:: t r a n s i s t o r s :: n e w s ::.. [2002 - January]

Esquivel, R.I.P.

Ciao friends,
sad news.
Juan Garcia Esquivel died last Thursday, January 3rd.
We can only tell you that the music of Esquivel is one the reasons of the birth of Transistors [Viva Esquivel was the first song we made] .
His music is in our hearts.

This is a message that we have received from our friend Br. Cleve (Combustible Edison):

<<Juan Garcia Esquivel died last Thursday, January 3rd, due to complications
from a stroke, at his home in Juitepec, Morelos, Mexico. He was 83 years
old.

On a postive note, at least Esquivel lived long enough to see his work rediscovered and appreciated by a new audience around the world. After being bedridden for close to 10 years due to a back injury, he thought of himself as a forgotten man, but the 1994 release of "Space Age Bachelor Pad Music" changed all that, and the last 7 years of his life were quite joyous. I can remember the look on his face when he'd be getting calls from, say, Rolling Stone or the New York Times, or when I showed him Joe Holmes' Space Age Bachelor Pad website - everything was so exciting he was completely revitilized [It also gave him the opportunity to exude his impeccable charm on a great number of female reporters]. Unfortunately, his health continued to fail, although through therapy he was able to get out of bed for the first time in years and get into a wheelchair for short periods of the day.

It's a shame he didn't live long enough to see the proposed film story of his life made, although I doubt he would have been happy with the emphasis on the more sordid elements of his life. For Juan, it just all about the music, and that's what we can be thankful for today - the incredible imagination, style, humor and life found in the body of work he's left for us to enjoy.

br cleve >>

ErMan, Luke and Miss Ari