The Uncle Robert

Well, today, I have to write about the greatest Chilean. It is very difficult for me to choose one person out of the pantheon of the “grandes chilenos” (a quote to that program of TVN). There are many characters important for the Chilean history and culture. For example, Violeta Parra, Salvador Allende, Clotario Blest, Luis Emilio Recabarren, and many others. But, for today, I’ll speak about a popular character; maybe the people in general think that he was only a popular singer without big importance. But I’ll restore their image. Well, I’m speaking of Tío Roberto Parra.
Well, he was born in 1921, and he was the younger brother of Nicanor, Hilda, Violeta and Lalo. And, like Violeta, he had to leave home for to work singing in the Mercado de Chillán when he was a child. I remember an anecdote about he and his brother Lalo (they always were closer) when they joined to a Circus, it broke and they had to return to home without food and money. They arrived to the police, and they question them if they know to sign, and they sang a cueca. All the people were very impressed, then, they come back home in train... This is really nice, because there are the beginnings of the kind of life of these two brothers.
Almost all the people know him by “La negra Ester”, his theatre’s play, inspired in his romance with a “lady” in Valparaíso. But I think that his music is really important. He created the “jazz guachaca”, a mixture of the jazz and the chilean folklore. In this point, is very relevant his legacy to the rock in the 90’. Why? He is in the base of Los Tres’s music.
I think that he was a person that did his life like he wanted. I mean, he left the common life in family, with children, work... He worked when he wanted to eat, or something like that, and he used almost all his time with his music and poetry. I think that I would ask him about all the stories that he lives, in the street, in the field, in the harbor, in the brothel....
I remember that a written said that when he knew Nicanor’s poetry, was amazing. But he changed him by Violeta, when he knew her. And then, he definitely chose Roberto Parra.

*In the picture: Angel Parra and his uncle Roberto (with black suit).

My ideal career

Today I want to write about a career that I would have wanted to study. I think that almost all my classmates have an idea about the career that I would like to study: Anthropology. The questions to answer are: How and when you knew about the career? Explain what do the people that study that career, and Why would you have liked to study this career?
I don’t know when was born in me the tendency toward this matter. I always remember that a friend told me that the work that Violeta Parra did with the peasant, was a work of anthropologist. I said: I want to do that too!!!! Well, the score in PSU wasn`t sufficient, so, here I’m.
When I was in first, second and third year in the university, I began to take part in class in the career. And I began to understand more the work of an anthropologist. This is related with the human and the culture. One of the first definitions of this career that I read is: The anthropology is the man’s study. This is really abstract and general. In other definitions I read that the anthropologist studied the culture. So, for me, the anthropology is the study of the man through the culture.
I think that this career would be perfect for me. The first reason is related with our career. I’m not regretful of to enter in the Art. I like the subject, and is directly related with the culture. I don`t have an obsession by the object, the painting, for example. Yeah, is really beautiful, but for me is only an object. The man or the people that did that work of art are my focus of interest. So, I would study the human behaviour through Art (a part of the culture).
I could do all the things that an anthropologist do (fieldwork, travels), but always related with the art. So, I think that in the future I’ll study a master or the under grade in anthropology. I’ll do it!

*In the picture: Claud Levi Strauss during ethnography' works.

