Reporter: Who is Paco Rentería?

Paco: I am just a man full of passion, goals, longings, dreams and whit many worries, that adore my family, love for the life and for God.

What are you looking on that worries, longings, dreams, etc?
I want to be transcendental as a man, and in every way every day to be a better son, brother, father, friend, etc.

As we talk on our conversation, you told me that you hate the indifference of the people and the abuse of Mexican children that sleep on the streets.

Yes it is, the real world in which they live, make them vulnerable and victims of infant pornography, drug addiction, sexual abuse, and discrimination causes of the origin of physical, emotional and mental illness.

I know that I have one hour to ask any question, and already have many that I whish to do, however other are coming an before to continue, I would like to ask you about your God’s love, and as a musician there are those who don’t talk at all, which is your religion?, and why you say so?

I’m a believer, educated on the Catholic faith and the confirmation of that I see it in the art; as it was the God’s clothes, the way on which God go thorough of one incarnation, all the music, all arts take me to the sacred.

In your music God appears. It is complicated to come close that figure?

Yes very clear, but I’m just an intermediary that accept what God give me to create, play and give it to the public; but as a matter of fact it is all what I do, I’m just his translator on this music style, and related to the complexity, I will tell what I go from an experience, God it’s an experience not a concept.

You have been talked that a man should not resign to the utopian collective or collectivity dreams.

Of course. I believe that the man must to resign to the utopian collective or collectivist. But in individual terms, I think that utopian it’s the big motor that we have for the creativity. There was not Proust, a Joyce, Cervantes, Tolstoy, a Dostoievsky without utopian dream behind. That idea of perfection when occurs on the art, on the literature, in the artistic creation in general, produce many time the most beautiful for the mankind. Also produce extraordinary individuals.

When do you have a moment for yourself in the thing that you do?

In reed, think and meditation

Do you have some place in your home or some place else for being alone, for meditation, think and reed a book?

My bedroom, my studio, in the beach and when I go to the sea.

On which step of your life are you right now?

In the best, but not in the definitive.

How do you live today?

I’m convinced that I live better that I imagined. With fortress, without false modesty, with vigor, effort, courage, giving everything, because … Accepting that every day can be better and that, there are many ways ahead.

How do you enjoy the life?

My affections are a few and unique. Share with them, time, space, adversities, travels, joys and adventures in a complicity that I enjoy so much. With your Rocíos? Yes it is and also with my parents and sisters. And what about friendship? Friendship is a present that I appreciate and I always enjoy and I´m grateful to find noble people that the unique thing that move them is to talk and the interchange of personal experiences.

It is hard or easy your life?

Life is not hard or easy, we must to found equilibrium. It is hard to declare a state of permanent happiness, because it is subjective by is worth trying, it will be part of the utopian dream.

You are a successful man, admired and respected. Have you covered your own expectations about yourself?

I always have been searching to do everything I like, what is emotional to me, and make me passion and that have been conducting me from place to place and I have been covered all. In the way I’m planning, but every year there are more and new expectations that I hope to accomplish with health if God wish give me the opportunity of living.

You run up with stones in the way?

I will lie to you if I say yes and also say not. There are some times that the adversities looks like stones on the way, but when you left them behind you see in reality they were necessaries to advance and I am a man that even taught don’t have stones to advance, I look for them, because every taste better when is worth valued your effort and dedication to achieve it. However the life and this carrier ever put some difficulties, because life is and this profession is that way.

Are you happy?

I’m happy because, I have a beautiful family and for being one off the few that run with luck of work in something I like to do an I enjoy it the maximum nowadays because nobody have guarantee for tomorrow.

Which have been you better professionals achievements?
Those yet I don’t do it. I can tell you that some projects, productions and concerts has giving me some satisfactions and important full theatres, nevertheless you can’t say in the past, and now we must think in the year 2004.
What must have a project o professional proposal to initiate it or have your approval?

To initiate any work must have 3 things: first of all that I like me and to believe on it; second that let me some satisfactions and be able to express my emotions and passion that I found funny and third of all a significant challenge wit expectations and make me grow.

There are some areas of music don’t being experimented or developed?

Of course, I’m sure that there are so many and that is the magic that we can find in the way, always there is something new to discover.

Have you felt slave of the time?
Being a professional is demanding and when you want to accomplish your expectations and goals you too sacrifice and in some occasions you would like days with 48 hours long or more.

Behind of your energy and smile that you show on stage, there is loneliness?

