As 2010 comes to a close, the Spanish cultural firmament has been dimmed by the loss of two of its brightest stars: in November record producer Mario Pacheco died, and then in December flamenco singer Enrique Morente passed away. Pacheco, who died of cancer aged 60, founded Nuevos Medios, the groundbreaking record label behind the “new flamenco" scene in the 1980s. The label, which has a catalogue of more than 900 records, launched the careers of many of Spain’s most original musicians, making flamenco fashionable, and shedding the genre's image as tawdry spectacle or the preserve of experts. Best remembered for reviving the fortunes of flamenco through its stellar roster of artists … [Read more...] about Spanish music mourns passing of Pacheco and Morente
Archives for December 2010
Spain’s anti-P2P “Sinde law”: Her Master’s Voice?
Imagine the press conference in the pre-Wikileaks world of just a month ago: a journalist stands up and asks Spanish Culture Minister Ángeles González-Sinde if her government’s persistence in trying to push through a controversial anti-P2P bill making it easier to shut down websites that link to copyrighted material might have something to do with pressure from the US embassy in Madrid. Visibly outraged at the suggestion, Sinde sidelines the question, and reiterates the official line: “The government is fully committed to protecting intellectual copyright, which is fundamental to the growth of our culture industry… Spain cannot afford the luxury of wasting its creative talent and the … [Read more...] about Spain’s anti-P2P “Sinde law”: Her Master’s Voice?
Wikileaks: Washington’s peculiar view of Spain
The amount of information related to Spain that has emerged as part of the recent Wikileaks revelations is enormous. With El País nominated as one of the five newspapers to benefit from the distribution, this was inevitable. Since the first day of publication, on November 28, we have seen reports of how the US government pressured Spanish legal authorities to drop the case against American troops blamed for the death of cameraman José Couso in Iraq; of how Washington pressured Spanish firms to leave Iran and the Spanish government to approve internet anti-piracy legislation; of Madrid’s covert support for Morocco’s cause in the Western Sahara conflict; and of Prime Minister Zapatero’s … [Read more...] about Wikileaks: Washington’s peculiar view of Spain
Was Hollywood’s first “talkie” in Spanish?
Twenty years ago this month, Spain’s “first cinematographic actress” died in Madrid. Concha Piquer was 84, and her funeral brought Gran Vía to a standstill as thousands of admirers and curious madrileños converged on Madrid’s famous boulevard to pay their respects while her body was carried to its final resting place. Now, this copla singer, much loved in her native country and in parts of Latin America but little known outside the Spanish-speaking world, may be heading for her biggest role yet in Hollywood culture. María de la Concepción Piquer López was born in 1906 (although some sources list 1908) in Valencia. She was discovered by the Spanish composer Manuel Penella Moreno, who was … [Read more...] about Was Hollywood’s first “talkie” in Spanish?
Spain’s air traffic strike: We’ve been here before
On December 3, Barcelona’s El Prat and Madrid’s Barajas, along with every other airport in Spain, shut down, closing the country’s air space. Air traffic controllers (ATCs) had walked off the job at the start of the country’s longest holiday weekend —a five-day break for some— leaving hundreds of thousands of people stranded, and scuppering an enormous number of vacations. The controllers were responding to a government decree passed that very afternoon —the third this year relating to the ATCs—approving new regulations and the partial privatisation of Spain’s airport authority, AENA. In Spain, so-called “royal decrees” can be passed by a government without prior approval by … [Read more...] about Spain’s air traffic strike: We’ve been here before
Spain’s doping habit threatens to sully golden year
Another Civil Guard doping bust and another sports star is suspected of having cheated their way to the top. This time, it is Marta Domínguez, the world steeplechase champion, whose house was raided on December 9 to reveal enough illegal doping products, including EPO, for her to be suspected of supplying other athletes, Spanish media has reported. Domínguez was one of 14 people, mainly from the world of athletics, who were arrested as part of “Operation Galgo” (she was later released pending investigation). Others included her trainer César Pérez, the highly regarded coach Manuel Pascua and former 3,000m runner Alberto García. But it is the apparent fall from grace of Domínguez, 35, … [Read more...] about Spain’s doping habit threatens to sully golden year
What I learned in a Spanish brothel
“My mother brought me my first client when I was 14. Since then, I’ve had an average of three to five men per night. I’m 25 now. I think I am probably the biggest whore in this club”, says Diana (her “professional” name), one of the 120 prostitutes who work at Vive, one of the best-known brothels in Madrid. Vive is located in the Bravo Murillo district, next to Estrecho metro station. Every night it opens its doors to clients who, as Manuel, a regular for the past three years, puts it, are “just looking for some drinks and some fun if the night really warms up.” He adds: “I don’t sleep with the girls every night I come, only when I really feel like it. Most of the time, I just come for … [Read more...] about What I learned in a Spanish brothel
Quality TV is the big casualty of Spain’s dubbing
That Fox Television’s recent announcement it would be screening medic drama series House in the original English —with subtitles— was considered a news story by the Spanish media might go some way towards explaining this country’s poor ranking in EU tables of member populations’ knowledge of languages other than their own. More saliently, it highlights this country’s dismal record when it comes to producing quality television programming. Spain ranks as the fourth-worst country in the EU when it comes to mastering foreign languages, according to a recent report by Eurostat. Those figures coincide with a report by the EU’s Dubbing and Subtitling Needs and Practices in the European … [Read more...] about Quality TV is the big casualty of Spain’s dubbing
Barça thrashing reminds Mourinho of his Madrid challenge
Had John Cleese’s Basil Fawlty voice been applied to José Mourinho’s post-match press conference after his Real Madrid side was humbled 5-0 by reigning champion Barcelona at Camp Nou, it wouldn’t have sounded entirely out of place. “Humiliation?” asked Mourinho rhetorically. “Not a bit of it… just don’t mention the result.” It was the Portuguese schemer’s heaviest defeat in a glittering career that has made him the most valuable manager in the world by any measure. However straight a bat Mourinho plays when under the cosh, a five-goal thrashing at the stadium of Real’s archrival is not going to sit well with a man used to winning. Unfortunately for Mourinho, he has little time to lick … [Read more...] about Barça thrashing reminds Mourinho of his Madrid challenge