Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovel –“Very uncertain times”
This British trio sounds exactly as if MOTORHEAD were performing for first time in Swinging London. And in my humble and not so stoned opinion, they deserve a high priority place among the by products of the post Lemmy MOTORHEAD era. Lemmy himself would be smiling drinking his Jack and Coke and listen to songs like “Iceberg”. In the meantime, for those of you who need a more psychedelic definition of the term power(metal) trio, just listen to this excellent album and enjoy the echoes of MOTORHEAD, HENDRIX, CREAM and some excellent crafted heavy rock songs.
With the end of the road for UFO clear ahead, Vinnie Moore returns in the musical scene with an instrumental album. What we can hear form the opening track is that the hard rock sound that he adopted for UFO is present all around his work. On the other hand he is volatile and plays with funk, jazz, hard rock without any problem but with lots of inspiration. Tracks like “Funk bone jam” a funk/heavy rock jam show his a man with no real limitation but with musical compositions such as “Same sun shines” reminds us why he is in the holy triad of the unsung guitar heroes along with Macalpine, Howe. Enjoy “Brother Carlos” and its Cuban feeling, the funk rock “Kung Fu grip”, the hard rock /fusion feeling of “Soul shifter”, the rock n roll feeling of “Gainesville station”, the out of the shredding 90ws “Mirage” and “Across the ages”. or the more out of this world “Heard you’ re gone”. Instrumental albums can be a drag, if they’re not made by people like Vinnie Moore, a master of the genre.
To everyone concerned, ive been interviewing musicians that i love and admire most of the times for the last 30 years...For various reasons ,some of these interviews never surfaced the light of day, mostly cause of the Editors in chief who preferred others, or the decline of the printed press or in the latest years my own disability as i had to survive financially and didn't have the time to send them translated...The time has come to make up for past mistakes and this one is the first and one of the biggest ones. Ron Young , it took almost 1,5 years to answer and then bout 3 more to upload it. I m apologizing and hope there are still enough people interested as your answers are always great.
Ron Young- Little
Caesar Interview
First of all thanks
for taking the time to answer the questions
1.Ron LC have been
active on their own terms the last decade on the contrary with most of the
bands of your era. How did this occur? You produce new material and don’t sit
on past time laurels, How do you manage to keep the fire burning
We have always tried
to be a more “classic” based Hard Rock band. It has allowed to stay away from a
dated Production value or songwriting genre….in other words….we were “dated” in
1990 and so we can still be “dated” LOL. We have always just wanted to pay
tribute to all of our collective influences or musical styles and artists and
it allows us to weave Rock, Blues, Country, Soul/R&B into our flavor and brand
of music. We love to play and play music with each other and getting to still
go out and engage with our fans both personally and musically is still very
inspiring.
2.Do you feel bit
“obsolete” to belong at the hair metal or sleaze rock movement? Do you think
this term doesn’t suit the band?
We were never a “Hair
Metal” band. It was a term that followed many bands from LA at that time
period, but we were always a more traditional “Rock” band because we had way
more Blues and R&B in our music like bands that preceded us than the more
Pop oriented “hair Metal” bands. We have learned to live with the misnomer.
3.You recently
released a double live album? You have lived the high days of records and cds,
do you see any point in releasing hard copy material in this age of
downloading, especially the illegal one? Is there payback to the expenses to
get material in physical form?
We keep our costs very low and are
economically more efficient than bigger bands when we record and release a
record. Many larger bands have publicly said they are going to stop releasing
new material as they lose so much money. I understand that from a Metallica or
Aerosmith level band as they will lock out a studio for months at a time, stay
in big hotels and have a very high daily overhead. We go into the studio and
knock it out quickly….like they used to make records. Our last studio album was
done in a total of 21 days. Albums are no longer revenue generators for any
band. They are promotional tools to get people to come to the live shows, where
we shine brightest anyway.
4.Why did it take so
long to release a live album?
