A book a day: Nacho Vegas: Consumed facts policy

Original Language: Español

Year of publication: 2006

Valoración: Recommended for fans

At the time this book was published, Nacho Vegas had already consolidated as a solo musician, although he was still considered an independent or indie artist (this last word has a slightly different meaning, but perhaps more successful). The lyrics of his songs, often autobiographical, told stories of depression, abandonment, anxiety, addiction, etc. It was at that time when I met his music, and I liked it a lot. Not for feeling identified with his lyrics, but for the authenticity he transmitted, amplified by his heartless style, his simple melodies and his very particular voice color.

This book perfectly reflects that stage of Gijón’s singer -songwriter. It is presented as a compilation of diverse texts that range from small stories, minifications, daily entries (possibly real), aphorisms and, why not, poems that could well be the lyrics of any of their songs.

This morning on the street someone

It seemed to smile.

When I approached everything I saw

In his face it was a grimace.

Only when I stopped on

A fire knew how to calm down

(And even then I would have sworn that

that person smiled).

I just burn until I went out.

Perhaps what I like most about the book, as of his music, is that authenticity, almost innocent, with which Vegas tells us what he thinks and feels. Although it rarely presents itself openly in the first person, it is vulnerable by exposing episodes of abuse, addiction and despair. However, despite the dark of most themes, and although there is no melody that imposes a specific atmosphere, it is noted that these texts were written with a hopeful look, with a certain air of resilience and catharsis. Of course, sometimes exaggerates a little with fatalism:

Rocío, I don’t know why I write about

of you

I really care little

If you are alive or dead,

and I doubt that you were necessary

so that I find myself here

At the moment.

From the formal point of view, there is not much to highlight: the small stories are presented as more or less concrete situations, with the late majority open or ambiguous. Minifications/poems, almost aphoristic, show us as images rather than ideas, leaving a lot of space to the imagination. While the general theme of the book is quite homogeneous, the collection of texts does not seem to follow a clear internal logic; They present each other as if it were a posthumous compilation of forgotten papers in a drawer.

Over time, Nacho Vegas was maturing and, probably, leaving his depression. The theme of his songs changed, which alienated many of his fans. He went from being a cursed poet to a fighter for social justice; A radical turn regarding the bleak texts of its beginnings. This book clearly belongs to a Nacho Vegas that no longer exists.

CONSUMED FACTS POLICY It is an intimate and stark testimony of a turbulent stage in the life of Nacho Vegas. Although disorderly already excessively fatalistic, the book retains a genuine value as an emotional and poetic document. It is a work that will especially like those who found comfort or recognition in the songs of their first stage. A brief reading but loaded with resonances.

I recommend accompanying the book with the album Disappear here.