Carlos Fonseca with Los Prisoneros at the airport: story of a unique photo

I met Carlos Fonseca Velasco In November 1986, while I was a journalism student at the University of Chile, a classmate and I produced a report on new Chilean rock. who took over the media with his letters of protest, in the face of the dictatorship’s patience.

He was the manager of several of the most popular groups of the time, including Aparato Raro and Los Prisioneros, leaders of the movement, who, in the lyrics of their songs, addressed subjects censored by the regime such as sex, the bad economy. situation. , those who never looked bad with anyone and often appeared on television, unemployment and much more.

Carlos, born in Lima, of Chilean and Peruvian nationality, with music-loving DNA, had already made a name for himself in the music world as the founder of the avant-garde record store Fusión – which brought world rock music to Chile entire -, located in the pharmacy of Providencia and which was in practice its head office. He also hosted a show on Radio Beethoven and wrote a widely read column in the exclusive print magazine Mundo Diners.

He had a degree in rock when he began his managerial career, but he undoubtedly earned a master’s degree and a doctorate after hitting the nail on the head with the band of Jorge González, Claudio Narea and Miguel Tapia. The Prisoners was a bomb of youthful rage that exploded in the face of General Pinochet himself, which would, in my opinion, be the main factor in the awakening of those years. The voice of the 80s, just like that.

At least that is what I believe and I consider that it is the historical merit of Carlos Fonseca, who died this Friday, October 6 of devastating kidney cancer at the age of 62.

Personally, we didn’t know each other very well and, to be honest, because of the events that I will one day recount, we ended up liking each other badly, very badly. But I remember very well some good times between the two of us, like when he admitted to me one day that he also wanted to be a musician: “Neither of us would do what we do if we didn’t want to, do not do it. us?” he told me.

Carlos was shy, had few friends and was always wary of journalists, which did not prevent several reporters from becoming close to Los Prisoneros in the 80s, being good friends and companions at football matches from time to time , among other activities. . Then they were even more suspicious of me: a woman, young and a journalist, hovered around them with a camera and a recorder.

Precisely, from these follow-ups was born this now historic image which, to my great horror, I saw circulating these days on numerous social networks and websites without saying that it is mine. They hacked it years ago and I took it on March 27, 1987, at the height of the group’s existence, at Arturo Merino Benítez Airport.

That day, Jorge, Miguel and Claudio traveled to Argentina to make their debut at Chateau Rock, where Soda Stereo, Virus, Fito Páez and Sumo were also present. In the middle of a swarm of supporters surprised to have Los Prisoneros at their side and as was usual in this chaos – even if there were many journalists – they did not want impromptu photos. “No, because we came out very ugly,” Jorge told me, kindly and with the confidence he had in me at that moment, when I asked him to pose.

Finally, I managed to convince them, they stood in front of the press smiling, with their identity cards in hand and in the photos, they looked very handsome indeed. Suddenly Carlos also stood in front of the cameras and looked at me as you see in this picture, relaxed, perhaps showing that, for people like him, his great talent was to always know that the company was , It is and will always be the most important thing.

PS: Please everyone who posted this photo, give it my name. THANKS.

*Mireya Seguel Burgos, journalist, graduate of the University of Chile.