Recording a live album takes a lot of
coordination and expense. Now that there are computers and easy ways to get a
good recording via smaller and quality equipment, many venues have the ability
to record multitrack performances independent of the live mix. We played such a
venue in Holland and was handed a small USB flash drive that had isolated
tracks of 21 live songs and we were able to come home and mix it down for a
live album.
5.Recently Team Rock
collapsed and its magazines and radio stations as we speak are under threat for
their survival. A lot of the journalists that were writing there are among the
big 80s names that build the metal hard rock scene. What is your opinion on TR
demise and do you feel that in these internet webzine days, the printed magazine
days are over?
The sad fact is that while the music
business wanes in commerce and reach, so do the outlets that satellite the
music. Great writers, photographers, magazines etc, are all struggling and the
ways to monetize people’s passion for music is drying up. Unfortunately the
tech explosion has made the power, significance and position in people’s lives,
on a cultural level, less and less important. I have no idea the answer, or a
prediction of where this is all going. One thing for certain is the monetary
golden years of music is over. That makes making Rock and Roll like so many
other art forms where one makes it because they7 have to for their soul….not
for their bank account.
6.You are quite active
at your facebook page regarding politics, animal rights and social issues. Is
there a part of Ron Young besides the LC frontman we don’t know, as LC lyrics
are far away from being political.
On our last Album, the title track
“American Dream” was quite political and socially observant. I usually try to
keep my lyrics more about life in general, but as one ages, and as our World is
getting so tense and intertwined, I felt it was time to mae an observation
musically. On Social Media, I try to be very honest and open and start dialogs
between people of all leanings. Trying to create dialog and engagement is one
of the few blessings Social Media possesses. I try to be honest and always
maintain an open mind. Knowing the difference between “I disagree” and “you are
wrong” is the subtlety of a desire to be ever evolving yet possessing an
opinion….and you know what they say about opinions! Mine are no different!
7.You had a great
comment one day regarding adapting and dressing based on the meeting or work
you have to do. You seem one of the most adaptive musicians who keep his
business successful outside the limitations of a rock band. Would you like to
share your other professional activities. Did they start when you saw that rock
music wasn’t enough to keep the money come in?
I have a wonderful and full life. I have
had the blessing to meet or dine with vastly different people in my businesses
and endeavors. I have dined with heads of Nations, Presidents of Motorcycle
clubs and high level executives of major corporations. Being able to be true to
one’s self and still behave and dress “appropriately” is helpful as the above
listed aren’t always comfortable around people outside of their “element”.
There is always an “edge” present in me that I can’t hide under long sleeves. When
I meet with people on business outside of the “Rock realm” they are either a
bit stand offish at first, or they want to know what it was like hitting Arnold
Schwarzenegger with a pool cue lol.
8.You were part of one
of Rock ,best kept secrets. A band that came outat the wrong time but released a great blues
rock album, I m talking about Manic Eden. What happened and we didn’t heard
anything, was it all cause of Vanderberg s health issues? Are there any
outtakes or non-released songs we could hope to listen one day? Now that Adrian
is back with his new band, have you been in contact?
I speak to ADRIAN VIA
Facebook. He’s a great guy and talented player. Manic Eden came out at a very
weird time. The “grunge thing was exploding and folks at labels were fixated on
signing and promoting the next Pearl Jam or Nirvana. All the bands and members
of bands from the Eighties had a hard time releasing music. The labels were so
myopic that they discounted people that had proven to be part of millions of
sales for chasing fads. That was a big problem for Manic Eden which some
A&R guys wouldn’t even listen to because of the member’s resumes. When we
finally released it and it was tough getting some momentum, Adrian went back to
working with David Coverdale. His health wasn’t an issue. The project just kind
of fell apart. It was an honor and privilege working with all those guys.
9.With Earl slick you
sang on his solo album, another soul classic and along with chain of fools ,
this brings the right question to my mouth. Is there a “suppressed” Soul singer
in Ron Young? Also do you know Jimmy Barnes of Cold Chisel Aaustralia) who has
a real soulful voice, I think in a way your re both music soulmates, bringing
soul to hard rock along with Glen Hughes of course.
