James Dean Bradfield: "Protest Music Can Be Beautiful And Delicate" - ABC.es, 14th August 2020

ARTICLES:2020

Title:	James Dean Bradfield: "Protest Music Can Be Beautiful And Delicate"
Publication:	ABC.es
Date:	Friday 14th August 2020
Writer:	Pablo Carrero

His second solo album, the recently released "Even in exile", is an emotional tribute to the Chilean singer-songwriter and activist Víctor Jara Getting into political-social Honduras is not exactly something new in James Dean Bradfield, guitarist and vocalist of the formidable Welsh band Manic Street Preachers, in whose songs there has always been room for protest and reflection. However, it is striking that his second solo album, the recently released "Even in exile", is an emotional tribute to the Chilean singer-songwriter and activist Víctor Jara, tortured and murdered by Augusto Pinochet's army after the coup d'état in September 1973 against the government of Salvador Allende. Bradfield acknowledges that until relatively recently the figure of Jara was a somewhat vague reference for him: "The first time I heard of Víctor Jara was in a Clash song, and that was already very important to me, of course. Then I saw "Disappeared" - a film by Costa-Gavras about the disappeared from the Chilean dictatorship. I saw it because it was Jack Lemmon, who was one of my favourite actors at the time, and I was overwhelmed by the story. Later, Víctor Jara has inspired many songs, books or records, such as “Street Fighting Years” by the Simple Minds. I was always interested in it, but the truth is that until recently I hadn't dedicated myself to directly listening to his music and reading the lyrics of his songs ». His approach, then, to the figure of the singer-songwriter only confirmed his good feelings: "I love his music; It is something that I have never been very familiar with, but I find it highly suggestive. In addition, Jara demonstrated that protest music can be made without looking angry. Protest music can be pretty and delicate." Musically, “Even In Exile” doesn't have much to do with Jara's music, nor with Latin American folklore: “There is some wink, of course, like“ La Partida "a version of an instrumental song by Jara himself, but I I don't know that culture well and my way of making music is not that. However, it has been a challenge for me in many ways, and one of them was trying to make an album that didn't sound like the Manic Street Preachers' and I think I have largely succeeded. On this album you can see some of my musical influences that are not reflected in the Manics, such as The The, Rush, the Pink Floyd of the early days, with Syd Barrett, or a Welsh progressive rock group called Man that not many people know but they are really good."

Su segundo disco en solitario, el recién publicado «Even in exile», es un emotivo tributo al cantautor y activista chileno Víctor Jara Meterse en honduras político-sociales no es precisamente algo nuevo en James Dean Bradfield, guitarrista y vocalista de la formidable banda galesa Manic Stree Preachers, en cuyas canciones siempre ha habido hueco para la protesta y la reflexión. Sin embargo, sí llama la atención que su segundo disco en solitario, el recién publicado «Even in exile», sea un emotivo tributo al cantautor y activista chileno Víctor Jara, torturado y asesinado por el ejército de Augusto Pinochet después del golpe de estado de septiembre de 1973 contra el gobierno de Salvador Allende. Bradley reconoce que hasta hace relativamente poco la figura de Jara era una referencia algo difusa para él: «La primera vez que oí hablar de Víctor Jara fue en una canción de los Clash, y eso ya para mí era muy importante, claro. Luego vi “Desaparecidos” –película de Costa-Gavras sobre los desaparecidos de la dictadura chilena–. La vi porque en ella actuaba Jack Lemmon, que entonces era uno de mis actores favoritos y quedé sobrecogido por la historia. Más tarde, Víctor Jara ha inspirado muchas canciones, libros o discos, como el “Street Fighting Years” de los Simple Minds. Siempre me interesó, pero la verdad es que hasta hace poco no me había dedicado a escuchar directamente su música y a leer las letras de sus canciones». Su acercamiento, pues, a la figura del cantautor no hizo sino confirmar sus buenas sensaciones: «Me encanta su música; es algo con lo que nunca he estado muy familiarizado, pero me resulta muy sugerente. Además, Jara demostró que se puede hacer música de protesta sin necesidad de parecer enfadado. La música social puede ser bonita y delicada». Musicalmente, «Even In Exile» no tiene mucho que ver con la música de Jara, ni con el folklore latinoamericano: «Hay algún guiño, naturalmente, como “La Partida” –una versión de una canción instrumental del propio Jara-, pero yo no conozco bien esa cultura y mi forma de hacer música no es esa. Sin embargo, sí ha sido un reto para mí en muchos aspectos, y uno de ellos era tratar de hacer un disco que no sonara como los de los Manic Street Preachers” y creo que en buena medida lo he conseguido. En este disco se notan algunas de mis influencias musicales que no se reflejan en los Manic, como The The, Rush, los Pink Floyd de la primera época, con Syd Barrett, o un grupo galés de rock progresivo llamado Man que no mucha gente conoce pero que son realmente buenos».