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Hrvoje Bubić; Henrique Inglez de Souza Interview
Hrvoje Bubić
Henrique Inglez de Souza je glazbeni kritičar i novinar iz Sao Paolo, Brazil. Za SolinLive govori o sebi, svome radu i suradnji s brojnim časopisima.
First, could you introduce yourself to our readers and say something about yourself?
Yes! I am a Brazilian journalist and music critic working since 2002. I’ve written for major publications dedicated to music in my country, and I’ve had the opportunity to interview numerous icons from my country and from many other countries. In short, I love what I do and feel blessed to be able to turn my passion into my profession for so long.
You are an unconditional devotee of music and culture with a passion for writing. How did you start your career as a journalist?
Well, it started around the time my career began. Actually, before 2002, I hated writing. However, a local newspaper opened space for readers to contribute, and I became interested. Initially just as a hobby, but after writing about a concert I had just attended, something changed in me. The mental switch was flipped, and since then, I’ve become passionate about writing about music.
You have written for numerous magazines such as Bizz, Revista da MTV, Outracoisa, Guitar Player, Bass Player, Rock Brigade, and Rolling Stone. Please tell us more about it.
Yes, I wrote for all those magazines. For some of them, I was the editor – Rock Brigade and Bass Player (Brazilian version). I think I followed the path that those who write about music end up taking. I mean, we seize the opportunities that come our way in the best possible manner. That’s how it has to be. Your future doesn’t come to you. You have to pursue it.
You have done interviews with various famous names, from music to literature. Could you tell us which names you had interviews with, and if there are any interesting anecdotes?
I have interviewed names such as Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, B.B. King, Lemmy Kilmister, Jason Newsted, and bands like Kiss, Judas Priest, Scorpions, Accept… the list goes on. And, of course, I have also interviewed several great names in Brazilian music, from Sepultura to icons of bossa nova. As a funny story, when I met B.B. King, he looked at me and said, “You look like a movie star”. And then, I said: “And you look like the king of Blues”. He smiled, and we shook hands. There are many other funny moments.
You collaborated with Rede Globo during Lollapalooza 2022 and 2023, Rock In Rio 2022, and The Town (2023) festivals. What kind of cooperation was involved and how did the cooperation come about?
I provided artistic guidance to the camera teams covering these festivals. You know, I talked about each performance, highlighted the type of stage each artist was using, special effects… things like that, so they could prepare for TV coverage. It was very funny and a great experience to me.
You just published a book about the illustrator Micheal Whelan and his collaboration with the band Sepultura. How did you first come up with the idea for the book?
This came from a series of articles I did for my website about some cover arts for albums of Brazilian and foreign bands and artists. Among the covers I wrote about are Black Sabbath’s ‘Born Again’ and Kiss’ ‘Unmasked’. The covers of Sepultura albums that I wrote about are classic worldwide – ‘Beneath the Remains’, ‘Arise’, ‘Chaos A.D.’, and ‘Roots’. So, I thought it would be very interesting to learn details about each artwork. I interviewed Michael Whelan, who is a fantastic artist. The article turned out so well that I decided to release it in ebook format. It turned out amazing and illustrated. Whelan shared very interesting details and even gave me a discarded idea for the ‘Arise’ album cover. It’s a really cool ebook for those who are into the subject.
In 2016, you created the magazine Piapara Cultural, which was based on the cultural scene of the city of Piapara. Tell us more about it.
The city name is actually Piracicaba. Piapara Cultural was the name of my culture channel. Well, it was my love for musical/cultural journalism that made me start this project. It was focused on the local scene of Piracicaba. And I wrote about music, movie, theatre, shows, and so.
For the end, what are your future projects? What would you recommend to our readers?
Well, I will continue making interviews and writing articles for my website (blogdoinglezdesouza.com.br). For now, I have other ebooks in preparation that should be released in the near future. What I can recommend to readers is: never lose your passion for music. Music is a treasure that saves our souls all the time and bathes us in energy and joy. For those who are journalists, like me, I leave here an encouragement to continue in the field. Music journalism can sometimes be a challenging profession, but it’s important that we hold onto it tightly and stay strong. Also, always strive to improve your writing and the questions for the interviews you do. Quality is something that has been underestimated lately, but it is still fundamental (and it will always be). That’s it. So, take care, stay healthy, and have a great 2024.
HRVATSKI PRIJEVOD
1. Prvo, možete li se predstaviti našim čitateljima i reći nešto o sebi?
Da! Ja sam brazilski novinar i glazbeni kritičar koji radim od 2002. Pisao sam za velike publikacije posvećene glazbi u mojoj zemlji i imao sam priliku intervjuirati brojne ikone iz moje zemlje i iz mnogih drugih zemalja. Ukratko, volim ono što radim i osjećam se blagoslovljeno što svoju strast tako dugo mogu pretvoriti u svoju profesiju.
