Cerati

These are sad days for music. Gustavo Cerati, 50, one of the most amazing guitarists and songwriters is in critical condition. He suffered some sort of cerebral stroke, after performing a show in Caracas, Venezuela almost two weeks ago. While latest news on his state are somehow optimistic on a mid/long term recovery, the whole chain of events has been terrible news.

Even if Cerati is not dead, in some sense we all know that things will never be same again. I have to admit that during these days I have felt a bit as I imagine Michael Jackson's fans must have felt after his death. While music is supposed to be universal, I am aware that it is hard to explain with words all the emotions that Cerati's music conveys and, more importantly, the significance of his music in my everyday life. Perhaps I could try mentioning that Soda Stereo (the legendary band that Cerati led for many years) was crucial in my own approximations to music, and perhaps I could point you to great songs such as this and this. Or perhaps I could mention how much I admired Cerati reinventing himself after dissolving Soda Stereo, in a phase of my life in which I was also trying also to understand my own position in the world. And then I would probably tell you about this wonderful song, truly representative of those days. Another choice would be to point you to some of his experiments with classic and electronic music, or to introduce you to one of his recent songs. However, I fear that whatever attempt along these lines might not be convincing enough.

Very often, the consequences of what occurs are way more frightening than the events themselves. Nowadays the lack of imagination pervades everything, and it is actually the rule rather than the exception; the thought of the music scene without Cerati (and with other great artists in a decadent state) makes me sad. The absence appears as pointless as what it is left.