Loco mía keeps your body movin'
April 18, 2017 2:11 PM Subscribe
Locomia is a Spanish pop group popular in the 1980s. Both their outfits and their fan-twirling (the eponymous song Locomia, 1986) became trademarks of the group and contributed to their huge popularity. Without the fan-twirling, they're not as impressive (Loco Vox, 1991).
The original members (from left to right in that first video) were Xavier Font, Gard Passchier, Luis Font, and Manuel Arjona. In 1987, the middle two were replaced by Juan Antonio Fuentes and Carlos Armas, and later Francesc Picas replaced Xavier Font. Since then there have been other replacements, and my Spanish is too poor to figure out from some articles who replaced who, but you can watch a newer line up perform at a 2013 Ibiza fashion show here (Imperium), and this 2014 performance of Obsesiva, where it looks like a whole new group.
The original members (from left to right in that first video) were Xavier Font, Gard Passchier, Luis Font, and Manuel Arjona. In 1987, the middle two were replaced by Juan Antonio Fuentes and Carlos Armas, and later Francesc Picas replaced Xavier Font. Since then there have been other replacements, and my Spanish is too poor to figure out from some articles who replaced who, but you can watch a newer line up perform at a 2013 Ibiza fashion show here (Imperium), and this 2014 performance of Obsesiva, where it looks like a whole new group.
True story: back when Locomía was popular in Chile, I was once waiting for a friend in a a party-ish part of town.
So a group of teenage girls is loitering nearby, giggling and sort of looking at me. One peels off, sort of wanders near where I'm standing, and whispers as she passes: 'Carlos!'
I had shoulder length hair, and even though I wasn't holding a fan, wearing puffy pirate clothes, or had my shirt open to my belly button, I'm pretty sure she meant Carlos Armas from Locomía, which is flattering, I guess, but just threw me at the moment, so much so that I didn't say anything and just sort of stood there as she went back to her group of friends.
There was further giggling.
posted by signal at 2:22 PM on April 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
So a group of teenage girls is loitering nearby, giggling and sort of looking at me. One peels off, sort of wanders near where I'm standing, and whispers as she passes: 'Carlos!'
I had shoulder length hair, and even though I wasn't holding a fan, wearing puffy pirate clothes, or had my shirt open to my belly button, I'm pretty sure she meant Carlos Armas from Locomía, which is flattering, I guess, but just threw me at the moment, so much so that I didn't say anything and just sort of stood there as she went back to her group of friends.
There was further giggling.
posted by signal at 2:22 PM on April 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
Arg, I was mistaken, in that first video Gard Passchier and Luis Font were already replaced. signal image link is exactly the third guy in that video, Carlos Armas. I guess when I image search those first two the results were actually their replacements.
posted by numaner at 2:39 PM on April 18, 2017
posted by numaner at 2:39 PM on April 18, 2017
You have to take into account that it was the 80s and Alaska(*) was presenting children's saturday morning TV, Pedro Almodóvar and Fabio McNamara were in TV like this and Tino Casal was doing his best too.
(*) In case you think Spaniards getting stage names from American states is weird, we have The Great Wyoming too. Who also sang on stage.
posted by sukeban at 2:39 PM on April 18, 2017 [11 favorites]
(*) In case you think Spaniards getting stage names from American states is weird, we have The Great Wyoming too. Who also sang on stage.
posted by sukeban at 2:39 PM on April 18, 2017 [11 favorites]
These guys should be in Eurovision you say? They tried, in 2001, but only placed 17th out of 20 in the Spanish national competition.
posted by Kabanos at 3:06 PM on April 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Kabanos at 3:06 PM on April 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
So where are the originals now? Well, according to this site [all errors are GoogleTranslate's]:
Manuel Arjona, who has a daughter, is still active on the stage and has even worked as a dancer in the Bikini room in Barcelona.posted by Kabanos at 3:15 PM on April 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
Currently Carlos Armas 'hair in the wind' has a well-known fashion boutique in Tenerife and is closely linked to the design of the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Juan Antonio Fuentes 'el rubito' is manager in the hotel industry and currently runs a restaurant in Barcelona.
Xavier Font went through a turbulent time in 2009 , when he was arrested for drug trafficking in an operation called Abanico. Among other substances, they found substitutes for viagra and poppers.
As for Francesc Picas 'the substitute' , for a few years he dedicated himself to the design of handkerchiefs, scarves, scarves and pareos with his own company, Picas & Navés. At present it is dedicated to write novel and poetry.
I was expecting fans - i.e., the enthusiastic people in the audience - to be twirled. Disappointed.
posted by Wolfdog at 3:27 PM on April 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Wolfdog at 3:27 PM on April 18, 2017 [4 favorites]
Carlos Armas 'hair in the wind'
OK, if anyone wants to start a Zorro themed RPG, I have my character name. +1 fan twirling, +50 shrieking maidens.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 3:28 PM on April 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
OK, if anyone wants to start a Zorro themed RPG, I have my character name. +1 fan twirling, +50 shrieking maidens.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 3:28 PM on April 18, 2017 [2 favorites]
So I'm failing to figure how Gard Passchier and Luis Font even look like. Come on, internet!
posted by numaner at 3:49 PM on April 18, 2017
posted by numaner at 3:49 PM on April 18, 2017
House of Xtravaganza meets Walter Mercado. If whoever put this together hadn't been to a Drag Ball in Harlem, then surely they must have at least heard a vivid description of one. Even that 1981 video has some some serious Vogueing floor work going on.
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 4:13 PM on April 18, 2017
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 4:13 PM on April 18, 2017
Are we 100% sure it isn't supposed to be written Lo Comía?