My fictional perfect job

This world is really cruel. The actual system cause that many people are unhappy. The capitalism is terrible because the economics differences and the holding of that situation produce that the poor people always be poor people. When I’m in the bus ride, I always see people that sell candies, necklace, pens, books, etc. And I always think, Are this people happy with that job? Is an election? Maybe that man wanted to be doctor, or actor, or painter. Is really sad to think in this situation but are real and this not going to change in many years.
But today I have o write about my perfect job. I fell in depression when I think in this, because that job no exists. I can invent it, but that job will not pay because in the actual capitalist system the artistic or anthropologist jobs haven’t value, an economic value.
My job would be great; this would be the combination of the entire thing that I love to do, and the best part, that things would be pay. First, my perfect job would be the combination of the anthropology and art. I would be an art’s anthropologist. In my job I would have to travel for study the different expression in situ. In the anthropologist vocabulary this is called field work. I try to follow an investigation line related with the called popular art and pre-Columbian art. That art that isn’t official. I’m interested in this kind of works because is an art deeply entrenched in the people, very different to the art that we can see in the Fine Arts Museum. The people isn’t familiarize with this expression, are alien thing to them.
After of this field work, I would work in my studio (or maybe in the same place) and I would write a book or a paper with the result of my investigation. This book would be distributed in the school, libraries and universities…
I think that I would enjoy this job because is a mixture of the things that I love to do: travels to remote lands, the art’s study, and a theoretic reflection about a matter that I like. Well, this jobs no exits in the “list of jobs” but I could get something like this if I create a project and I to stand it to FONDART. The money isn’t sufficient for the quality and importance of the job, but is ok. I know persons that stand project in FONDART, and they do something that they want to do. This is really cool.
I think that is really important for the development of a person work in the area that he likes. And do the things that really make him happy. Because the people don’t have to live to work, the people have to work the necessary to live.

Violeta Parra, Chilean artist

Is very difficult for me to choose a person would like to meet. I would like to meet characters like Fidel Castro or the “Che” Guevara, or even Karl Marx or John Lennon. But I prefer to decide by a closer person, a kind of person that doesn`t produce fear to meet, somebody like me. Is a historical figure that isn`t recognized as such, I think. She is Violeta Parra.

When I say that she is a closer person, I mean that she isn`t an unachievable figure. This is ridiculous because she is dead, but I try to see it as she would be alive.
I would like very much to meet her. I think that I would visit her in the “Carpa de la Reina” and we would drink a “mate” and we would talk about many things. She would teach me many songs, and she would encourage to compose my songs, and to leave my fears behind.

She is really cool! She was born in San Carlos, and she had to sing with her brothers Lalo and Roberto in the Mercado de Chillan, for to eat. She was really poor and she did many things, like a deep work in the area of the popular music, specifically, the peasant sings. I really like the albums where she recorded this sings. In special I like the “cantos por el angelito” and a very nice song called “Las vísperas de San Juan”. This song is special for me, because it makes me remember my home. We celebrated the San Juan’s day, and this song brings me memories about food, climates, colours, sounds.....sniff!
Other thing that she did was the “arpilleras”, her visuals works. With this works she did an exhibition in the Louvre, the first Chilean artist that had a complete room for shows her works! And, and additional component: she took part in the Communist Party!

I think that I would not ask her about the reasons about her suicide. Because I understand her, I can feel when I listen to the “Últimas Composiciones de Violeta Parra” her feelings. In the songs of this album she used very much the charango, an instrument that in itself show the soul crying.
I think that isn`t necessary explain why I would like to meet her. It has all been said. I admire her.
In the last days I’ve listen to the album called “Composiciones para Guitarra”, and is one of the most striking think that I’ve listen to. She wasn`t a musicians, she was an Artist, in the whole sense of the word.

My perfect day

It’s very difficult for me to speak about my perfect day. I think in my perfect day with a little of fantasy. I mean, that I would like to have ‘the power’ for to be in many places without to spend so time in travels! Is stupid, I know, but I need that strange and imposible situation for to enjoy my perfect day. Because a really good day for me start in my home, in the south of our country.
First, I would wake up with the cockerel’s sing. I would go to the window and I would see the dawn. Then, I would stroke to my two dogs: Parrito and Valiente, and my four cats: Luchito, Chita, Peneca y Pelusa. For breakfast, I would like drink milk of the my father’s cows :).

I would do that strange transportation to Santiago. Here, I would like to visit the Cementerio General with somes friends. I like very much to go for walk to that place. Is really beautiful, in special, the architecture and that environment, with a unique climate, light and colours.
Then I would go to the Quinta Normal, I would walk around the park, and I would eat ice cream. I would visit the museums there, like the Historia Natural Museum, and that museum (i’m not sure about it name) of technology.

