JOANA>How old was Andres when he created LA LEY?
LA LEY LINKS
PAGINA 2 * PAGE 2
A Conversation with Joana Gibb
BETO>It was back in 1987. He was 26 years old
JOANA>Was he married,did he have children?
BETO>He never got married, never even thought of having children.Although he was very close to the children of his family, I guess he was a very lovable uncle. The love of his life was a girl called Isolina. She was the lead singer of a band called "Nadie" and happened to be Shia's sister(the first singer of La Ley). His last girlfriend's name was Connie.
JOANA>How would you define Andres as a person?
BETO>-He was a very introverted person, very smart and talented. At first he gave the impression of being very conceited and self confident but when people got to know him a bit deeper, they always turned being best friends. He was very loyal and honest.
JOANA>Were you and Andres very close?
BETO> We got to know each other from the work we did together. At first there was a little distant due to the position I got from being the face of this band(remember, he started and founded La Ley) but after he realized we were meant for the same cause and became very good friend of mine. We really loved working together and making songs. I remember that making songs with Andres was something that came out really easy. We were a very creative team. I'll miss him!
JOANA>How did you find out about Andres death?
BETO>After the last show we did, we went to eat something in a very nice restaurant. It was like a goodbye party. I remember he invited me to the bar and bought me a Margarita. I remember he kind of told me that he was proud of working with me and that whatever he felt in the past that was raw, he did not feel anymore. It felt like a goodbye. After that, we said goodbye and went home. At 4 o'clock in the morning I received a phone call from a friend. I somehow knew that Andres was gone.
JOANA>If you can, can you tell me what you felt at that moment?
BETO>Well, the first thing I did was to burst into tears and then felt a very strange peaceful sensation. Then I went to the morgue to identify the body. I remember to have identified him from his hand. You see, in the morgue(as you must know) all the bodies are covered by a blank sheet leaving sometimes the feet or the hands outside. I always looked at Andres hands when he played his guitar, that's why I instantly knew his hand.Then came the man from the morgue and pulled off the sheet leaving his very body... at the evidence of the fact. He looked complete, only had a couple of scratches on his face but that was it. It was the very first time I saw a dead person and I remember to have felt a very clear feeling about life. I was looking at the body of a friend of mine. It was him alright but did not have that thing that made him special, "unique". I guess I realized then that the soul really existed and that when the time comes, the soul leaves the body, leaving it like the clothes you disuse, with no character.
JOANA>Was Andres on "Invisible"?
BETO>Invisible was Andres. When he was still alive, we started to compose some songs for a future album. I remember that we were building songs without a concept, just ideas that were flowing through our souls. I even remember that one afternoon I came with an idea about a guy who suddenly dies and realizes the fact that he passed away. That song was R&R."AIN'T NO BROTHER GONNA SAVE YOU FROM THIS ONE...I THINK I PASSED AWAY!!!" Andres really liked the idea and did a guitar riff that really matched the vocal melody. I think we build it in 40 minutes. Easy doesit!I guess death announces itself when it's near. Then came the accident and the strength we had to have to continue. A couple of days after I had a dream: We were going out from a concert. Andres asked for my car keys to drive and I gave them to him. While going out, there was a fence full of fans, yelling and throwing themselves at the car. Suddenly a question came into my mind: "Andres, if you're dead, who's driving?" Then he answered: "For you guys it's still me, for them it's the invisible man!" Then I woke up, took a pen and started writing. For me, it was clear, Andres left, leaving unfinished business. He used my dream to communicate that he was gonna stay with us for a while, quite a while if you think of the period that INVISIBLE lasted!
JOANA>Which is the best moment you can remember that happened with LA LEY with Andres?
BETO>I'd say about all the time we spent with him. At first, when we started there was all the projection, the dreams of success we had all, the victories, the fight, DOBLE OPUESTO!!!Many things! When we first went to Mexico and the States. I would say about the whole story!
JOANA>Was LA LEY of then and LA LEY of today, 2 totally different bands, is the communication still the same?
BETO>Good question! I think La Ley it's a chameleon band. Always changing. I think our destiny was to always be changing. First there was Coty, when he decided to leave the band, we had to change the structure and adapt the sequences since we lost our keyboardist. Then came Andres's death (what a change!!) with the return of Coty in the keys and Pedro( a new musician). Then Coty decides to leave the band again and we become a quartet(again!)and now(between us)Luciano. I'd say we have a 76% chance of becoming a rap band for the next millenium!(joke!!)Communication changes for the best. Now we can work individually 'cause we've learned from all of those who have passed here.Then we can meet again and make these songs sound like La Ley (as we understand it).
JOANA>Which was Andres favorite LA LEY song?
BETO>I think Andres really loved the songs he sang (I.L.U., SI TU NO ESTAS AQUI, EN LUGARES and others that weren't recorded). Besides those,I think Andres really loved what we did in TEJEDORES DE ILUSION, PRISIONEROS DE LA PIEL, DOBLE OPUESTO, ANIMAL(from INVISIBLE). I don't know really, I'll ask him when I die and tell you through a dream!
JOANA>Now many years later, in VERTIGO, do you feel Andres lives through your music?
JOANA>Thanks Beto, I appreciate you taking this time to talk to me...
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