El contrabaixista català Alexis Cuadrado, instal·lat des de fa anys als Estats Units, no és solament un compositor i un músic excel·lent, sinó un artista complet, curiós i amb ganes de compartir les seves reflexions amb els altres. Aquest és el missatge que ha fet arribar als seus amics respecte al dia que va conèixer l'avui ja, finalment, president dels Estats Units, Barack Obama. Li hem demanat permís per reproduir-lo donat l'interès del seu text. Per cert, si voleu més informació sobre l'Alexis Cuadrado, és molt recomanable i estimulant la seva web: http://alexiscuadrado.com/
It was Sunday November 21st 2004, right after the past presidential election. I felt pretty devastated about the Bush re-election, you know being a musician and all, and my “Euro-snobbiness” was at a peak high wondering how the hell all these Americans chose a moron like that as president. Obama had entered the global awareness just a few weeks before after his phenomenal speech at the DNC, and I remember watching that online and thinking "there is someone that finally makes sense in this mess of a country ".
That Sunday was particularly shitty for me as I was returning from a tour in California, and the rest of the band was flown straight back to NY... except me! I got a mileage ticket with 4 and 1/2 layover at Chicago O'Hare and was plotting a murder to eliminate the bandleader (he's a good guy and we still friends though).
So I get to my gate in Chicago, and I see him sitting there, just calmly reading the New York Times . He certainly projected a calming aura, so I think to myself: “What the hell, I’ll say something”. The conversation went like something like this:
AC: Hi, are you Barack Obama?
BO: Yes, I am!
AC: Hey just wanted to say that I’m really sorry you guys lost the election… and that I saw your speech at the Democratic Convention and really liked it… it made a lot of sense…
BO: Thanks a lot! We’re just going to have to work hard…
AC: Well, I’m from Spain and it’s just hard to live in this country sometimes, you know…
BO: Oh, I love Spain, what part of Spain are you from?
AC: Barcelona
BO: I love it there, these good friends of mine live there and we visited a while back, what a great place…
AC: Yeah and everyone has health insurance over there, you know…
BO: Of course,… hey is that a bass bow you’re carrying there?
AC: (thinking to myself… “Holy shit how does he know that?”) errr… yeah! I’m a bassist how did you know it was a …
BO: So you play jazz?
AC: Yes, I do, I’m coming back to NY from a tour in California…
BO: Cool! So that’s why you came to the US for… your music?
AC: Yeah I did my masters and then, you know, I met the right girl, and still here…
BO: Great, best of luck to you, what’s your name?
AC: Alexis
BO: Alexis, it’s great to meet you.
AC: Likewise, I think you should run for President next time you know?
BO: Well… we’re just going to have to work real hard, we’re on it!
AC: Thanks! It’s been great to meet you too
At that moment we shake hands, and he goes back to reading the times. He is a brand new senator and once we’re on the plane I see he’s flying coach and sitting in the center seat. My thoughts of a shitty flight are now gone, and when I we land at JFK I call Ave (the right girl who is now my wife) and tell her that Obama is in the same plane. At the arrival gate I cross paths with him once more and he says goodbye. What a great fucking guy he is, I feel lucky and dignified, honored to have met him.
Four years later he is going to be the President of the United States and I’ve just had two beautiful children. Ave and I had already decided that if McCain wins we’re leaving the country. Last night, when seeing the reaction of his victory’s across the country I realized that I have never seen anyone inspire people like Obama does, and I feel like the world is going to be OK again and that staying in the US will be great, I might even want to become a citizen now…
Cap comentari:
Publica un comentari a l'entrada