Q&A
ARCHIVE
48 • UNCUT • OCTOBER 2019
MANUCHAOwasin
a badwaywhenhis
bandManoNegra
brokeupin1994.
Intendedasa potent
Gallicequivalent
ofTheClash,after
fouralbumsina turbulentsevenyears
thegrouphadfallenapartinthewakeof
aninsanetourbytrainacrosswar-torn,
bandit-strewnColombia,dodgingbombs
andplayingimpromptufreeshowsalong
theway.Bythetimethetrainreturned
toBogotásixgruellingweekslater,the
French-SpanishChaowastheonlyone
leftstanding.Restlessanddepressed,he
promptlydisappearedona three-yearlost
weekend,pinballingbetweenEurope,
AfricaandSouthAmerica.
HebrieflyturnedupinLondon,wherea
musicalflirtationwithLeftfieldpromised
muchbutcametonothing,andtherewere
sightingsinParisandNaples.Unable
tosettleanywhereformorethana few
weeks,henextmadehiswaybackto
ColombiaandthentoMexico,wherehe
gotoutofhisgourdonpeyoteandhung
outwiththeZapatistas.Thenhemoved
ontoTijuana,wherethechaoticenergyof
the border seemed to suit his mood, before
hehitrockbottom
inBrazil,wherehe
decidedtokillhimself.
Heclaimedthata cow
savedhislifewhen
it wanderedintoa
desolatebeershackin
a run-downRiofavela
wherehewasdrinking
awayhispain.He
lookedintothecow’s
eyesanddetecteda
“tenderness”that
madehimdecidethat
hewantedtolive.
Heheadedbackto
Europeandlanded
inSpain,clutching
littlemorethanhis
portablerecorder,on
whichhehadbeen
savingthemanysongs
hehadwrittenonhis
travels,intermingled
withstreetsounds,
snatchesof
conversationandother
noisesoftheroad.
InMadridandthen
Galiciahewrotemore
songs,beforemaking
hiswaytoParis,where
hehelpedformergirlfriendAnoukrecord
analbumforVirgin.It pushedhiminto
thinkingaboutgoingbacktoworkand
creatinghisownalbumfromthe 50
songsandsnatcheshaphazardlystored
onhisrecorder.
Bythesummerof1997,hehaddecided
whichtrackstoincludebutwasunsure
abouttheextenttowhichhewantedto
useelectronicaonthealbum.Intheend
thedecisionwasmadeforhimwhenthe
softwareonhiscomputerdevelopeda
bugthataccidentallystrippedoutthe
electronicsandthedrums.Reportedly,
Chao’sonlyresponsetothispotential
catastrophewastosay“le hazardestmon
ami”–chancewashisfriend.
Whatremainedwasspare,beautiful,
visionary– andmorethana little
unhinged.IfClandestinosoundedunlike
anything else one had ever heard on
itsreleasein1998,theclosestanalogy
mighttobethinkofit asa worldmusic
equivalentofSkipSpence’sOar.
Insteadofa personalsinger-songwriter
vibe,Chaocreateda stonerclassic
steepedinbouncingglobalrhythms,
fullofmagical,chimingharmonics
andsinuousvocalsthatweavein
andoutofthemixinfourdifferent
languages– Spanish,French,English
andBrazilian-Portuguese.Thelyricsare
fullofstreetslangfromthebarriosand
favelasandoscillatethrillinglybetween
thehilariouslysurreal(“BongoBong”,
thealbum’sbestknownsong,a radical
reworkingofa ManoNegratrack),the
bittersweet(“LagrimasDeOro”),radical
politics(“Mentira”)anda beguilingmix
ofhedonismanddespairthatdrives
himtoseekredemptionin“tequila,sexo,
marijuana” (“BuenvenidoEnTijuana”).
WithClandestino, Chaocreated
a subversive,multi-lingualglobal
partymanifestothatgavevoicetothe
dispossessedandsoundtrackeda brief
buttangiblemomentofpremillennial
hopeinwhichit seemedtheworldwas
progressivelybecominga moretolerant
placeaswehurtledtowardstheyear2000.
Sadly,timeshaveinsteadgrowndarker.
YetifClandestinocaptureda moment
intime,Chao’sirresistiblerhythmsand
messageofresistancecontinuetosound
freshandvibranta generationon.
Threebonustracksbringthestoryupto
dateviaa crackingreworkingofthetitle
trackfeaturingtheveteranTrinidadian
singerCalypsoRose,newsong“Bloody
BloodyBorder”,whichseekstoblowa
giantholeinTrump’swall,and“Roadies
Rules”,a newversionofa previously
unreleasedtrackfromtheoriginal
Clandestinocache.
Thealbumwentontosellmorethanfive
millioncopiesaroundtheworld,butmade
littleimpressioninBritain.Perhapsthis
expandedreleasewillfinallyredressthe
balance.IntheeraofTrumpandBrexit,
if yourfaithhasbeenbatteredbythe
21st-centuryblues,lendClandestinoyour
ears.It won’tcureanything.Butitsunique
medicinewillsurelyeasethepain.
Extras:8/10.Three bonus tracks.
Q&AwithChao’s
biographerPeter
Culshaw,author
ofClandestino:In
SearchOfManuChao
(Serpent’sTail)
Wecouldn’ttrack
Manudownforthis
Q&A.Howharddid
youfindit topinhim
downwhenyouwrote
yourbook?It’slikehe
singson“Desaparecido”,
oneofthemostimportant,
autobiographicalsongs
onClandestino– heis “the
disappearingone...hurrying
down the lost highway...
WhentheylookformeI’m
notthere/Whentheyfind
me,I’melsewhere.”
Yousubtitledthebook
In SearchOfManu
Chao. Doyouthinkyou
evertrulyfoundhim?
I spenttimewithhimin an
Algerianrefugeecamp,in
Mexico,in anArgentinian
mentalasylumand
elsewhere.Butevenafter
writingthebook,heremains
anenigma.If youwantto
findhim,he’smorelikely
tobebuskingin a localbar
orplayinga squatthan any
high-profile gig.
Therehavebeenno
newalbumreleases
sinceLaRadiolinain
2 0 07...Heturnedupon
CalypsoRose’s 2016 album
FarFromHomeandI know
he’swrittenscoresofsongs;
a fewhavebeenreleased
ashomemadetracksonline.
Butit seemsunlikelyhewillhit
theartisticandcommercial
bullseyeagainwithsuch
accuracyasClandestino
did...[It’s] a radical
masterpiece,onthesideof
thedispossessed,a resultof
luck,depressionandsheer
talent.Onefortheages.
INTERVIEW: NIGEL WILLIAMSON
SLEEVENOTES
1 Clandestino
2 Desaparecido
3 BongoBong
4 JeNe
T’aimePlus
5 Mentira
6 LágrimasDeOro
7 MamaCall
8 LunaY Sol
9 PorEl Suelo
10 Welcome
ToTijuana
11 DíaLuna...
DíaPena
12 Malegría
13 LaVieÀ 2
14 MinhaGalera
15 LaDespedida
16 El Viento
BONUSTRACKS
17 Clandestino
(feat.Calypso
Ro s e)
18. Bloody
BloodyBorder
19.RoadiesRules
Producedby
ManuChao,
Renaud Letang
MANU CHAO
Clandestino – Bloody Border
BECAUSE
9/10
Laptoprevolutionary’ssolodebut,
revisited 20 years on.By Nigel Williamson
YOURI LENQUETTE
