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left to right: Javi, Basty, Mikel and Oni

Is This Boy-Band on the Verge of Selling Its Collective Soul?

By Gerardo Depablos

Eurovision, once seen as a relic of the past, has been given new life in recent years by a spate of unusual contestants and winners – drag queens, heavy metal bands and the like. Gerardo Depablos of MAP Magazine did an exclusive interview with Ony, a member of Nash, this year’s winner of the Spanish contest, to find out what it’s like to be a contestant in Eurovision 2007. We found out: if they fear they’re selling their souls; if they align themselves with yesteryear’s participants like Julio Iglesias and Celine Dione; if political content is an important part of their music? And more.

When you hear names like Olivia Newton John, Julio Iglesias, Celine Dion, and ABBA, of course, the emotionally-heightened world of pop music comes to mind – singers belting out lyrics about falling in love or breaking up. However, you may not know what else the above artists have in common – all were Eurovision participants.

For 50 years, the Eurovision music competition has been bringing the people of the Old Continent together to don questionable costumes, sing their hearts out, and occasionally give birth hymns that will be sung for generations to come.

In spite of being such a stable institution, in the last decade the festival has seen radical changes. Some see it as adapting to a shifting world, others see it as simply having been denigrated. One of the primary reasons for these changes is the cell phone which has displaced the orthodox judges with the voting public. This shift of power has transformed the event from merely a song contest into a multi-colored pageant in which people who wouldn’t otherwise have a voice are able to perform in front of a worldwide audience during prime time.

The people’s choices are a distinct break with the winners of the past, in 1992 Israel won with a dance song performed by a spectacular diva outfitted in Gaultier – one detail: she was transsexual. In her homeland, she suffered persecution and threats from the religious conservatives, but, on the Eurovision stage, she was a star. And last year’s winner was Lordi, the Finnish heavy metal band with the satanic aesthetic who performed in masks.

It all seems to be a provocation in order to stay in the minds of the viewing public who will see scores of bands during their brief three minutes of glory.

This year will be no exception: Ukraine is sending a less-than-youthful drag queen clad in the trumped-up tackiness that we have come to expect of the competition, Sweden will send another glamorous drag queen with a song entitled “Drama queen”, and the most interesting of all is, again, Israel performing a rock/ska song about the threat of an Iranian nuclear attack with their darkly humorous song, “Push the Button”.

Within this panorama performers, Spain has decided to support a more subdued act: Nash, a four member boy-band, performing a sweet and catchy tune, “I Love You Mi Vida”. Although the band isn’t the most political offering, with one album under their belt and fan clubs around the world, their short career has had a very successful trajectory.

__________

Gerardo Depablo: So how did you guys meet?

Ony: Javi and I met in a dance academy in Sevilla 9 years ago. In Madrid, friends in common introduced us to Mikel and Basty, but only as friends not as collaborators. Later we realized that we all had the same dream and began working together.

GD: What does Eurovision represent for you?

Ony: An enormous opportunity for us to know all of the people who’ll be at the festival. It’s like being part of a dream-party. Imagine last year we watching the competition fantasizing about taking part some day.

GD: Olivia Newton John, Celine Dion, Julio Iglesias, ABBA, and TATOO all competed in Euro vision – who do you identify most with?

Ony: Uff! If it’s for a stable music career – any of them because they are all great. But Celine Dion is the one I like the most. I saw her in Vegas and her voice is unbelievable – it’s the style we most like.

GD: Who do you admire most outside of the world of music?

Ony: I don’t know – there are so many people. Those who do as they please like Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis.

GD: Do you think going to Eurovision is a way of selling your soul to the devil? I’m talking about the commercial focus and being hounded by the press.

Ony: To the contrary, if, in the end, we have an explosion in popularity it could be putting the ball in our court. It could give us more say in our career allowing us to do the things we really want to do.

GD: Who do you think is your public now and who will it be after the festival?

Ony: Now our fans are mainly adolescents. There is a little of everything, but primarily teenagers. After the festival, we hope that our audience will grow and there will be more variety – different ages and musical tastes.

GD: Do you think people will question your musical credentials after you’ve done Eurovision?

Ony: We made all of the songs from the Eurovision finals our own. They weren’t our songs and they weren’t in our style, but we made them totally “Nash”. That’s something we are very proud of. And I think we made it clear that there is talent and personality in the band – we wanted to show people that we were serious.

