Os Mutantes now playing on Phawker Radio. From Perfect Sound Forever:
Tropicalia Glossary – Who’s Who, What’s What.
AI5 – Acto Instution #5. The 1968 military clampdown on Brazil. Temporarily ended free speech in Brazilian media. 5 days after the passing of AI5 two of the Tropicalistas, Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, were arrested, shaved and exiled to freezing England.
Tropicalia – The more Brazilian style of Psychedelia. Not only features pop music, but visual art, literature and performance type arts and artists.
Arnaldo Baptista – Bass and keys. Took drugs. Went nuts after Rita dumped him. Recorded a half dozen solo lp’s after his tenure in Os Mutantes, some with varied results. Attempted suicide in 1983, but runs a Sao Paulo T-shirt business today.
Claudio Baptista – Big brother to Arnaldo and Sergio. Claudio was the mad scientist of the group, providing all the far out contraptions that the band would need to make their racket with.
Rita Lee – Singer, writer, costume and style designs of the band. Took drugs. Planned to poison Sao Paulos’ water supply with LSD in 1968. Beauty, brains and she looked white. Rita has had a long career in Brazilian pop music, peaking in 1978 with “La Parfuma” Rita’s deep throat disco tribute to Amyl Nitrate, selling a half million copies (no mean feat in Brazil). Shortly thereafere, pregnant Rita was arrested for marijuana distribution.