Thanks for the
compliment. Yes, if I had a time machine I would be singing Soul wearing a
shiny suit in 1968!!!
10.The bands hiatus
was because of the musical circumstances or differences between band members?
Were we always a
family. There was never any tension within the band. We faced an incredible
amount of bullshit from a Corporate level. Whenever you put the egos of men
like Jimmy Iovine, David Geffen, John Kalodner, etc. on one project, there’s
most likely going to be drama way before the band enters the picture. The whole
thing broke down our Spirit pretty bad and put such a bad taste in our mouth we
just stopped making music as a band…..that and because Geffen would only
release us from our contract if we promised not to reform and release an album
on another label. It seems Mr. Geffen doesn’t like it if a band goes somewhere
else and becomes successful. It makes his business look bad.
11.Did you at any
point felt limited by the tattoo biker image of the early days? Circus of power
and you are among the bands with the most impressive e tattoo image. Was this a set back
for LC back in the early days? Are you a biker yourself or just a fan of
motorcycles? And what is your opinion on the SOA series, which I think is
overrated and full of useless violence plus no real rock music.
In the “early days” I
didn’t own a car, only a Harley. You can do that year round in Los Angeles.
Motorcycles were never an affectation or prop for me and some of the guys in
the band. It stared to become very trendy….all the tattoos and bikes in videos.
Also, facial hair wasn’t popular at all back then. Geffen tried very hard to
get us to shave. Having a rough image has always been typical for Rock bands. I
think the fact that we had 3 part harmonies, did soulful ballads etc, went
against our look. Geffen tried for years to blame our lack of success on that.
The fact is we sold more records than the Black Crowes coming out of the box.
When the label gets sold 3 weeks into your release, when your records are
sitting at one companies warehouse and not in stores while you are in heavy
rotation in MTV, when your Label Manager gets fired a week after that, when
your Manager has a fight with the owner of the label 2 weeks after that etc etc
etc…..someone has to be blamed for the lack of success on a band with such high
expectations. Somehow I think that our hard image while singing songs like “In
Your Arms” was the least of our issues to overcome.
12. Among your studio
albums which is your favorite album and song?
I couldn’t pick one….I have many
songs I adore singing depending on my mood. Usually the more soulful the
better.
13. How difficult is
to manage the band on your own these days and still be creative?
I handle everything. I
am the bands Accountant, Financier, Publicist, Graphic Designer, Merchandise
Manager, Travel Agent, Social Media Director etc etc. Personally, I love most
of it. It’s nice being able to be a lot more in control of your own destiny. We
don’t rely on the income as a way to pay our mortgages. It allows us to make
music purely. We wish we could be out there most weeks playing all over the
World….but very few bands….especially the ones that can’t just throw their
equipment up on a stage and start playing without the expectation of a high
Production value, can pull that off anymore. Many bands try to convince on
Social Media they are out there “rockin’ and partying” everynight, but those
days are over. It’s a really rough life consisting of hotel room mates, crappy
food, long drives, lifting gear, setting up gear, tearing down gear….and doing
it when the fans aren’t looking. Every crew guy you pay is less money in your
pocket. If you have a family at home and aren’t living on someone’s couch like
when you were 22 and doing anything you had to become a “star”, you feel every
expense….and there’s a lot of them on any level of touring.
14. Are there any
artistic plans unfulfilled?
I would someday love
to be up fronting a big huge band filled with horns and strings like Etta James
did in the 60’s. The lush sounds combined with great Soul songs would be such a
treat to do.
15. 2016 was a real
bad year regarding death of artists, especially musicians, Which one was the
most hurtful for you and do you think we re coming to the end of an eraas biologically the heroes of the 70s wont be
able to keep uplonger?
It was a terrible year
for musical loss. The realization that so many great artists will now be
silent, combined with the natural reflection on how the years are advancing had
a profound effect on many I know.
