Interview with Arnaldo Baptista via telephone, Belo Horizonte city-London city “Only after a while into the sessions I reached an understanding of what I was doing and my thoughts were: I do not believe I am doing something so good. Like The Beatles said: with a little help of my friends. This help has been very important. When I listened to the final result it was like a Pandora’s box. They did it in a way that sounded excellent: kind of one man band. Another interesting side of it was the pragmatism of the lyrics. Because I have around me such different people, in terms of philosophy and ideologies, this led me to create lyrics seeking a total spirit of connection. I also noticed some changes in my playing technique and I am now working on a better performance, experiencing more. But the most important thing was love: I played all the instruments on this album, but the most important thing was playing them with love. Behind some Let it Bed songs Gurum Gudum: is part of my childhood. My grandfather had 14 children, worked in the army and built his own guitar. I remember my grandfather singing a song which I learnt by heart: could be a very old song or a folk song, or something that he made up. He talked about having a countryside life(style). This is what I tried to bring to the music. ‘To Burn or not to Burn’ is my Bass player side. The Bass line was what touched me the most. The inspiration for the lyrics, the philosophy or whatever came from Shakespeare: English literature, theatre and rock’n’roll. ‘LSD’ has a connection with Bach, who my mother liked very much. Back on his days it was very difficult to find an organ to play: Bach had to walk 15km before getting to the church and play the organ. This inspired me, because Bach created music for icons and gods. And ‘Louvado Seja Deus’ (Blessed be God) has to do with LSD, which is Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, about idolise something that you adore. ‘Deve Ser Amor’ ( It Might be Love): After a long day of hard work I think about what made me cope . Sometimes I think it is love. Can be wrong, can be right, can be researching. Rock can be strong or weak – depends how much love you are putting in while doing it. In ‘Encantamento’ (Enchantment) I put my science fiction side and talked about a being of two heads in a single body – various thoughts inhabiting the same body. There is a tentative of life in the hybrid side, where predominates hunger, desire for wisdom and satisfaction above all. There is also ‘Cacilda’ which I did around 22 years ago. It annoys me a bit, because we have been together for 22 years and she already existed… Ai Garupa e Tacape: Eu já viajei de moto por todo o mundo. Essas músicas antigas vieram da bateria, o ritmo pulsante dos quilômetros, a vida, as emoções, as novidades: Born to be Wild. 'Imagino' já é totalmente diferente, mas tem também o lado science fiction, em que a morte entra com um sentido bem mais profundo, em que as coisas místicas são substituídas por pensamentos e da pessoa que vive depois da morte sozinho e só: ser amado sem ter sexo, ouvir sem ter ouvidos, sentir cheiro sem nariz. É como uma entidade que alcança a eternidade, que pode ser encarada como uma coisa comum a todo mundo ou então uma parte muito ousada do ser humano: de ser eterna através do DNA. ‘Carrossel’ is a mix of piano studies with fun fair music. This same phrase is in ‘Emergindo da Ciência’ (Emerging from Science - song of 1978). ‘Tacape’ (Bludgeon) recalls the stone age, the origin of the species, Darwin. The origin of the species confuses itself with the side of the helicopters. Sometimes people fly an helicopter with all that power of atomic bombs at their disposal feeling the need of acting like a truncheon, wrestling with a tiger, which sometimes is more dangerous than fighting New York with an helicopter. So be it: ‘Tacape’ is a paradox between the modern culture and the stone age. Dealing with computer and eletronic music In a way it is a bit strange: to deal with drumachines, this connection with the machine, trying not to get too much involved with the machine. Slowly I am incorporating it into my sound. There is also the poetry colouring the sound. It is being great. I keep taking notes in my little notebook. I am going
to Belo Horizonte to get some programmes: you just press a button and
everything comes up on the screen – much faster. Fans of all ages: 13 to 55 Once I heard: is the media all that is to culture? My intention is to use my being to produce some effect in the people’s lives in the sense that we do things more harmoniously. It’s through that I measure my own importance, trying to modify for the good. Either myself or them. 100 years ahead The actual stage of human race is the pyromania, in which we loose ourselves burning petrol where we could use solar electricity that’s both clean and cheaper. But I could be giving my opinion about the human race too soon. Nowadays there is the criogenisation, where people can live eternally on suspension, criogenisated, for example. In short, I can face life in an eternal way. I’ve worked out a formula (part of my research and study about Time): T = M>C. Where T is time equals to the mass above the velocity of the light. Time can stretch, become elastic – as we can go faster. But we still a long way off these things happen, they will come in the next 100 years. Meantime I’ve been playing on an acoustic guitar some new songs that might show up at anytime. They are half-finished. About 2 or 3 I’ve been labouring over for a while, though they still in an embryonic state. Interview via icq from London, with Rubstrol and John Ulhoa. (Nov./2003). Sonia Maia: Knowing Arnaldo and his
history, what was the big surprise when you got the material Rubstrol
recorded in Arnaldo’s farm-studio? SM: Did it remain chaotic? I mean, which
was the difference between the finished material and the one of the early
days? SM: – Rubstrol just commented
that Arnaldo works mainly with symbols and symbols have a universal resonance
completely independent from the language… SM: – How was that? SM: –Do you mean, the final decision
was maximum fidelity? SM: – Could you comment on your
preferred songs? Sometimes I got worried that the album could end up too introspective.
