| Chao likes many things. Just listen to his hit song; | | | | middle and last; he has a first, second, third, fourth and |
| “Me Gustas Tu.” The morning, the night, | | | | fifth name. Jose-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao is |
| the wind, the rain, the motorcycle, the neighbor, they | | | | fascinating, intriguing and could rival the Dos Equis guy |
| are all listed in this bouncy, upbeat track. | | | | as truly the most interesting man in the world. |
| And he doesn’t just stop there. He has many | | | | His mother was Basque, his father was Galician. They |
| reasons to think fondly of life. His international rise to | | | | moved to the outskirts of Paris and Chao spent his |
| fame has brought him acclaim throughout the music | | | | early years growing up in the Parisian suburbs of |
| world. And his sound is unique, a far stray away from | | | | Boulogne-Billancourt and Sevres. His childhood |
| the monotonous pop sounds that are continuously | | | | “gang groupies” consisted of artists and |
| cranked out of downtown Hollywood studios. Manu | | | | intellectuals, and his thoughts revolved around social |
| Chao is different and that’s the way he likes it. | | | | justice and multicultural diversity, two elements that are |
| Chao does not just stop at one language. He sings in | | | | constantly present in his music. |
| seven: French, Spanish, Galician, Portuguese, Arabic, | | | | He jumped onto the music scene in the early 1980s |
| English and Wolof. He mixes them, with several | | | | and quickly became a local name in alternative music in |
| appearing in just one track. His music is influenced by | | | | Paris nightclubs and bars tucked down quaint |
| rock, salsa, reggae, ska and Algerian rai. He has | | | | alleyways. But it was in 1987 that Chao, his brothers |
| traveled as a nomad listening to stories from | | | | and his cousin founded the band that would help carry |
| immigrants in France as well as peasants and families | | | | them to the top. Mano Negra released their first hit, |
| in Mesoamerica. He has visited more places in one | | | | “Mala Vifa,” and that same year they |
| year than many of us do in a lifetime. | | | | toured most of the world, stopping at port cities, using |
| His name does not just consist of the standard first, | | | | the ship’s platform as their stage. |