euro mullets, rod stewart, goths and skaterboys

Good or bad, all of these things are very "en moda" and "muy cool" here in Santiago. Yes, breaking news - the euro mullet is gaining incredible momentum in South America. Buenos Aires seems to have the stronghold on the best ones but Santiago is keeping up - I've actually come really close to taking a photo of some of the best ones to share with you but I haven't figured out how to be slick about it. If you're lucky I'll pull it off soon. You must understand this is no run of the mill NASCAR northamerican mullet, but impeccably cared for and styled to kind of stand out spiky and look tousled and sexy (?), like really fast hair, if you can imagine. Almost as if the guys are in motion or at a fashion shoot and their hair is blowing in the wind. Or the long back part of the hair at least. Oh lordy.

While I'm gawking at the mullets Rod Stewart seems to be always playing in the background and in the Metro stations there are even huge flat screen TVs that show music videos of "Forever Young" straight from the 80's. Its pretty hilarious because even though Chileans aren't that crazy about Americans (and least of all our politics of course) they love English music and most of all romantic songs. I was in a bus with these hardcore teenage boys this weekend and they had a stereo they had brought on board and were blasting for the whole 4-hour trip. I was totally smiling to myself when the leader of the hoodlums was humming along to "We Are The World (We Are The Children)" and drumming along on the boom box. If they only knew ...

To complete the circle Goths and skater boys zip around the city politely skirting around little old ladies (points for Latino manners) and hanging out in groups at the park and in the Metro - enjoying Rod no doubt. I don’t know why they strike me as so funny... I guess I just always think of Goths and skater boys in English. I mean, that’s funny right? Goths speaking Spanish? Very dark Spanish though, of course.