COVER STORY
and dear to me. You know what, a lot of
people claim when they heard “Samba Pa
Ti,” whether I’m in Japan or Africa, that
song is really personal to me. Obviously
I touched something deep in myself and
when the people listen to it, it touches
something deep inside themselves that
they relate to.”
The Santana band of any vintage has
always attracted men and woman, and
like very few other guitarists (Clapton
and John Mayer come to mind), is able
to play a huge amount of guitar without
losing the audience to instrumental
fatigue. As is his way, Carlos responds
to the question of the universality of
his audience with equal visions of the
heart and cojones. “I think it’s because
of the sound. When I started with the
first band, even before we recorded the
first album, even then, people would just
stop and start dancing and get spiritually
horny – that spiritual orgasm. So my
music from the beginning has had two
overtones: spiritual and sensuality. Hey,
who doesn’t crave for both? If you don’t
crave for either one, I think you are dead.
I never thought of it. I always admire
Sly Stone because he was the first one
to have blacks, and whites, and women,
and men, and everything – before Prince
or anybody. I give it to Sly Stone but at
the same time Sly Stone’s music is really
a party song. The sound that we have
is not so much like a party. My music
is more like a celebration. A party can
be exclusive where a celebration is for
everybody. I never read much into it.
Bill Graham was the first one to tell me,
“You’re one of the few United Nations
kind of bands.” I’ve never been into
music for entertainment purposes, but
for the purposes of empowering people
to their possibilities. That’s how B.B.
hit me. That’s how Jimi hit me, or Peter
Green. When I started, that’s what they
impregnated me with. When we were kids
they used to say rebel without a cause.
I’m a rebel with a cause.”
AUG/SEPT
DIGITAL EDITION
43