It’s an autumn afternoon in 2024 and the legendary phrase chanted by three different generations “Iñaki, ze urrun dago Kamerun” by the group Zarama comes on the radio. He has not stopped playing since his creation in the 90s and accumulates different versions in pop, rock, techno and even rap. Behind one of the most popular Basque successes hides the singer, journalist and writer of the group Roberto Moso, who has just published “Puto Boomer”, a book in which, with humor, he recounts the adventures and stories that marked his life. All this without forgetting the music and without being a fucking Boomer. “It should not be taken for granted that, as you have lived, your experiences allow you to spend your whole life teaching lessons. You have to start from the principle that sometimes it is the young people who have to give you lessons. And in the same way that we liked to rebel against our parents and tell them four things, we must assume that now it is time for them to tell us,” he admits in an interview with this newspaper.
What the fuck is a Boomer?
Give me a minute, I’m buying some bread.
Of course, no problem.
Okay, I’m done. Well, a fucking Boomer is someone who goes to be interviewed for a book and is caught buying bread (laughs). Apart from that, as you can imagine, it is not a term that the Boomers invented, the new generations gave it to us to explain a certain type of people who irritate them and of which I also understand that on certain aspects they may be right, because we do not allow ourselves to be a generation that, in many ways, is in the zone of power. And of course, whoever is in the power zone must receive the stick.
Why did you choose this title for the book?
At first, I considered other titles. The book was about another era, about my experiences and the term Boomer made me laugh, because I have two daughters aged 23 and 29, and sometimes people say that to me. It seemed right to me because I’m a baby boomer, those born in the ’60s, from families who had three or four children and who sent us out into the street to play with sandwiches. I was thinking about it and I thought about calling it ‘Rock and Roll Boomer’ or ‘Boomer Blues’ and then someone told me about the famous ‘OK Boomer’, but of course, initially it wouldn’t be not something original and to continue, ‘OK Boomer’ sounds too Anglo-Saxon. This is why I came to the conclusion that “Fucking Boomer” compensated for the Anglo-Saxon nature of the term and nevertheless remained impactful.
What did these children born in the 60s or 70s have that those of today will never have?
The ability to move around the street in complete tranquility, without the need for guardians, teachers or monitors to control them. I think that childhood today is very protected, you just have to look at the parks, when you see children, they are very young and there is always someone controlling them. Children are no longer free children to go on adventures without being accompanied by an instructor. It’s no longer fashionable.
Is it difficult to approach new generations?
Not only does it cost, but it costs well. I believe we should not take for granted that because you have lived, your experiences allow you to spend your entire life teaching lessons. You have to assume that sometimes they are the ones who have to give you lessons. And just as we loved rebelling against our parents and telling them four things, we must assume that now it’s our turn to tell them to ourselves. It’s not in everything that you are intelligent and experienced, because I have two daughters who have visited, for example, many more countries than me.
I’m delighted that one of my songs will last over time and continue to touch people.
Over the years, I don’t know your name, but the expression “Iñaki, ze hurrun dago Kamerun”, I am sure many young people know it. What did this hit mean to the band and to you?
It is assumed that his name has been preserved. Contrary to what a young person might think, we were not the most mainstream group in Basque music. We were always there, but there were other names better known than us. However, that song stayed there. They recently sent me a dance version, we also heard a heavy version, another disco version and even some rap. I’m delighted that one of my songs will last over time and continue to touch people. It’s a source of pride, I won’t deny it.
Are you more of a musician or a journalist?
I have always been a very journalistic musician and a very musical journalist.
Is the life of a musician or journalist more precarious?
In 2024, I couldn’t tell you, because there are a lot of musicians and a lot of people who want to devote themselves to music. So much so that there are bends and it is difficult to break through. Even though there are more means, places, instruments and learning opportunities, there are also more people and it is more difficult to stand out. And the world of journalism is not exactly in a period of prosperity. Today, with the question of networks, a media can be created with little and journalism as we knew it is in the doldrums. The paper newspaper has become part of history, the radio too and even music is listened to differently. This is a dangerous thing because it is important that there is reliable media.
How would you tell one of these young people what Basque radical rock is?
I would put it in the context of the 80s and I would tell you group by group how everyone experienced it. We were the product of an era and circumstances, of years of lead and industrial reconversion. There was a commotion in the street that came from the Boomer spirit. We are children who lived a lot on the streets and we knew how to organize ourselves to play, so when it came to organizing ourselves and creating gaztets, organizing demonstrations for insubordination, feminism or the gay movement , we knew how to do it. We did not need the support of parties or institutions to take to the streets and demand something. All this created a compost that was reflected musically in what someone called Basque radical rock, a term that convinced no one, but which helps us know what we are talking about.
Have Basque radical rock and this way of organizing youth naturally and without political parties disappeared?
I don’t know if it’s completely gone. There is a legacy of all this and there are still people who know how to organize and fight for self-management. There are young people who organize parties and squatted establishments which function very well. Not everything from the 80s has disappeared. And musically speaking, the legacy is also evident in many bands.
There are many more people who know Basque, but there are not many Basque speakers on the street
Back then, some groups like yours chose to sing in Basque, now this is also the case. Could this be a common point?
It’s possible, because in my generation the subject of Basque was very specific, I had this motivation, this desire. In my case, one of my personal struggles was learning Basque and I more or less succeeded, but I didn’t have the protection of too many people around me to achieve it. We, the Euskaldunberris, were very few in number and a bit of a sharpshooter. You spent time with other people like you and it encouraged you. Today we are faced with a generation from the ikastolas who plan to promote Basque, which means that there are many more Basque speakers. On the music scene, the number of songs in Basque is much greater than in 1985 and with an equally higher Basque quality.
There are more Basque speakers, children born in Basque, but fewer Basque speakers, people who come from elsewhere in the Euskadi and start to learn it.
It’s possible. There is a paradox: there are many more people who know Basque, but there are not many Basques on the street. We can’t say that it has grown that much, more or less people talk like before.
What part of your life was the most difficult to capture in “Puto Boomer”?
Everything about my family, my parents. It’s always a difficult decision to decide how much you’re going to get naked in a book or what intimate things you want to tell. I didn’t want to tell things that contain sinister details, because I’m not going to say that they don’t interest anyone, because unfortunately what is morbid is what interests the most, but there are things that I prefers to hide.