In my perfect day I would like to go to buy a bass, a rickenbacker, like the bass of Mccartney. This is a desire that I would include in my perfect day, becuase in my normal life, this cannot be posible.
I would do other that rare’s transportation. I would go to San Fabian, in the Eighth region and there I would ‘swim’ in the stream. And then, almost in the end of this great day, I would come back to my home, that it is in a hill like in Heidi’s history. There, I would sing in the roof of my home, with my cats around me, just before to the dusk.

My perfect day is the joint of all the things that I love. Regarding to the person that would be with me in my perfect day... I think that is a secret! :P.

A day in the life

I think that this is the most difficult post in all the year. To choose my favourite song! I don't know!!!!!!!!!! But I'm sure about the authors of so mystery song: The Beatles. I think that the sense of the harmony, the melody and the content of the song, is very deep in that guys. I did a list with my favourites songs of The Beatles: Lovely Rita, A day in the life, I'm the Walrus, Strawberry Fields, Happiness is warm gun, Cry baby cry, Because and, finally, The End. Now, the difficult part, to choose one of those songs. I think that my favourite song of all times is.....A day in the life.

I choose this song because I think that represent the sense of the psychedelics years of the Beatles, and because is a great song.

I can remember that I liked it to the first time that I heard it. I don't know why. A friend showed me and taught me how to hear the music of the real Beatles (since Revolver until Abbey Road).

A day in the life was written by John Lennon. Originally, he wrote a lyric with a notice that he read in the newspaper. The methodology of work of the Beatles was very participative, somebody wrote a song and then he showed the song to the group, and then they did it the musical arrangements. The composition was a group task. John Lennon showed his creation to the group, and then, Paul McCartney wrote a verses.

In the documentary called Anthology, The Beatles and George Martin (producer) explain how did and recorded the song. Paul McCartney related the part when he and John written the song, and when they decided to include a verse with sexual connotations: “I’d love to turn you on”. In the same documentary they explain how they manage to build a symphonic arrangement to the song, and that part where the clock rings announce when the group must come together and things like that...

I think that what took my attention was the beautiful melody and the John voice, so deep. And then, when I heard the orchestra... all in that song is really wonderful! Isn’t a human creation!

Here there is a link with a video, WATCH IT :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nY0SRsAeaw&feature=related

Latin America

Well, I would like to know the entire world!!! To choose one place is very difficult for me. But I’m going to choose a region of this planet: Latin America.
The reason for this election is simply, is the historical place where I was born and where I live. I feel a special affection for our region, I think that here there aren’t countries clearly different. The frontiers are human inventions, are a fiction. I think that we are one people that were born as a product of a specific historical situation, the colonization.
I would like to know from Rio Grande to the Estrecho. I would travel through it, like the Che! My knowledge about Latin America is historical and cultural, but not very deep. If I could travel by Latin America I really would like to know Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. In Mexico I would visit the archaeological ruins of Teotihuacan, El Tajin and Tenochtitlan, and Museum of Anthropology. In Cuba... well, my interest in this country is historical, because here are great characters like Fidel Castro; I really admire this man because he could to release the Cuban people of the USA control. And, in this island there is an interesting cultural mix (like Brazil), and is one of the more ancients Spanish settlement. Brazil is a big place! And their regions are so different! I think that almost all of us would like to do an exotic travel in the Amazonia! But to leave in one piece! In Peru I would know the ruins of Machu Picchu, Sacsayhuaman, and the Cuzco’s city with all their museums and Churches. In Bolivia I would go to the ruins of Tiwanaku and Potosi’s city.
Like a place for to live I would choose Cuba, I think that I would be happy there. For study I would choose Mexico or Brazil, because they have very good universities in the area that I like it: the anthropology, archaeology and the art.
Well, the only thing that I can do now is to save money to do this great trip!!!

*In the picture, a mural by Jorge González called "Presencia de America Latina", Pinacoteca of Concepcion,. Chile.