16.Ron if you
havethe chance to sing at a tribute
artist, for who would it be?
I could sing Bad Co or
Ray Charles songs until I die and be a very happy and fulfilled Singer.
17. A lot of sleaze/hair
metal artists accuse grunge for the demise of their genre. Do you believe it
was time for musical change, or just coincidence that turn out for bad luck for
the hard rock musicians when grunge came. How do you feel about grunge and
punk?
I respect all music
for what it says and makes you feel in a given mood. I get a lot of heat for
saying by many of my peers, but music in the late 80’s early 90’s turned to
over produced crap with weak songs and pretty caricatured approaches to music.
Grunge or “alternative” came into fashion because people wanted an alternative
to the Corporate crap Produced by the same 5 Producers. Rock Song and then a
Ballad….over and over again, with mediocre tracks in between. I have always had
a great affinity for roots rock and the Punk rock that emanated from it in the
late 70’s. It’s honesty and emotion reminded people just how primal and
energetic music can be. I liked Nirvana and loved Sound garden. Great songs,
fresher Production and a new voice of anti Corporate rock….which of course made the Corps sign 5 more Nirvanas, Pearl Jam’s, and
Soundgarden’s….they learned nothing from the whole demise of Hair Metal….and
now look where the business is!
18. Your musical
influences and how they re interpreted through LC music?
I love the honesty of
Country and he simple accessible songs, I love the pure power to make you feel
something in Soul and R&B. I love the total “fuck you” in Punk. I love the
power of early Metal. My greatest influence is certainly Blues and Soul based
music of the 50’s and 60’s though.
19. You re coming from
time to time to Europe any chance to see you in a country like Greece, taking
under consideration the economical recession.
My Mission every day
is to try to get a few more fans. To reach folks that have never heard of us
and that would find something in our 6 albums as being something they find
attractive. The more I can do that, the more opportunities we might get to do
what we love, with those we love, for those we love. I am deeply grateful that
I still get to do something so essential to my Spirit. I know many who can’t
even get the opportunities we get to make heir music. We are very lucky and we
know it.
20. Tramp will be the
new US president in less than a month. I think you vote against. How do you
feel of all these protesters who don’t accept theelections results, especially when some of
them didn’t even bother to go and vote.
Politics all around
the World is very interesting and also disturbing. The truth is that Americans
take their ability to vote and have their “say” with a ballot for granted. They
seem very good at complaining than they are voting. Only 48% of our citizen’s
vote. It’s shameful. It’s also ridiculous that those that don’t vote then want
to go out and protest and be disruptive. They had that chance on election day
and squandered their opportunity. They aren’t helping the rest of us that want
to engage in thoughtful and respectful debates of ideas for the betterment and
future of all of our futures.
21. Your dog Tank left
us you a few days ago, how difficult was for you to lethim go.
I was very difficult
on an emotional level. I have such a deep love for what animals, their
personalities and qualities bring to my life. He was old and broken down. It
was time for me to do what was right for my beloved companion and help him
leave me with dignity. He deserved that. He did his job as a companion for all
those years. It was my time as his guardian to do mine.
Thank you so much for
the interview and hope to see you on stage at some point.
Angie ή το δωδεκάμετρο ενός
μπλούζ – DavidMacNeil (Πάπυρος)
Η ροκ μυθιστοριογραφία δεν είναι
πλούσια σε αντίθεση, με την μόδα των βιογραφιών, που ως συνήθως δείχνουν οτι η
ζωή ξεπερνά την πιο οργιώδη φαντασία. Ο Αμερικανός συγγραφέας, συνθέτης και
τραγουδιστής DavidMacNeilαποφάσισε να γράψει αυτό το
μυθιστόρημα, εμπνευσμένος από ένα κλασικό και πασίγνωστο τραγούδι των ROLLING
STONES , το Angie. Η επίδραση τη κουλτούρας των μπλουζ στη Βρετανική σκηνή των
60ς και περισσότερο από όλους στους ROLLING STONES και τους CREAM κ Clapton, έχει
αναλυθεί σε χιλιάδες λέξεις σε μουσικά περιοδικά και μουσικά βιβλία. Ο David MacNeil εδώ δίνει μια άλλη προσέγγιση.
