Daily Headlines: September 8, 2014

* Argentina: Several thousand fans of Gustavo Cerati lined the streets of Buenos Aires on Friday to view the funeral procession of the late Argentine rock musician.

* Nicaragua: Officials claimed that a meteorite most likely caused a blast that left a forty foot wide crater in Managua on Saturday night.

* Chile: Police in Santiago clashed with vandals following a largely peaceful protest yesterday to commemorate the victims of human rights abuses during the regime of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.

* El Salvador: Ex-President Francisco Flores is under house arrest after he turned himself in to face corruption charges stemming from his alleged misappropriation of $15 million.

Video Source – YouTube user CadenaTres Espectáculos
 
Online Sources – The Telegraph; Reuters; The Latin Americanist; BBC News

Argentine Music Icon Gustavo Cerati Died

Argentine rock legend Gustavo Cerati died on Thursday at the age of 55.

“In the early morning hours today the patient Gustavo Cerati died due to pulmonary arrest,” read a statement on the musician’s website from the Buenos Aires hospital where he was receiving treatment.

Cerati never regained consciousness after he had been in a coma from a stroke that hit him after a May 2010 concert.

Last May doctors claimed that Cerati was “clinically stable” but noted that there were “no significant improvements” to his condition and he continued to be connected to an “assistive respiratory device.”

From 1982 to 1997, Cerati was the lead singer of influential Argentine rock en Español group Soda Stereo. Along with Charly Alberti and Hector "Zeta" Bossio, Soda’s distinctive mix of rock and pop led them to create seven studio albums and thrilled audiences throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

“I still haven’t fallen (into reality).  My stance was always to have faith but evidently his body told him he had to go somewhere else.  I am at a loss for words,” lamented Alberti shortly after his friend passed away.

President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner officially declared three days of mourning in memory of Cerati.  Meanwhile, several thousand people in Buenos Aires queued up on a line fifteen blocks long Thursday night to get the chance to view his remains.

“High school, my first recitals; all the memories are flooding back.  His legend gave us life,” said longtime fan Alejandro Canario who was one of the many on the lengthy line.

Four Years of Silence for Cerati

On March 14, 2010, Argentine rocker Gustavo Cerati suffered from a stroke following a concert in Caracas, Venezuela.  Sadly, that was the last time the former Soda Stereo front man would grace the stage and four years later he remains hospitalized unconscious and in a coma.

According to statement from Cerati’s family via his website, doctors overseeing the 54-year-old in Buenos Aires believe that he is “clinically stable…maintaining a health nutritional state and without injuries” due to his bedridden state.”  Nevertheless, doctors noted that there have been “no significant improvements” to his condition and he continues to be connected to an “assistive respiratory device.”

Despite the grim prognosis, members of Cerati’s family remain hopeful that he can successfully emerge from his coma and recover.

“He has been bed ridden for four years, but he is doing very well,” said Cerati’s mother, Lillian Clark. 

“If Gustavo was suffering, he would be intolerable, but in reality he is like sleeping. We haven’t seen him get worse,” she added.

“There are days when I wish I could slap him so he can wake up and there other days where all I do is cry,” observed Charly Alberti, one of Cerati’s band mates on the legendary Soda Stereo rock group.

“Gustavo is one of the best musicians ever to come from Argentina, and that is fantastic,” Alberti also noted.

Cerati’s fans worldwide also remembered him via social networking where the hashtag #CeratiDespierta (#WakeUpCerati, in English) reportedly became a trending topic on Twitter on Thursday.

Among the numerous gestures of love and affection by Cerati’s family on his birthday last August was a video from Clark. Created by Gustavo Masó, Conexión intrauterina (Intrauterine Connection) was a tribute to Cerati that can be seen below the page break:

Today’s Video: Soda en Ingles

Last week we looked at "Llámame," the Spanish-language version of the hit "Call Me" by Blondie that was recorded but not released during the peak of the New Wave band’s popularity.  Today we’re going to briefly examine a song that was recorded in English after it became a popular tune in Spanish.

