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Down The Years // |
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Opio para el pueblo – The Toten Hosen in Cuba – 15.5.-22.5.2001Something to browse through: the diary covering our trip to Cuba, 15-22.05.2001 May 15 | May 16 | May 17 | May 18 | May 19 | May 20 | May 21 | May 22
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Day Four- Salsa & SocialismThe lead vocalist is here! Suddenly he turns up in the hotel, in the middle of the night, after Kiki and Noppa (still waiting for his suitcase) had waited for him at the airport in vain. And the suitcase didn’t show up, either. The solution: our guide had been late again and so the welcome committee had arrived half an hour after the plane had landed. By that time, Campino was already riding a taxi, happily whistling “You’ll never walk alone”. The delay being typically Cuban? Not so. Our guide is from Cologne! Early in the morning, we have an interview at Radio Progressivo, a kind of youth programme for the Cuban radio. One musician after the other comes here during the “Cubadisco”. Andi and Breiti try to explain to the host what “Pantalones Mortes” really means. We hope that the explanation will suffice to draw some fans to our concert on Sunday, because one thing is for sure: this country doesn’t really go in for rock music.
Andi & Breiti at
Radio Progressivo In the afternoon, we give a press conference, answering the questions of the local media. It starts a little slowly, what with only a handful of people showing up at 3 p.m., but it’s getting more and more interesting and half an hour later the room is packed full. World turned upside down: Breiti usually only opens his mouth when he’s got something very important to say. But now, he’s babbling on and on – after all, he’s the only one of us who speaks Spanish fluently. Later on one of our companions, sitting in the audience, tells how funny it was to watch Campino, wriggling in his seat, dying to say something, too, but not being able to because of the language barrier. But he did manage to make people laugh when he said he was looking forward to an entertaining Sunday night, under the condition that Cubans were as good at dancing the pogo as the Hosen were at dancing salsa... During the hour that followed, serious and important issues were discussed, such as racism in Germany and the question, whether the Hosen saw themselves in a line of tradition with big German bands known in Cuba such as Karat and the Scorpions. No need to point out that our lead vocalist answered with a loud and clear “Yes, of course!”
Hosen in Havanna
For the rest of the day, there was plenty of time for us to do excursions through Havana in small groups. You’d really need ten days at least to see everything this two-million metropolis has to offer. Apart from the tourist crap like rum and cigars, which of course we enjoyed, the charm of this town is due to its mixture of historical style, shown in the colonial architecture, the Yankee show-off buildings and Art Deco-style houses of the 1920s to 1950s, and the post-revolutionary socialist structures, which we know only too well from Eastern Germany. But here they look quite different than in our grey and notoriously grumpy Germany. Surely one of the reasons why Honecker had to go and Fidel is still there lies in the vibes of this country, in the relaxed Latino way of living, the good weather, and the unbeatable talent for improvising. Another reason might be that many citizens of Cuba don’t accept the lifestyle of other “democracies” of North and Central America, especially those supported by the USA, as a good alternative to socialism. In most of the neighbouring countries, democracy and free economy only bring advantages for a minor part of the inhabitants while the major part lives in poverty, illiteracy, violence, and with a poor health care system. Mass poverty and unemployment as well as 20% illiteracy were normal in Cuba, too, before the revolution. Today, every child goes to school and the health and social systems are the best in all of South America. With this in mind, one shouldn’t forget that even in the rich USA large parts of the populace, especially the ones who are not so well-off, do not get a proper school education, not to mention the health care. Here as anywhere else, it doesn’t make sense to think only in terms of black and white.
Vom: Baseball in
Downtown Havanna In the meantime, Vom occupied himself with understanding among nations and organised a baseball match with a few kids on a square in the old part of Havana. We have to admit that our English drummer looked quite miserable when compared to his Cuban challengers. After all, baseball is Cuba’s national sport. Throughout the town, wherever there are a few square metres, spontaneous matches are held and it’s wonderful to see what they find to use to replace the proper baseball bats.
 In the evening, we were to go to the same club again where we had been yesterday. “Los Van Van” were on the schedule, which for the past 30 years has been Cuba’s hottest Salsa combo. And they still are: when we got to the club, hundreds of people were standing outside. For the first time since our arrival here we sensed a slight aggression with the people who didn’t get inside, but it came to no more than a few slaps. Since we were easily discernible as tourists, and standing around in the midst of a passionately arguing mob, without understanding one word whatsoever, hoping that somehow we might at last get into the club, a young local approached us after 20 minutes, offering to get us in for US$ 5 each.
 His brother worked as security personnel on the grounds next to the club and he’d be able to organise something. Plenty of palaver here, too, but a few green bills later we found ourselves on yesterday’s ground that now was cram-packed with dancers in a brilliant mood. We fought our way to the bar only to find out that they were closing it down because the drinks had gone out. But once again our guide who had smuggled us inside knew a solution. Another relative of his had hidden beer and rum somewhere in the building, and for a few more green bills there might be a surprise in store. It worked, so at midnight we held up our glasses and toasted to Joey Ramone, whose 50th birthday it would have been today. The rest of the night was spent with music, drinks, and in a great mood... Best regards, yours, the Hosen
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