Μέσα από την ζωή ενός φολκ κιθαρίστα/παίκτη της φυσαρμόνικας, που περνά τον
χρόνο του, προσπαθώντας να «δώσει την ψυχή του σε μικρά κλαμπ του Παρισιού,
παρέα με άλλους μουσικούς απόκληρους, παίζοντας σε ομάδες τουριστών, ο MacNeilθα μας οδηγήσει σε μια γνωριμία με την
«μυθική» Αngie. Ο κεντρικός ήρωας, δεν θα είναι αυτή, αλλά ο νεαρός μουσικός,
που θα συναντήσει τον γνωστό μπλουζίτσα πιανίστα Memphis Slim, που την έχει θέσει
υπό την προστασία του. Μαζί του θα ξεκινήσει μαι πορεία στο Βέλγιο, την Γερμανία
καιτα νεοσύστατα αλλά πολύ αποδεκτά από
το Ευρωπαϊκό κοινό μπλουζ κ φολκ φεστιβάλ, που στα 60ς έδωσαν μια ανάσα πνοής
στους μαύρους μπλουζίτσες. Η αναπαράσταση της Ευρωπαϊκής επιδρομής ονομάτων σαν
τους Dixon και Hooker αλλά και της ζωής του ήρωα μας, σαν Road manager ή
παιδιού για όλες τις δουλειές, είναι γεμάτη πάθος, συναίσθημα και περιγραφική
δύναμη. Οι μαύροι μουσικοί, γνωρίζουν μια Ευρώπη, φιλική, δεκτική, χωρίς τις
φυλετικές διακρίσεις των Η.Π.Α. Παράλληλα η Αngie με την θηλυκή μοιραία
παρουσία της, γίνεται η μούσα του νεαρού αλλά τον βυθίζει σε έναν αγώνα να ανταποκριθεί
στην σιωπηλή παρουσία της που εκδηλώνει τα θέλω της με τη μορφή προσωπικών
καπρίτσιων, σε αναζήτηση των δαιμόνων της, που όπως θα φανεί δεν είναι άλλοι
από την καστανή ζάχαρη, που τόσο ωραία περιέγραψαν, οι ROLLINGSTONES.
Από τις Βρυξέλλες στο Λονδίνο και γνωριμία με τα swinging 60ς, τα
διαμερίσματα κοινόβια, την αναζήτηση της Αngie, την λύτρωση της από την εξάρτηση,
με τη βοήθεια ενός ψευτο καλλιτέχνη και μικροαπατεώνα του Φρανκ, την εξάρτηση
του κεντρικού ήρωα από τη μοιραία γυναίκα. Το Μπράιτον με τις μάχες μεταξύ rockers
και Mods που αποθανάτισε για την αιωνιότητα το Quadrophenia, το Ronnie Scots κλαμπ, το Λονδίνο της μουσικής επανάστασης των
μπλουζ είναι εδώ. Από κοντά θα γνωρίσουμε την χαοτική περίοδο των ROLLING
STONES , την αποδοχή του νεαρού, όταν μάθουν οτι έχει θητεύσει κοντά στους
μπλουζίτσες που τόσο θαυμάζουν και τελικά, σαν μια ακόμα ιστορία ροκ ν ρολ
παραληρήματος και κοσμικής ζωής. Θα παρακολουθήσουμε την απογείωση της γλυκιάς Αngie στο χώρο του modeling
αλλά και την απότομη κ επώδυνη προσγείωση του ήρωα μας, στη σκληρή πραγματικότητα. Σε έναν κόσμο που γεννιέσαι
και πεθαίνεις μόνος. Θα βιώσουμε τον νόστο για επιστροφή, στο μουχλιασμένο Παρίσι,
για να ξαναπάρει τηνθέση του με μια
παλιά κιθάρα απέναντι σε γκρουπ κουρασμένων Ιαπώνων τουριστών.