"Cuando pase el temblor" (“When the Earthquake Ends”, in English) became the second single to be released from Soda Stereo’s second album, Nada personal, in 1985.  The lyrics to the song can be interpreted either literally or figuratively as a double entendre but the music itself is a great mix of Andean sounds with traditional rock and roll.

According to an anecdote mentioned on the Hay Que Oir blog, the famed Argentine rock en Español group recorded two English-language versions in 1988 of their previous hits including "Cuando pase el temblor."  These songs were recorded in London and were eventually passed on to “an influential English DJ” (the late John Peel?) who then played them on his program.  The end product was to be an entire Soda Stereo album in English but “monetary issues” prevented that from becoming a reality.

Does "Cuando pase el temblor" en ingles sound better, equal to or worse than the original?  Judge for yourself:

Soda Stereo broke up in 1997 but returned briefly in 2007 for a reunion tour. 

Three years ago this Wednesday, Soda frontman Gustavo Cerati fell into a coma after he collapsed following a concert in Venezuela.  Cerati’s mother, Lillian Clark said last month that her son has shown “small responses” that have given her “signs of hope” regarding his health.

Video Sources – YouTube via users ubriacone88 and joacodelc
 
Online Sources – Los Angeles Times; Wikipedia (Spanish); sodastereo.com; Hay Que Oir; The Latin Americanist

Daily Headlines: April 29, 2013

* South America: Chilean President Sebastián Piñera urged the International Court of Justice to dismiss a lawsuit filed last week by landlocked Bolivia regarding access to the Pacific Ocean.

* Guatemala: Archbishop Oscar Julio Vian praised the late Bishop Juan Jose Gerardi as a “martyr for peace” at a mass held on the fifteenth anniversary of the brutal murder of the humanitarian cleric.

* Argentine: The mother of Argentine rock singer Gustavo Cerati said that there are “small signs of hope” that her son will soon emerge from his near-three year coma.

* Panama: Paleontologists identified what they believe to be fossil remains of the “oldest monkey in the Americas” at the site of the Panama Canal expansion.

Video Source – YouTube via user telesurenglish

Online Sources- ABC News; GlobalPost; Los Angeles Times; Newsroom Panama

De Musica Ligera: Get well soon Gustavo!

Former Soda Stereo frontman Gustavo Cerati is said to be in critical condition after undergoing surgery for a stroke suffered on Saturday. He has undergone several surgeries and one of the neurologists who examined him said that Cerati has suffered from “extensive brain damage.”

Fans have held a vigil outside of the Caracas hospital where he remains while artists from around the Americas including former bandmate Charly Alberti wish Cerati a speedy and prompt recovery:

“I’m not feeling well at all. My mind has been like a beehive since Sunday…you have to have faith.’ – [ed. Translated text]

Below is the music video of “Rapto”, one of the songs from his latest album entitled “Fuerza Natural.” Here’s hoping that Cerati can somehow recuperate after such massive stroke:

Online Sources- Rafaela.com, El Universal, El Comercio, YouTube

Today’s Video: Chau Soda…again

Anyone hoping that Soda Stereo would continue their reunion after their successful tour nearly two years ago should think twice. That bubble was emphatically popped by lead singer Gustavo Cerati:

"I don’t feel like doing it. Don’t bother trying to bust my balls. Forget about Soda! It’s gone. There won’t be another reunion. It’s gone. I’m serious,” he said in an interview with (Argentine daily) Clarin.

Sad Soda news aside, Cerati will launch tomorrow his latest solo album entitled “Fuerza natural” (Natural force). The following is one of the songs from that work called “Déjà vu”:

(Hat tip: The always awesome and informative Guanabee).

Online Sources- RPP, Cerati.com, YouTube, Guanabee, The Latin Americanist