, good and bad
evenings, but to tell you the truth I've very rarely had a bad evening. And that
evening in Seville wasn't really all that bad, because I don't have it in me to
sing badly - I say that without meaning to be boastful - but I just couldn't,
I was suffering too much from the pharyngitis.
Anyway let's forget about the past and talk about the future. Your European
tour is just starting, isn't it?
It's planned for the beginning of January with a show entitled 'Ecos de España'.
There'll be Cañizares, Elliot Fisk and myself. I'm really looking forward
to it, because we'll be performing pieces written by a great Spanish musician.
We'll reveal more in due course.
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"There’s another problem these days, that people worry more
about giving a polished performance than they do about improvisation itself, about
what you feel up there on stage"
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If you're touring with Elliot Fisk you must have an open mind, but do you
agree with this wave of artists on the outskirts of the genre who still label
their music flamenco?
No. There are nice singers around, good singers, but like Paco de Lucía
says, they're all clones. They take good care of themselves, but cante,
apart from requiring a certain technique, has to have a certain rhythm and a certain
cadence. And then there's another problem these days, that people worry more about
giving a polished performance than they do about improvisation itself, about what
you feel up there on stage.
Your brother Paco was referring to modern imitators of Camarón when
he talked about clones. He advised them to listen to la Niña de los Peines,
or to Antonio Chacón... And you?
That's what I've been saying for a long time. And I say it for their sake more
than anyone's, because some of those imitators are really good artists, with a
lot of talent, but they need to have their own peculiarities too, they have it
in them. Paco, for example, started out playing for Niño Ricardo, but reached
a point where he decided to go it alone and develop his own personality. That's
what you have to find.
And now everyone follows him, because he started the revolution...
Well, when you listen to the album he's recording now you're in for a surprise.
He's just completely cut loose, it's amazing.
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