GD: What is your best bet for staying in the minds of the people throughout the whole show – after all, you’re the second performers.

Ony: This is true we go very early, but we have something very good and intense planned that I think you’re going to like. I can’t give you details because it’s a surprise, but I can say that it is very “Nash”. The choreography is by Noemi Cabrera who knows us well. There will also be two girls dancing with us wearing the same colors as the band. No more, I have already said too much.

GD: Do you think that the nature of Eurovision has changed? Now it isn’t about choosing a song or a performer it about spectacle and provocation. What do you think?

Ony: Eurovision is always more and more of a spectacle to capture the attention of such a diverse public. However, we’re going to do whatever it takes to win. Above all, we’ll work with dignity, things we’ve really created, we’re going to show what Nash really is and let the public decide.

GD: And what are you going to show? What do you want to communicate to the people? What do you want to talk about in your songs?

Ony: We like to sing and do that which we really believe in. We are very close friends and we compose all songs together and talk about things typical of our age – especially love and its opposite, which is what makes the world go round.

GD: I think the most interesting aspect of the Spanish competition was when you did “Una Lagrima” (A Tear) and all members of the band were blindfolded with very political messges across your chests. However, this didn’t receive any support from the public. Why do you think they didn’t like it? Was the idea yours? Is artistic expression of this sort, political ideas, important for the group?

Ony: Well, like I said the contest is a party. People want to have a good time. I suppose it’s because of this that they didn’t support this type of content. I was surprised that it didn’t make it to the final round – it was one of my favorites, too. And, yes, it was our idea together with the great team with which we were working.

With respect to my/our interests, this type of content obviously is important. I like to write poetry about reality and there are realities that are very difficult that have to be recorded. It’s another way to make people more conscious. Little by little that’s what we are doing.

GD: Hansome, young guys who sing and dance well with a catchy song – seem like good reasons to win, no? What do you expect to happen? What place do you think you’ll get?

Ony: Obviously everyone who goes wants to win, but it isn’t easy work. I want to get in the top ten, and, if it’s the top five then it’s beyond success. But the thing most important is to return proud of what we’ve done. And show work that is 100% ours – not something that was imposed. And, trust me, after we won the Spanish round people tried to do just that. What we want to do is Nash by Nash.

GD: Ok, thank you and good luck

Intrepid Reporter Infiltrates “Pueblo Party” To Get The Scoop
By Michael Beeson

Madrid is great – most of us agree, and it’s a wonderful place to party. But as with all big cities there’s something manufactured about the partying. With a few notable exceptions, the venues are packaged, commercialized, and anonymous. If you live here, sometimes you just want to get away and find something somewhat more authentic.

It doesn’t take long for you to learn that most Spanish people living in Madrid don’t actually come from there, but from a village not too far away. It seems that these get-a-way villages are where a lot of them spend their weekends, leaving the centre to us immigrants, and those unfortunate Spaniards without a pueblo to return to.

One such pueblo is Pedro Muñoz, a two-hour bus journey away. With a population a little under ten thousand, it’s so small that it doesn’t have a single night club. Although it’s relatively pretty, it pales in comparison to many other villages. You might ask, “So what’s the point?” Well, the person who invited me wisely suggested I come on the 30th of April.

On the 1st of May, which is a national holiday, the villagers all congregate in the bull ring to watch dancers from several of the surrounding villages perform. With much stamping of the feet and billowing of the skirts, it’s all very nice – men playing comically tiny guitars, and women wailing a tune. The spectacle is great fun… for a couple of minutes, but quickly becomes boring, which is probably why everyone brings beer.

Watching from behind the stage are ten girls seemingly bored out of their minds. These are this year’s “damas” (dames, or ladies): girls from the village who are to grace the dancers with their presence. Five of them are around seven or eight, and five are teenagers. The reason they look bored, apart from the obvious, might also have to do with the fact that they are likely delirious with sleep deprivation. You see, the real party doesn’t consist of these refined traditions; the real party lies in the bacchic revelry the night before.

So what exactly happens the night before? Close to midnight on April 30th, after spending the afternoon in bars, villagers will slowly take themselves to the street, coagulating into marauding, drunken hordes crawling around the village. Each group has a standard bearer, and possibly some musicians, but mostly just lots of drunk people. Their destination? Somebody’s house – specifically a dama’s house. What might a band of drunken villagers want with these fair, sweet damas?