Just checking.
posted by evidenceofabsence at 4:36 PM on April 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
Just checking.
posted by evidenceofabsence at 4:36 PM on April 18, 2017 [3 favorites]
Conrad-Casserole: es.wikipedia:Loco_Mía has a lot of info. The video can't be from 1981 because the band started in 1984. It's likely that the video is from between 1988 (year of their first recording) and before 1990 (second LP, they changed their staging).
The band is from Ibiza, which had a huge party scene in the 80s. Maybe the band members visited New York, but they need't, because Ibiza was an attractor for all kinds of fun.
posted by kandinski at 5:48 PM on April 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
The band is from Ibiza, which had a huge party scene in the 80s. Maybe the band members visited New York, but they need't, because Ibiza was an attractor for all kinds of fun.
posted by kandinski at 5:48 PM on April 18, 2017 [1 favorite]
That video made my day. I was laughing so hard I almost peed myself. Thanks for posting!
kandinski Ibiza! My gosh, I could tell some real cool, naughty stories!
posted by james33 at 2:14 AM on April 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
kandinski Ibiza! My gosh, I could tell some real cool, naughty stories!
posted by james33 at 2:14 AM on April 19, 2017 [1 favorite]
"On second thought, let's not go back to the 80s. 'Tis a silly place."
Awesome, you misspelled awesome. So much freedom to just do whatever you wanted to do. I mean Lady Gaga today is wild and out there, in the 80's she would've just been some extra in a video. She wouldn't even be the main oddity on the stage. (Except for the meat dress, that was 80's level.)
Sigh.
posted by oddman at 6:19 AM on April 19, 2017
Awesome, you misspelled awesome. So much freedom to just do whatever you wanted to do. I mean Lady Gaga today is wild and out there, in the 80's she would've just been some extra in a video. She wouldn't even be the main oddity on the stage. (Except for the meat dress, that was 80's level.)
Sigh.
posted by oddman at 6:19 AM on April 19, 2017
I'm fascinated and delighted by the way they played with gender roles there. Not just the huge shoulder pads and fans, but one of the guys was wearing an actual skirt. Was that as much of a gendered thing in 1980's Spain, or am I seeing transgressive genderqueer stuff where it isn't?
posted by sotonohito at 7:07 AM on April 19, 2017
posted by sotonohito at 7:07 AM on April 19, 2017
I mean, not gender roles, but gendered clothing and accessories.
posted by sotonohito at 7:14 AM on April 19, 2017
posted by sotonohito at 7:14 AM on April 19, 2017
something Xavier Font something something Francesc Picas something Xavier Neue
posted by davejay at 7:44 AM on April 19, 2017
posted by davejay at 7:44 AM on April 19, 2017
I'm fascinated and delighted by the way they played with gender roles there. Not just the huge shoulder pads and fans, but one of the guys was wearing an actual skirt. Was that as much of a gendered thing in 1980's Spain, or am I seeing transgressive genderqueer stuff where it isn't?
I didn't link Pedro Almodóvar and Tino Casal up there for nothing :D The country went wild when Franco died. It began for straight men with the destape (softcore porn everywhere because it wasn't illegal anymore) at the tail end of the regime but in 1979 being gay was decriminalised and the subculture exploded with the movida, which was kind of like the local version of new wave but with a more pronounced genderqueer streak. Alaska y Dinarama's A Quién Le Importa ("who the fuck cares?") was an accidental gay anthem (compare with a more recent take) but even a mainstream pop group like Mecano released a lesbian love song in '88.
Locomía weren't even the only ones to appear on stage in skirts, Miguel Bosé was also fond of trouser skirts and still wears skirts once in a while.
Bonus Mecano for some not as cool abanico action and silly outfits.
posted by sukeban at 10:36 AM on April 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
I didn't link Pedro Almodóvar and Tino Casal up there for nothing :D The country went wild when Franco died. It began for straight men with the destape (softcore porn everywhere because it wasn't illegal anymore) at the tail end of the regime but in 1979 being gay was decriminalised and the subculture exploded with the movida, which was kind of like the local version of new wave but with a more pronounced genderqueer streak. Alaska y Dinarama's A Quién Le Importa ("who the fuck cares?") was an accidental gay anthem (compare with a more recent take) but even a mainstream pop group like Mecano released a lesbian love song in '88.
Locomía weren't even the only ones to appear on stage in skirts, Miguel Bosé was also fond of trouser skirts and still wears skirts once in a while.
Bonus Mecano for some not as cool abanico action and silly outfits.
posted by sukeban at 10:36 AM on April 19, 2017 [3 favorites]
omg sukeban thank you so much. Mecano sounds just like my cup of tea (I swear I grew up in the wrong decade... and apparently country).
your "love song" link to Une femme avec une femme is country-restricted. here's a version Americans can watch.
posted by numaner at 8:47 AM on April 20, 2017 [1 favorite]
your "love song" link to Une femme avec une femme is country-restricted. here's a version Americans can watch.
posted by numaner at 8:47 AM on April 20, 2017 [1 favorite]
Try this? It's a live version, not the videoclip.
posted by sukeban at 9:01 AM on April 20, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by sukeban at 9:01 AM on April 20, 2017 [1 favorite]
oh that's the spanish version! I really can't decide which one is better. I love both.
posted by numaner at 9:09 AM on April 20, 2017
posted by numaner at 9:09 AM on April 20, 2017
yaaaay they're on spotify! Locomia too (but let's be honest, without the videos they're nowhere near as impressive)!
posted by numaner at 9:12 AM on April 20, 2017
posted by numaner at 9:12 AM on April 20, 2017
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