Γλυκόπικρο μυθιστόρημα, που απογειώνεται μέσα από τα μπλουζ και τους
ιδιόρρυθμους μουσικούς, πυρακτώνεται από την σιωπηλή, αινιγματική Αngie και
στρεβλώνεται από το Βρετανικό χιούμορ και τον χαρακτήρα τουεπιπόλαιου απατεωνίσκου Φρανκ. Ο κεντρικός
ήρωας, ζει την δική του εκδοχή των μπλουζ, του ανεκπλήρωτου έρωτα, της λύτρωσης
της αγαπημένης του από την ηρωίνη και την δική του κατάβαση στο δρόμο της λήθης,
όταν η όμορφη Αngie , θα ασχοληθεί με το μουσικό τζετ σετ
και το modeling, για να βοηθήσει αρχικά την παρέα, που έχει πια αγγίξει τα όρια
της οικονομικής εξαθλίωσης. Το τέλος απότομο, ίσως γιατί ο ίδιος ο συγγραφέας έχει
εξαντλήσει τις ιδέες του, για την ιστορική περίοδο, ίσως γιατί η συγχορδία που
χρησιμοποίησε έχει πια αξιοποιηθεί στο έπακρο...
Ένα όμορφο μυθιστόρημα, με κάποια στοιχεία αληθοφάνειας, απολαυστικό στην περιγραφή
των μπλουζ, θα δώσει μια καλή αίσθηση για το τί σήμαινε για τον Ευρωπαίο μουσικό
η ανακάλυψη μιας κουλτούρας που ήταν μέχρι τότε άγνωστης αλλά και για τους
εκφραστές της, μέσα από τον προσχηματική περιγραφή ενός ανεκπλήρωτου έρωτα.
Αξίζει να το διαβάσετε
ΥΓ αυτή η μικρή παρουσίαση αφιερώνεται στην Αντιγόνη, που επέλεξε αυτό το
βιβλίο, για να μου το δωρίσει το 2014, με οδηγό την κοινή μας αγάπη για την
μουσική,μέσα από διαφορετικούς δρόμους. Σε ευχαριστώ για αυτό, πάντα.
There is something going on in Scandinavia regarding modern arena, anthemic hard rock. Some illegal immigrants from Sunset Strip, turn the locals to the best reincarnations of the 80s LA spirit. H.E.A.T are a weel known force in the hard rock community. In Greece we had the luck to see them perform on stage twice and they blew our minds, literally. Now they rerun with an album that has almost no fillers. Only pure hard rocking, melodic anthems, a bit more sleazy than their compatriots ECLIPSE and popy like "Rock your body" when it is needed. Their songs have low and dirty guitars, giant hooks, addictive choruses and you are on the repeat for days. If the Coronovirus had us all stay home and isolated this could be one of the albums that will make us through the epidemic years. Another great work and i must admit, right now is H.E.A.T-ECLIPSE 1-0 at the penalties....
Michael Schenker seems to have found the magic potion of musical rejuvenation in the collaboration of multiple singers in his latest albums. For one more time, great voices of the past Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet,Robin McAuley the present Doogie White and the future Ronnie Romero collaborate to give flesh to the musical dreams of the German guitar maestro. Musically we are in the early MSG albums of the Barden era, ballsy hard rock with screaming guitars and choruses who cry for thousands of lighters to lit the arenas. Some songs really stand out like “Silent again” and “Sleeping with the light on”, where in some other cases they’re just good heavy rock anthems like “Crazy daze” and “Lead you astray’. Overall this is an excellent heavy rock album with some of the finest voices of the genre, excellent guitar playing, melodic but heavy and articulate songwriting. A must for the fans of Mad Michael.
