This guy.
If you grew up in Latin America and like rock ‘n’ roll, Soda Stereo is your Beatles and this man is your John Lennon. As mastermind behind Soda, Gustavo Cerati changed Rock en Español forever, taking what was then a fragmented thing—each country had its separate local rock scene—and making it a unified international force, just as powerful but very different from its English-speaking counterpart. He’s also written some of the best freaking songs in the history of the planet.
Last Saturday he suffered a stroke after a concert in Venezuela. He underwent brain surgery to remove a potentially fatal blood clot and is still in critical condition. The damage has been severe and so far he’s lost the ability to speak. The news reports are shocking and sad.
Gustavo, we’re sending our best thought to you. Hope you make it. In the meantime, I’ll keep listening to all the great music you’ve given us. We love you.
