‘A genius who was not recognised in his time! A poet, a proud Portuguese, original, unique!’
This comment, written by a fan, is posted under a video of one of António Variações’s songs. Ahead of his time, he was a singer-songwriter who shook up the conservatism of late 70’s early 80’s Portugal.
A hairdresser by trade, he kept his salon open throughout his pop career and often used his scissors as a prop in publicity photos. But it is for his lyrics rather than his look, his musical style that I and many others now love him. He can be both poignant and very funny at the same time – take the song ‘É p’ra amanhã’ (Leave It for Tomorrow):
‘Leave it for tomorrow / You could very well do it today / Because tomorrow I know you will be delaying again / And you well know how time flees / But you do nothing to grab it / Another day and you did nothing’
Or in another great hit ‘O Corpo é Que Paga’ (‘It’s the Body that Pays’): ‘When the head has no judgment’ Variações cautions, ‘It’s the body that pays’; but he goes on to sing ‘Let it pay, let it pay / If you’re enjoying it!’
Although Variações had an all too short life, I have a feeling such songs will live on for a very long time.
My title ‘Hairdresser on Fire’ references the title of a song by Morrissey with whom he shares some interesting similarities. And it is true that Variações lived for a time in London and New York, and absorbed the freeing influences of music and life away from Portuguese shores. However, this is primarily ‘A Letter from Portugal’, as it is how he integrated these influences with his love for traditional Portuguese song (such as his near obsession for the famous Fado singer Amália) that makes his work so unique. The longing for something that never quite was or is just out of reach…