But Arnaldo’s cracking sense of humour was always back into the
scene and this helped to show off his laid back attitude to things around
him. Rubstrol: – There is ‘2 Burn or not 2 Burn’, kind of Arnaldo’s Bigbeat. This one is for the dance floors. SM: – The DJs are going to love it. John: – There is something that is going to be important for some people, but is not important to me: it is not a rock album, it is an album of songs. ‘To Burn...’ is already a hit amongst those who heard it. There are others, as ‘Bailarina’ (Dancer), in which you can clearly see the new Arnaldo, a great artist exposing himself in a non conventional way at a time where everything is too conformed. Rubstrol: – Sonia is asking me to pass some comment about the songs. I think I am not taking up the job, because it will be useless to describe the jumbled mass of sounds that Arnaldo is capable of creating. I use to refer to his method of recording as ‘Capture of Acoustic Steam’, which basically explains how Arnaldo can in his mind be at the same time in A and B, stopping to rest in C. The little and big noises that he created during the month I spent with him are among the most memorable I heard recently. John: – Two songs were made in a different process. ‘Cacilda’ came from an old cassette demo-tape with voice and piano only. I got that and built the arrangement around, putting some piano, orchestration, doubling piano’s phrases with strings etc, something I was a bit worried of doing – I was trying to interfere as minimum as possible. But I did a bit and he liked and I finished afterwards. The other is ‘Tacape’, actually an old recording, without any interference: I only did some audio restoration. SM: –Any new ideas for Video clips? John: – Arnaaaaaaldoooo!!!!!!!!!!! Interview via email with Fabiano
and Daniel, from Andar Estúdio (Studio) where Arnaldo recorded
some of Let it Bed songs. They also worked in the final design of Let
it Bed and Arnaldo’s website. Sonia Maia: – How long do you
know Arnaldo? He continued visiting us and our relationship straightened. We talked about music, future and life. When we launched the studio we said he could pop in at any time. One week after he called very excited with the idea. We put him in a comfortable chair e switched on all the equipments. Arnaldo started playing and after few minutes looked at us saying: ‘You can record it now’. We quickly put all microphones to work and started recording what was coming from his guitar. In one afternoon we had five brand new songs, impressively strong, beautiful, as in the dawn. Daniel: – My mother gave me a copy of ‘Algo Mais’, a collective in vinyl from The Mutantes. It was the first record of my life. SM: – How was this experience to work with Arnaldo
in a studio? We immediately told John because we knew about the work they were doing with Arnaldo. We have also worked with John in a song for our band. Arnaldo felt confident and every meeting he got more and more excited about the new technologies for music and the possibility of mixing elements, sound collages, recovering old sounds… The sections were surrounded by friendship and long chats. Arnaldo and Lucinha would tell us histories from the past, but thinking for the future. SM: – What was most enjoyable at that time? We produced various bands and musical projects, but Arnaldo’s was very special. He hasn’t recorded since the 80’s and be part of this was spectacular. Arnaldo is like a hero for us, a god father. All Brazilians involved in the modern music have a debt with Arnaldo and The Mutantes. Be part of ‘ Let it Bed’ was an honour. SM: – Please tell us a bit more about the recordings? ‘Bailarina’ is our favourite. It came quickly, kind of first glimpse. Arnaldo knew exactly what we wanted and so did us. We spent three days recording new takes of voice and acoustic guitar, but nothing was as good as the first one. We find inspiration for the final production between Arnaldo’s lines: a mythic song, with different atmospheres and textures. There was a time that Arnaldo decided to open his kist. Only a small group of people had access to not officially launched songs. ‘Ai Garupa’ and ‘Imagino’ came from this revival. The first take of ‘Ai Garupa’ was another great moment and we were so excited that asked Lucinha to do some backing vocals. Arnaldo recreate ‘Imagino', which came in a new version, such as using some technology for Arnaldo’s notes in the piano. You do not know where it comes from: a mystery feeling typical of the vanguards. Arnaldo recorded a lot of music with us during that time: brief songs, standards of American folk, old movies’s soundtracks, new songs, new versions of his old songs, gospels, country music…. They surely changed the hearts of everybody involved in this project. Translation: José Eduardo Mendonça ______________ (2) Pato Fu is one of the most creative rock-pop Brazilian bands, a title they have been carrying since the beginning of 1990. Famous for a recipe that mixes refined styles and noises, Pato Fu was in a top 10 list built by American journalists for ‘The Times’ magazine in 2001. John Ulhoa, who leads the band alongside Fernanda Takai, is also the band’s main composer and producer. (3) Rubstrol lives in London since some time in the 90’s. He works with people with learning difficulties and produces videos. He is also one of the most clever and witty composers and poets of the 80’s Brazilian rock-pop, although out of scene since his band, Sexo Explícito split in the end of the 80’s. Nowadays he continues to produce songs in is home studio in London, which are occasionally used by Pato Fu as part of their repertory. Sonia Maia was one of the most important journalists on
the coverage of the Brazillian rock-pop boom in the 80’s. The majority
of her pieces were published in ‘Bizz’ magazine, the largest
music magazine at the time. Her main interest was discovering new bands,
which lead her on a five years tour around the underground of the largest
Brazilian cities. She lives in London since 1999. |