Of course, when the theater curtain goes down, there are not public, no applauses, far from home, in a hotel room as a unknown and certainly there are a lot of moments of lonely and melancholy however you know that it’s a work and it has his objective, it give you much but also removes from you.

In a friendship what do you value?

The loyalty

You are a person with a lot of friends and well know persons all over the country and abroad; there are some persons who consider to you as a magnet on public relations do you believe that that it’s true?

Probably has to be too with the personality, I ´m a person that likes to organize and planning, to have the control of the things and that has giving me big friends, friendship and well known people.

And what about enemies?

Not that I know, but always there are persons that envied your achievements. For me some people full of complex and insecure that do not value what God has giving them and they are hunting the achievements from others to bother some one else. The trouble is from them, not mine.

Are you looking recognition for every one of your projects and concerts?

Of course, I’m dedicated to do concerts, of course I like that public recognize my work, but I first tray than they hearing and judge them. I first try to identify my fortress and weakness and in that way to transmit to the public whit honesty who represent me and how I’m thorough my music.

You are an example for many young, and much more than that they follow you and they are motivated to enter the music or play guitar after listening you, which is your opinion?

Well sincerely I’m not consider me nobody’s example, because as any person I’m a human being with defects and virtues, however I feel full pleasure that with my sand’s grain I can motivate young and children to take for the first time the guitar or doing them more disciplined and love their instrument.

For those who don’t have much time in music, how do you recommend to organize the work in the guitar’s study?

The most important is to be patient. You can’t have it all in a few times. If do you want to ride in a marathon you must to dose your efforts. You must beguine from the bottom whatever you play, don’t doing it too fast. If you practice slowly you will get your objective. The speed if you are talented and facility will come alone, then always slowly on the contraire you won’t be precisely on your technique and those vices from wrong study will take you to come back from the beguine and will cost you double reach it. Also you must learn to play very carefully and if you don’t like something that you are playing for a bad position, a deaf cord or a dirty scale you must be honest with yourself and autocritizy because it’s the only way to advance. You can’t make fool somebody, but yourself. Continuing with quality mistakes on the sound that come from your guitar or instrument gives you the same mistake again. Surpass it and go ahead and in coming years do not charge whit a bag of mistakes. In the other hand never accept anything just because it is the way that it is, because of you teacher or whatever. You question it all. If somebody ask you why this or that, why that silence, symbol, technique etc., you will learn to solve troubles for yourself wit big confidence. Don’t forget that ever musician has his voice and soul. If you look in the dictionary the word instrument, you will see that means too. So the guitar should be an extension of your body like an articulation to be impregnate of soul. The most important is the result, which means the sound of the guitar that, came out clear, beauty and precisely no matter the mean you get to achieve it. If you are not sure of some phrase, line or melody; sing the phrase and you will find the solution and finally and not less important is the breath, don’t forget to breath in the proper moment.

In some of your creations, we noticed that you use the improvisation, why you use this source and how do you planned?

The improvisation it’s a way to take breath, I like to do improvisation because it’s a way to have double freedom in the concert, where you can get out what it is in that precisely moment are you filling. I get in contact with the acoustic possibilities of the same concert. I always prepare some ideas to know the way I’m going to take on my improvisations although one you have it the adrenaline run for your body and you get as a result something you never imagined and that is what makes every concert different and magic. That magic makes that always keep enjoying to be on stage; in the other hand improvisation can be an arm of two edges, you must know where are you, it’s important never get loose because basic improvisation is to know to come back at the original theme but never think in a limit, we must let fluid everything we do on stage.. It’s like telling a history, it’s important to create a little of tension and found an equilibrium between the beginning, the climax ant the final. However as all improvisation it’s only for some melodies and some passages, because what makes recognition as a composer is your work and complete melodies were the line of music is ever the same and the people immediately are aware of that and later they ask for them on concerts. The public always like to listen original versions without variation or alterations.

What a person must learn to be a well known guitarist?

We can’t generally speak. The most important it’s learning to focus on your work, and to work very hard. Always enjoy what you are doing and encourage yourself. You must be open to all styles, all sorts, questions, music, and in only that way you can create something new. You must not to think that you are the best, and anything else to learn. If you think that way you are not an artist anymore to be a conformist person. You must know which are your abilities and disabilities. You must know hat before being a musician, you are a human being that needs a balance in his sentimental and emotional life, because you dedicate 24 hours of the day or the 365 days of the year exclusively to guitar you are a sick person that has a piece of wood and only you, and that lonely turn into desequilibrated, remember to your family. Never forget that is the music what’s count on, not your ego.