Ένα αντιπολεμικό
μυθιστόρημα, τοποθετημένο την εποχή των Ναπολεόντειων πολέμων στο θέατρο της Ισπανίας.
Ξεκινώντας την ανάγνωση , είχα την αίσθηση ότιδιάβαζα ένα ακόμη μυθιστόρημα εποχής. Ο κεντρικός ήρωας ο νεαρός μόλις δεκαεννέα
ετών ανθυπίλαρχος Φρεντερίκ Γκλυντς, ονειρεύεται την δόξα, τις επικές μάχες των
ιπποτικών μυθιστορημάτων, το θάνατο ανάμεσα στους εν όπλοις συντρόφους,
μαχόμενος για τα ιδανικά του Αυτοκράτορα πλέον Ναπολέοντα. Ένα νέο παιδί, γόνος
αστικής οικογένειας, που δεν έχει γνωρίσει παρά το πρώτο σκίρτημα του έρωτα στα
γαλάζια μάτια μιας δεσποινίδας στο Στρασβούργο, λίγο πριν αναχωρήσει για το
μέτωπο.
Ο Ρεβέρτε, μας
εισάγει στην ζωή των στρατευμάτων, με την έντονη ταξική διαστρωμάτωση, σκιαγραφώντας
την επίλεκτη μονάδα ελαφρού ιππικού των Ουσάρων, με λεπτομέρεια, για τη στολή,
τον οπλισμό, τις σέλες, λες και διαβάζουμε μυθιστόρημα του 18-19 ου αιώνα, με λεπτομέρειες
που αναπλάθουν εικόνες. Η προσέγγιση ξενίζει και δημιουργεί αμφιβολίες, μέχρι
τη στιγμή που το βιβλίο πραγματικά απογειώνεται. Το βράδυ της παραμονής της
πρώτης αποστολής στη μάχη, οι μάσκες πέφτουν και ο συγγραφέας επικεντρώνεται
στους νεαρούς ήρωες, που αρχίζουν να αναρωτούνται, για τα πάντα. Αν θα σταθούν
αντάξιοι της τιμής και τη δόξας της μονάδας τους, των συντρόφων τους. Αν πραγματικά
θέλουν και μπορούν να σκοτώσουν. Ερωτήματα που πραγματικά κάνουν το τελευταίο βράδυ,
τον ύπνο μια ανάμνηση, καθώς η ζωή, μικρή και σύντομη περάνει μπροστά από τα
μάτια τους. Η συζήτηση για την εχθρότητα του Ισπανικού λαού απέναντι τους, το
μίσος των απλών χωρικών, οι βιαιότητες απέναντι στους Γάλλους που βλέπουν ως
κατακτητές, μαζί με τις ηρωικές συζητήσεις περί κώδικα τιμής και μονομαχιών,
δημιουργούν μια ρεαλιστική εικόνα για τον κόσμο των «δίκαιων» και «¨ευγενών»
Γάλλων αξιωματικών που ακροβατεί ανάμεσα στον Διαφωτισμό και τον Μεσαιωνικό
Ιπποτικό ρομαντισμό, αρνούμενος να δεχτεί το δικαίωμα της αυτοδιάθεσης του
Ισπανικού λαού, ελέω Μονάρχη Ναπολέοντα, που έχει ήδη αποφασίσει για την τύχη
της Ισπανίας.
