Category: TV
Buika: Sad Songs Are “Weapons of Mass Construction”
During this interview with Spanish singer Buika, I asked her a question I had always wanted to make to an artist able to convey the pain her music sometimes brings: if she carried that feeling with her all the time, and if she had to experience those feelings before expressing them. That was the beginning of a surprising conversation on the connection between art and pain.
[WATCH]
Patricia Engel
Patricia Engel’s Vida —a collection of stories linked by its character and narrator, Sabina— is an impressive literary debut. In this appearance in Contraportada (Engel’s first television interview), the author talked about developing a feminine voice and writing as a second generation immigrant.
The Chile Media Tour
Last Thursday I was on NPR’s Tell Me More and Mediaite Office Hours (beggining at 40:00) to talk about the incredible rescue of the 33 trapped Chilean miners and its impact on Chilean politics and national pride.
(And yes, that’s me on the picture feeling proud after cracking a joke at the expense of Eliot Spitzer and Rick Sanchez.)
DJ/Rupture: Musical Agitator
With his work as DJ, electronic musician, radio personality and music blogger, DJ/Rupture (Jace Clayton) has become one of the most interesting and unclassifiable figures in New York City’s indie landscape.
This interview for Contraportada was Jace’s first appearance in American television.
[WATCH]
Alma Moyó: Musical Roots
After 8 years of exploring the bomba tradition in New York City, the 13-piece bomba ensemble Alma Moyó has released its debut album, No Hay Sábado Sin Sol.
Alex LaSalle, founder of the band, came to Contraportada to talk about the record and what draws him to explore the musical legacy of his elders.
[WATCH]
The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature
A conversation with Ilan Stavans, general editor of the Norton Anthology of Latino Literature. Spanning over 2,500 pages, this unprecedented collection ranges from the writings of Bartolomé de las Casas to the lyrics of reggaetón, and is arguably the most comprehensive attempt at defining the Latino experience in existence.
[WATCH]
Grant Dull: Digital Cumbia on the Road
Grant Dull, founder of the Buenos Aires-based Zizek collective and record label, came to Contraportada to talk about their current North American tour, his life as DJ and tour manager, and using the web to raise money for another tour.
Mimi Maura: Familiar Sounds
Midnerley Acevedo, a.k.a. Mimi Maura, and her husband Sergio Rotman, saxophone player for Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, form one of the most powerful music duos in Latin American pop music — one with the potential of bringin together the traditions of the Caribbean and Argentinean rock with an ease that only a real-life couple can achieve.
Watch this episode of Contraportada here.
León Gieco: “I can’t expect to work for change and see it happen”
Legendary Argentinean singer-songwriter came to Contraportada to play a fragment of his classic “La colina de la vida,” and talk about his four decades of singing for justice, hope and change.
José Manuel Simián 