What is your opinion about drugs?

The best drug is to rest, sleep well, eat well and the other drugs are for stupid people that have not the courage to face the reality of life or more than that stupid like sheeps that go repeating what other stupids do or someone else proposed them to do. I know a big number of musicians or artists finished on Dumps rejected by society and his family. Drugs only harm physical and emotional, and if somebody has that problem right now I’m sorry by telling stupid, but I recommend you to look for help immediately.

Are you considering that the Flamenco has been evolutioned?

Well, first of all I must tell you that never I consider me as a flamenco guitarist. People catalogue me by the flamenco way that I have to play and related to evolutionate many time has been spoken of the evolution of flamenco and in reality are examples manipulating the flamenco. The evolution of flamenco it’s something that quit a few are able to do, artists that work very hard, creative and exceptional like two of them working together in their life Camarón and Paco de Lucía who redefine the flamenco for a new generation.

If you are not considered yourself as a flamenco guitarist, in what way enter what you do, and how important it’s for you?

Well in reality I owe to flamenco the like for the guitar 100%. Also I adopt the technique of flamenco to play the instrument and there are a lot of rhythms or palos, that I love and once in a wail my compositions have something with that metric like Rondeñas, Bulerías, Fandangos, Tangos, etc.

How do you believe is the image of flamenco?

The image of flamenco is like an island rounded by enigmas, unknown and incompressible. If we are aware that the flamenco can live with his time, we will see that it is the art of the paradigm by excellence. Suddenly a depth sings like none of them. And a guitarist with a finger plays his instrument like nobody, talking about the “Duende” artist.

How do you see the flamenco guitar?

Expansionist, the guitar was born as fellow and grows up as an instrument for making the evolution of flamenco. The musicians have been able to change the image of the guitarists hided by their guitars waiting by the “cantaor”, the dance, to be protagonist and to take out the beauty of the soul of this instrument. Of course that we must to have balance and not to be guitar’s athlete, it means a marvelous of technicism but at the time they put the heart they forget. Has been doing much nonsense in music and in the flamenco, but the only way to be certain it’s risky and with mistakes, that are why, make me laugh those who talk about “purism” and those who make themselves to call “purist”.

What is the purism in the flamenco?

It’s the concept of purity or stupidity for those who see it on his reactionary way, persons take to mix the clean, the pure wit the old. The old for me, it’s a way of museum and file. The pure, on the contrary it’s what feel the artist at the moment of being playing.

How do you see the flamenco in Guadalajara or in Mexico?

Do not exist, everything are academies whose tape over recordings, they can not get on a “tablao” if they don’t know his “falcetas” of always, the guitarist plays his “falcetas” or melodies of the maestro “Paco de Lucia” which play wrongly and they believe are genius, they go for a month to Spain and come back believing the know everything. The flamenco is from Spain, you born on it, it is on the blood and if you want to be part of it, you must go to live over there many years and still we don’t know the result. That’s why you must be aware that the Mariachi better played is played in Mexico by Mexicans, the flamenco is from Spain and played by Spanish every thing else make me laugh. Those who think are flamencos or self named flamenco’s guitarist because there are not anyone only exist wrong imitations that cause fun for the flamencos that come from Spain. And in Guadalajara, México no comments for loosing time.

What there is of the term new flamenco?

Other nonsense, talking about the people that gives his opinion under those terms I don’t blame them and I don’t think they don’t do it bad intentioned I think the lack of knowledge make them to do a lot of mistakes. Some record companies create the term new flamenco and from there many musical groups beguine to say that they was playing New Flamenco. Many times people have been considered me that I play Novo Flamenco, but I have been telling them that there is not new or old flamenco. The flamenco it’s the same and always will be the same played by different souls. Those terms are only marketing and if we want to name somebody discarded that term without doubt will be Paco de Lucía, are there who consider get benefits of those nobility titles by the mixings, fusions or hallucinations that produced with other kind of music but that has been doing from decades ago maid by excellent musicians doing master pieces of fusion with the flamenco as Miles Davis and John Coltrane with the Sketches of Spain and Ole. “Solea” it’s another excellent CD, a compilation of fusions were is Gil Evans, Chik Corea, Jorge Pardo, Paco de Lucía, Tomatito, Camarón y Morente.

Which are your goals on the guitar?

To learn, to know and to discover.