Well, once one such house has been reached, a blood-curdling cacophony begins to rise. This “song”, is ten verses long, with words that do not scan to the music. Sung by drunk people who are apparently tone deaf too, this is an experience in itself, but it’s only the beginning. The singing is started by those at the front of the group, nearest to the house, and slowly those at the back realize the song has started and begin their own rendition. For a few minutes, you’re lost in a sea of noise and jumping and musical butchery. Finally, the dama herself emerges and smiles politely at the din.

I won’t go into too many details about the song. It’s full of your usual platitudes towards the dama- she’s so beautiful, we all love her, come listen to our serenade. At one point she’s compared to an imperial eagle, which seems a bit strange for a seven year old girl. My friend thinks the song was written by a fascist, but the most important verse is the last one:

“If you don’t like the song we’ve given, (author’s note: there’s no way anyone could have liked it)
BRING OUT THE BOTTLE
and the Serrano ham”

Then the household bravely opens its doors to this intoxicated mass and begins to make matters worse by doling out plastic glasses of “zurra”, the local version of sangrìa. This concoction is white, and diabetes-inducingly sweet – you’re allowed as many servings of the drink as you’re able to down in the time available. To accompany this potent brew there’s also plenty of food. A lovely, quirky tradition which makes a very human kind of sense – it’s also brilliant because you get free booze.

Eventually the standard bearer of the group will call everyone’s attention and announce that it’s time to move on to the next house. Slowly the horde staggers on. The interval will allow you to sober up enough for the next intake of alcohol and sugar, and you’re sure to make hundreds of friends due to the natural warmth of the people, but possibly also due to their fascination at this “guiri” (foreigner) in their midst. Once the next house is reached, and another dama emerges, the whole disharmonious process is repeated.

Of course, the standard bearer tends to be the drunkest of them all, so even though our song sheets had the order of houses to be visited on the back, this plan was soon abandoned as he took us wherever he damned well pleased. Some people got lost, but this is fine because you can just latch yourself to another group and feel immediately amongst friends again.

One thing I noticed, and this is probably a village thing, was how safe it all seemed. Unlike Madrid, where all unknown faces (and even some of the dodgier known ones) are obviously intent on stealing everything you own or possibly beating you up simply for sport. In Pedro Muñoz, everyone is a friend and people of all ages can be seen roaming the streets. I have to admit it was a rather strange experience being berated by an adorable seven year-old girl because I wouldn’t let her serve me more zurra at four in the morning. By the way, witnessing these childhood drinking rites explained the awe-inspiring scale of the “marcha” (nightlife) in Madrid.

Theoretically you could go to all ten houses, but eventually the structural integrity of the group is corroded by too much zurra, and people straggle to the bars. On this auspicious night the bars are all open until well past sunrise, and you can party away, taking advantage of the village prices for copas (around three euros). Much drunken revelry, conversation and affection ensue.

The nice thing about the hangover you’ll undoubtedly have the next day is that it will be shared by most of the village. The dancing show sensibly occurs in the late afternoon, giving everyone plenty of time to drag themselves to their front door to watch the performers parading down the streets. If you are so inclined, you can find your way to the bull ring, beer in hand, to gaze at the billowing skirts and the sweet, sleepy damas, the impeccably dressed youth, who, in effect, worked the night shift as bar wenches.

All in all, a refreshing and enjoyable complement to the frenetic lifestyle of Madrid.

MEDINA OR MARCHA – YOU DECIDE
By Andrew Poole

Medina Mayrit, bathhouse and restaurant, ingeniously combines Madrid’s three major historical cultures: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. While, in many other restaurants, there is a disturbing tendency to Disney-ify cultures by oversimplifying them and making them “user-friendly”, Medina has kept their cuisine and spa-facilities deliciously authentic. Before you disparagingly decide that such an experience is out of your budget, read on.

So it’s a bit ironic that in the minds of most “la marcha”, which is a liver-debilitating, smoke-inhaling, spend-fest, has attained the status of “mandatory weekend fair”, while a day at the Turkish baths, which is relaxing, detoxifying, and re-energizing, is considered somehow decadent beyond all imaginings. After all, when was the last time you spent less than 18 euors on a night out? Almost never? And when was the last time you woke up hung-over with 60-euros less in your pocket? Last weekend? I think you see where my logic is leading: there is no difference in price, only priorities.

