No matter how much the rules of the narrative exclude them from much of fiction, there are coincidences, like the vampires in this graffiti-turned-meme. On Sunday afternoon I watched The Big Night of Pop (Netflix), the fantastic documentary about the feat of bringing together 47 of the era's most important artists in a studio in Los Angeles – this is January 1985 – to sing “We are the world for an entire night. You know: Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Diana Ross, Cindy Lauper, Lionel Ritchie, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder and so on that should be written in gold leaf. After the recording of the choruses was completed, Quincy Jones, responsible for the production, wanted to thank Harry Belafonte, the sponsor of the idea, in front of all the artists. And suddenly everyone, led by Al Jarreau, started singing “Banana Boat” as a tribute. I join the documentary with Jordi Évole's interview with Ana Belén. And what do Évole and Ana Belén start humming at some point during their walk through Menorca? Banana boat.
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Ana Belén spoke to Évole about the fate of teenage failure, her refusal to retire and many other topics. He also told him that he almost fainted from shock when he saw the sea for the first time at the age of ten. It happened to me the first time I had her with me. Being a mythomaniac and working on television has its problems: although I have witnessed many falls from the pedestal and normalized others, I still find it difficult to maintain professional asepsis in front of some of my idols. I saw Ana Belén humming a meter away from me, reciting lines I had written, and while I tried to appear calm, I wished I could believe in God for the enormous gratitude I feel for everything , what has brought me to unite in one being here. I don't know if it happens to Jordi Évole: it doesn't seem, maybe he hides it very well. It definitely wouldn't make him a worse or better interviewer. What happens in his interviews is that they reveal his interviewees' ability to tell themselves something. And of course, those who have a long and interesting life and the gift of thinking about it win. Just like the stars taking part in The Big Night of Pop. And that is no coincidence.
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