Το δεύτερο
ουσιαστικά μέρος αποτελεί μια γλαφυρή περιγραφή, μιας μάχης των Ναπολεόντειων
χρόνων. Το πεζικό βορά στα κανόνια και το ιππικό, σε μάχες εκ παρατάξεως, χύνει
το αίμα του στην αφιλόξενη Ισπανική γη. Πολεμώντας για να εγκαταστήσει ένα
βασιλιά, που δεν τον θέλει ο πεισματάρης Ισπανικός λαός και οι παλιοί ευγενείς,
πιστός στον ξεροκέφαλο Γάλλο Αυτοκράτορα. Δια της βίας η Ισπανία θα αφήσει την
Ιερά Εξέταση για να ασπαστεί τον Γαλλικό διαφωτισμό. Για τον Γκλυντς όμως
σύντομα, ο ιδεαλισμός γίνεται παρελθόν και η έξαψη της πρώτης αψιμαχίας και το
αίμα του πρώτου άτακτου που θα διαμελίσει με την σπάθη του, είναι η νέα του
ζωή. Η ελπίδα να μπουν στη μάχη, για να κάνουν μια ακόμα επέλαση για την οποία εκπαιδεύονται
χρόνια, πλησιάζει και τα ερωτηματικά, βλέποντας το ματωμένο πεζικό και τους νεκρούς,
παίρνουν σάρκα και οστά στο μυαλό των νεαρών αξιωματικών, που έχουν την ευγενή
άμιλλα για ηρωικό θάνατο, στην κορυφή της βαθμίδας των προτεραιοτήτων, μέχρι το
πρώτο σάλπισμα για να επελάσουν.
Τα Ισπανικά τετράγωνα
του πεζικού, ακολουθώντας την παράδοση των προγόνων τους του μεσαίωνα και της αναγέννησης,
θα κάνουν την ηρωική επέλαση, ένα ματωμένο παιχνίδι, πριν τελικά υποκύψουν. Οι νεαροί
αξιωματικοί θα μετρήσουν απώλειες και συναισθήματα, αλλά ο πόλεμος δεν έχει
μόνο μια όψη. Το Ισπανικό ιππικό με τη μορφή των φημισμένων λογχοφόρων, θα κάνει
τον θύτη, θύμα, σε έναν αγώνα, δίχως ανάσα και ξεκούραση, για ανθρώπους και ζώα.
Ο Γλυντς θα συνεχίσει
τον αγώνα, ανάμεσα στη ζωή και το θάνατο. Θα συναντήσει τον βετεράνο Ουσάρο στο
δάσος, αποκομμένος από τη μονάδα του, τραυματισμένος και τελικά θα συναντήσει
το πεπρωμένο του, έχοντας αφήσει μακριά τις φανταχτερές στολές εξόδου και τις αναλαμπές
ηρωισμού, μέσα στην λάσπη, το αίμα και τις φλεγμονές.
Ένα μυθιστόρημα,
βαθιά αντιπολεμικό, δίχως περιττές ηρωοποιήσεις και δράματα, αποδομεί την
εικόνα του έφιππου αξιωματικού -ήρωα και μας καλωσορίζει στη κόλαση της μάχης,
την απώλεια της συνείδησης, την έξαψη της αδρεναλίνης, το τυφλό μίσος, τον
φόβο, την ένταση της καταδίωξης, την απόγνωση, τον φόβο, την συνειδητοποίηση τη
ματαιότητας του πολέμου και της σημασίας του αγαθού της ζωής, μέσα σε μια μόνο μέρα
μάχης. Μερικές ώρες που καθόρισαν για πάντα της ζωή του ανθυπίλαρχου Γκλυντς
και έδωσαν στον Ρεβέρτε την ευκαιρία να γράψει ένα βιβλίο (από τα πρώτα του),
παλιομοδίτικο, στο πρώτο μέρος, αλλά βαθιά ανθρώπινο και ουσιαστικό στο δεύτερο.
Δεν είναι ένα νέο «Ουδέν νεότερο από το Δυτικό μέτωπο» ή ένα νέο «Ζωή εν τάφω»
αλλά συγκινεί αν σκεφτεί κανείς τους επομένους ήρωες του. Τα χρόνια του στο πολεμικό
ρεπορτάζ, δίνουν την αίσθηση την γλυκόπικρη που απομένει, σε αυτούςπου επέζησαν για να διηγηθούν και κάνει το
βιβλίο μια έντονη συναισθηματικά ανάγνωση για τους ανά τον κόσμο πολεμοκάπηλους
του γραφείου.