Allow me to make my case for abstaining from “la marcha” for one night and replacing it with the baths.

At Medina Mayrit, the Turkish-style, restaurant and subterranean bathhouse located in Sol, you are presented with many options. You can pick and choose from the following combining them as you like: the baths, the massage, the restaurant, and the performances. We will describe each in turn; for more detailed information, please see: www.medinamayrit.com.

Descending into the earthy elegance of the baths is so pleasantly shocking that it will dismiss all memories of your hectic life in Madrid. The candle lit interior of the cavernous space is subdivided into many distinct environments. The waters themselves are partitioned into the warm baths (36 degrees Celsius), the hot baths (39 degrees Celsius), and the steam room. In addition to this, there is a small pool for cooling off (15 degrees Celcius) and, also, a chill-out room. Those who opt for the massage can choose between a traditional massage and an exfoliating massage done with special lufa-like gloves. Having finished the baths, you have the choice of linking it to a meal.

While many urban restaurants seek to showcase their clientele by surrounding them with large-paned windows, Medina Mayrit does just the opposite. The interior is designed to shield you from the manic streets of the city: ambient light, ethereal Arabic music, gurgling fountains and beautifully woven wall hangings all conspire to sooth your senses.

The menu at Medina Mayrit artfully blends cuisine from Muslim, Christian, and Jewish cultures. The rich ingredients enable the chefs to prepare minimalist but delightful dishes like the croquette of cod in apricot sauce or pumpkin-glazed chicken couscous. Many of the traditional recipes follow suit with unique and flavorful dishes that are healthy as well. Although they have ample fish and meat selections, the vegetarian options they haven’t been overlooked.

The wine list is as extensive as the menu ranging from Lebanon to Italy to Spain including a kosher wine. Although the prices range as well (10 to 60 euros), a substantial portion tends toward the more economical end of this spectrum.

If you want to make a night of it, at 11 o’clock the performances begin. Here you can see both Arabic and Indian-derived dances. The graceful undulations of the performers further take you out of your head and return you to your too-often-neglected body. You can finish your evening with a selection from the dessert menu such as a delicate apple pudding accented with dates or an assortment of puff-pastry cakes with dried fruit.

You can have some or all of these options for between 23 and 67 euros the price of one night on the town. It’s worth a try. On the bright side, if you complete your relaxing, detoxifying experience and are still somehow not satisfied, you can always rely on MAP Magazine to help you with innovative ideas about how to “re-toxify” – see our club and drinks section.

(Calle Atocha 14/ 902 333 334/http://www.medinamayrit.com)

Weekend Warrior Returns With Words Of Wisdom
By Michael Beeson

One thing is true: The Spanish like to have alcoholic picnics. They all sit around in a street or park, and drink. It’s like a great big, organic house party only without the house. Officially these ‘botellons’ are illegal, but during the week of San Isidro, Madrid has an official botellon going on in Las Vistillas (near the palace, across the bridge). Though these picnics look easy, they are filled with hidden dangers and the uninitiated could do with some of these quality tips:

1, Establish a base camp : This can’t be stressed enough. It’s not fun spending the evening looking for all your friends. Especially when the mobile network is down due to the fact that everybody else is doing the same. If you have one location everybody knows to go to, then such problems may be avoided.

2. Bring your own booze : Unless you enjoy paying out of your nose for drinks from the opportunistic bars nearby. I bought drinks from them, and now I really miss my money.

3. Dress appropriately : You’re going to sit on crap, spill crap on yourself, and end up smelling like crap. Make sure your clothes are crap resistant.

4. Don’t be squeamish : You’re going to share your seating place with rubbish. Lots of rubbish. And spilled alcohol. And let’s not mention the squelching steps you take behind the bush as you sneak off for a pee, accompanied by a dozen other men there for the same reason…

5. Don’t sit downhill : see last point made in previous paragraph.

6. Check legality : this is a confusing issue which no one is able to give me a straight answer for. Just don’t throw any bottles at the police (see entry on riots near Plaza de dos Mayo).

With these points kept in mind, your botellon should be a pleasant and enriching one, allowing you to bask in the festive, warm atmosphere and meet lots of people. Enjoy!