We're Bad Cuz Nobody Loves Us, Nobody Loves Us Cuz We're Bad

In These Times › December 21, 2009

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Summary

Governmental hostility between Cuba and the United States gave certain cultural functionaries the excuse to reject rock as a way to show their "patriotism," to "safeguard national culture" from "foreign, noisy and scandalous beats" and to protect our "helpless youth" - the same young people who were dancing to rock in the countryside and in factories while building socialism - from the "ideological diversionism" represented by this "dangerous music of the enemy."

Influences like Nueva Trova, the occasional visit by foreign rock groups (including the socialist camp), and the constant imitation of Anglo-Saxon rock set the terms for the Cuban rock explosion that came in the 'Sos. Festivals such as "Caliente" at the Casa de Cultura in the upscale Havana neighborhood of Playa (which continues to host rock shows), concerts in the Soviet-style suburb of Alamar and events such as'Oudad Metal" (Metal City) in the towns of Santa Clara and Cruces helped the more radical elements among the hard rockers to find a home in heavy metal. Fans of this style were referred to as "frikis" (there's a debate about whether the word is derived from "free kiss" or "freaks"), which were distinguished by their dress and attitude: "We're bad cuz nobody loves us; nobody loves us cuz we're bad."

The group that left the biggest mark on the first decade of 21" century Cuban rock is unquestionably Porno Para Ricardo (Porn for Richard), which was founded in 1998. Led by Gorki Águila, they started as punks with the institutional backing of the Union of Communist Youth, the youth branch of the Communist Party. But they soon began to take on an irreverent, profane and mischievous dissidence. Because of IhIs1 they were not allowed to play anywhere. Nonetheless, their albums Rock Para Las Masas . . . Cárnicas a riff on "masas cárnicas" or "meaty mass"- the mystery protein that is part of every Cuban's official food ration) and A mi no me gusta la politica pero yo le gusto a ella compañeros (Friends, I Don't Like Politics But Politics Likes Me) became underground hits in Cuba, and their songs such as"£7 Comandante" (which contain the lyrics "No comas tanta pinga, Comandante""Don't be such a cocksucker, Comandante"), "El Submarino," and "Black Metal" have become popular sing-alongs among youth.

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Extract

We're Bad Cuz Nobody Loves Us, Nobody Loves Us Cuz We're Bad

IN SEPTEMBER 20, MORE than 1 million people in the Plaza de la Revolución watched Colombian rocker Juanes and his friends - cheering, dancing, swooning from the Havana heat.

Those that watched the concert know there was merengue, salsa Nueva Trova (the revolutionary folk pioneered by Silvio Rodríguez and Pablo Milanés), funk, hip hop and pop. But for us Cubans, only Carlos Varela rocked (the 46-year-old gnome with the black wool hat, the only one o...

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