Indio Solari: the journalist who interviewed him for the first time, maintained a lifelong friendship and was his 'favorite Martian'

Claudio Kleiman, a foundational figure in Argentine rock journalism and a lifelong friend of the late musician Carlos "Indio" Solari, has penned an emotional tribute following Solari's death. Kleiman, a collaborator with Rolling Stone Argentina since its inception, shared his personal reflections on losing a cherished friend and a towering figure in rock culture.

“

Life doesn't prepare you for these things. One doesn't know how to accept them, what to do, how to react, who to talk to. Especially in a world that, besides being increasingly wide and – especially – alien, has fewer and fewer signs of the one we knew. And even more so, when we are losing the few people who helped us navigate it.

"Life doesn't prepare you for these things. One doesn't know how to accept them, what to do, how to react, who to talk to," Kleiman wrote, describing the profound sense of solitude and disorientation he felt upon learning of Solari's passing. He noted that in a world that feels increasingly alien, the loss of such a significant person exacerbates this feeling, especially when losing those who helped navigate it.

Kleiman's connection with Solari dates back to 1978, forged through their shared immersion in rock culture. He is credited with writing the first articles about Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota, beginning with a review of their historic "Lozanazo" concert in La Plata. Kleiman was struck by the band's unique fusion of rock and roll with a theatrical presentation and lyrical depth, which he described as "criollo surrealist delirium."

“

That was the feeling upon learning of the physical disappearance of Carlos Indio Solari. Solitude, lack of protection, orphanhood. First, personally, upon losing a friend so dear and admired. But also, because with him goes one of the most lucid and extraordinary people (in every sense of the word), of what we call rock culture. It had already been difficult enough, at the time, to conceive of a world without the Redondos, whose separation meant a before and after personally. But now, this goodbye is definitive. And deal with it.

He recognized early on that Solari and his musical partner Skay Beilinson were deeply influenced by psychedelia, the Beat Generation, surrealism, street theater, and the satirical humor of Frank Zappa. This shared cultural foundation, explored both in Kleiman's writing for Expreso Imaginario and in the Redonditos' music, offered a distinct way of viewing the world and carving a path through what Solari himself called "this old fried culture."

“

Rock culture was precisely what united us from the beginning, from those distant days of 1978 when we met.

For Kleiman, the separation of Los Redondos years ago was already a deeply personal turning point. Now, Solari's definitive departure marks a profound loss, leaving Kleiman and countless fans with a sense of "orphanhood" and the challenge of facing a future without one of rock's most lucid and extraordinary voices.

“

The 'ricotero' history attributes to me the authorship of the first articles about the Redondos, and in the very first one, reviewing for Expreso Imaginario the now historic 'Lozanazo' in La Plata, the first 'official' concert under that name (although the debut had been in Salta), it was precisely that which caught my attention. The combination of rock and roll music with a staging that showed, both in the presentation and in the extramusical elements and the tenor of their lyrics (which 'unfold a delirious criollo surrealism', to quote myself), that these people knew a lot about rock culture.