In the second half of the 80s, Kiko Veneno He had released a masterful album with brothers Rafael and Raimundo Amador -Veneno (1977)- and two solo works, but he still couldn’t make a living composing and performing songs. Thus, the man from Figueres has decided to give himself one last chance in the world of music before throwing in the towel. The result, Throw a little song (1992), changed everything. The Seville European Film Festival hosted the world premiere of Un día Lobo López, a documentary directed by Alejandro G. Salgado that recalls the process of creating what, 30 years later, continues to be one of music’s most influential works Spanish popular.
What do you think is the secret of Échate un cantecito? What makes it a relevant record 30 years later?
I conceived an album with a classicist vocation, I designed it to withstand the passage of time well, and I think those 10 songs continue to speak with a very current rhetoric; the years have not been able to deny his postulates or his philosophy. Also, it’s a round disc, with no cracks. Good songs are those capable of staying alive forever, of constantly redefining themselves according to subsequent social changes or the personal circumstances of the listener. And those of Échate un cantecito turned out.
What is the secret to getting a perfect guide?
Completing it was an incredibly labor-intensive process. It took me three years to compose those songs, to learn the craft of writing well. I had plenty of time to record it, and time is culture’s ally. Unfortunately it is increasingly scarce. Today, without going any further, it’s not even the style to create complete records. Now you come up with a song and you immediately post it on the internet hoping people will buy it. I do not know.
To what extent was that album a benchmark against which to measure your entire subsequent career?
This is inevitable. I’ve always been very aware that I’ll probably never release such a good record again, but I haven’t even tried. My only goal has always been to do things to the best of my ability. And I truly believe that if I had devoted the same time and resources to one of my latest albums as I did to Échate un cantecito, I could have achieved the same level of quality.
At the beginning of Un día Lobo López, in an archive image, a very young Kiko Veneno says: “I’m not a slave to success, because I’ve never had it”. How did success affect you when you finally had it?
For the record, Échate un cantecito sold 50,000 copies at a time when Rosario and Rosana sold a million copies with their records, and it found no place on radio. What I’ve achieved thanks to him is being able to live on music, and not having to retire to devote myself to something else. He helped me buy a house, support my family, spend the summer at the beach, and that was it. I’ve never made enough money to be a slave to anything. I’ve never become like Alejandro Sanz, who hasn’t been able to go out normally for years.
In 1992, there was no autotune or Spotify. What do you think of the changes experienced by the music world in these years?
I have a feeling that the vast majority of songs these days are designed to be indistinguishable from one another, and there’s no need to explain the consequences of that. As for Spotify, that seems like systematic theft to me. If I have a song on Spotify that generates 20 million listens, I won’t charge a single euro for it, because the platform only pays for songs that generate a minimum of 100 million plays. It used to be that record companies paid you to write songs. Spotify, on the other hand, not only doesn’t give you money a priori, but also benefits from your songs without compensating you. And we artists continue to trust that this platform will be our showcase, we continue to fatten a cow that crushes us.
As the documentary testifies, in the same way, as a young man you defined yourself as a rebel. Do you still do it?
I have always considered myself a rebel because I have never made certain concessions to be able to work or to earn. This kind of attitude is necessary for creation. Rebellion must be incompatible with seeking awards or sponsorships, otherwise it is a pose.
Is there a certain rebellion missing at the moment?
Of course, we are slaves to consumerism and narcissism. People spend half their salary buying sportswear, and then wear it only to run between cars and buses, swallowing smoke. There are many trifles. Some immigrants arrive by boat on a beach and the bathers remain undaunted on their sunbeds. The BBC shows that the Moroccan police moved the bodies of the immigrants from Spanish territory, but then the Spanish president comes out in front of the media throwing balls and nothing happens. It’s pretty sad.