2. Bezuvjetni ste poklonik glazbe i kulture sa strašću prema pisanju. Kako ste započeli karijeru novinara?
Pa, počelo je otprilike u vrijeme kad je počela moja karijera. Zapravo, prije 2002. mrzio sam pisati. Međutim, lokalne su novine otvorile prostor čitateljima da daju svoj doprinos i ja sam se zainteresirao. U početku samo iz hobija, ali nakon što sam pisao o koncertu na kojem sam upravo bio, nešto se u meni promijenilo. Mentalni prekidač se okrenuo i od tada sam postao strastven prema pisanju o glazbi.
3. Pisali ste za brojne časopise kao što su Bizz, Revista da MTV, Outracoisa, Guitar Player, Bass Player, Rock Brigade i Rolling Stone. Recite nam više o tome.
Da, pisao sam za sve te časopise. Za neke od njih sam bio urednik – Rock Brigade i Bass Player (brazilska verzija). Mislim da sam išao putem kojim na kraju idu oni koji pišu o glazbi. Mislim, zgrabimo prilike koje nam se ukažu na najbolji mogući način. Tako to mora biti. Vaša budućnost ne dolazi k vama. Morate je slijediti.
4. Radili ste intervjue s raznim poznatim imenima, od glazbe do književnosti. Možete li nam reći s kojim imenima ste imali intervjue i ima li zanimljivih anegdota?
Intervjuirao sam imena kao što su Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, B. B. King, Lemmy Kilmister, Jason Newsted i bendove kao što su Kiss, Judas Priest, Scorpions, Accept… lista se nastavlja. I, naravno, također sam intervjuirao nekoliko velikih imena brazilske glazbe, od Sepulture do ikona bossa nove. Kao smiješna priča, kada sam upoznao B. B. Kinga, pogledao me i rekao: “Izgledaš kao filmska zvijezda”. A onda sam rekao: “A ti izgledaš kao kralj bluesa”. Nasmiješio se, a mi smo se rukovali. Ima mnogo drugih smiješnih trenutaka.
5. Surađivali ste s Rede Globom tijekom festivala Lollapalooza 2022. i 2023., Rock In Rio 2022. i The Town (2023.). O kakvoj se suradnji radilo i kako je došlo do suradnje?
Pružao sam umjetničko vodstvo snimateljskim timovima koji pokrivaju te festivale. Znate, pričao sam o svakoj izvedbi, istaknuo vrstu pozornice koju je svaki umjetnik koristio, specijalne efekte… takve stvari, kako bi se mogli pripremiti za TV prijenos. Bilo mi je jako smiješno i veliko iskustvo.
6. Upravo ste objavili knjigu o ilustratoru Michealu Whelanu i njegovoj suradnji s bendom Sepultura. Kako ste prvi put došli na ideju za knjigu?
Ovo je proizašlo iz niza članaka koje sam napisao za svoju web stranicu o nekim naslovnicama za albume brazilskih i stranih bendova i izvođača. Među obradama o kojima sam pisao su ‘Born Again’ grupe Black Sabbath i ‘Unmasked’ grupe Kiss. Naslovnice Sepulturinih albuma o kojima sam pisao su klasični svjetski – ‘Beneath the Remains’, ‘Arise’, ‘Chaos A.D.’ i ‘Roots’. Stoga sam mislio da bi bilo vrlo zanimljivo saznati detalje o svakom umjetničkom djelu. Intervjuirao sam Michaela Whelana, koji je fantastičan umjetnik. Članak je ispao tako dobar da sam ga odlučio objaviti u formatu e-knjige. Ispalo je nevjerojatno i ilustrirano. Whelan je podijelio vrlo zanimljive detalje i čak mi je dao odbačenu ideju za omot albuma ‘Arise’. To je stvarno cool e-knjiga za one koji se bave temom.
7. Godine 2016. pokrenuli ste časopis Piapara Cultural koji se bazirao na kulturnoj sceni grada Piapara. Recite nam više o tome.
Ime grada je zapravo Piracicaba. Piapara Cultural bilo je ime mog kulturnog kanala. Pa, moja ljubav prema glazbenom/kulturnom novinarstvu bila je ta koja me natjerala da pokrenem ovaj projekt. Bio je fokusiran na lokalnu scenu Piracicabe. Pisao sam o glazbi, filmu, kazalištu, predstavama itd.
8. Za kraj, koji su Vaši budući projekti? Što biste preporučili našim čitateljima?
Pa, nastavit ću davati intervjue i pisati članke za svoju web stranicu (blogdoinglezdesouza.com.br). Za sada imam druge e-knjige u pripremi koje bi trebale biti objavljene u bliskoj budućnosti. Ono što mogu preporučiti čitateljima je: nikada ne gubite svoju strast prema glazbi. Glazba je blago koje stalno spašava naše duše i kupa nas u energiji i radosti. Za one koji su novinari, poput mene, ovdje ostavljam poticaj da nastave na terenu. Glazbeno novinarstvo ponekad može biti izazovna profesija, ali važno je da je se čvrsto držimo i ostanemo jaki. Također, uvijek nastojte poboljšati svoje pisanje i pitanja za intervjue koje vodite. Kvaliteta je nešto što se u zadnje vrijeme podcjenjuje, ali je i dalje temelj (i uvijek će biti). To je to. Stoga, čuvajte se, ostanite zdravi i neka vam je sretna 2024.
