Artists, not even the bad ones, are to blame for the ruling class’ growing loss of credibility, the pulverization of their political capital. For a long time, leaders were―and at certain levels still are―untouchable beings about whom one couldn’t joke...aloud, much less question what they said or denounce their wrong decisions and their goings-on until other leaders decided it was time. We are told about the selfless leader, poor thing, who does what others wouldn’t do, who gives everything without expecting anything in return...or almost nothing, which isn’t the same as nothing. It is said that the authorities, because of the comedians, will end up losing people's respect. That is, it is not because of the bad reputation gained by generations of unskillful leaders who enjoy privileges unthinkable for the ordinary Nicanor, no: it is the fault of the artists, with the comedians in the front row. It is the fault of the people, which are bad and undeserving. That generalization upsets the good, the honest leaders? And how many people, and for how long, does a crazy decision affect them? How many saw their life shattered, and had to start over―or gave up―because a leader mocked them, described them...

It is no longer a possibility, but a fact: The Rolling Stones performed in Cuba. On Friday 25 I got to Ciudad Deportiva at 11 a.m. to wait for the concert, and it was worth it: I got an incredible spot, less than 10 meters away from the stage. The problem with those positions is that you cannot change places later. It goes beyond a moral imperative: you cannot move, literally. You must be sitting or standing in your spot for long hours. Stretching your legs or turning around is a manoeuvre as complicated as solving a Rubik cube: the person next to you will have to change positions, and then the person next to that one, and so on. But when the concert start you congratulate yourself for having resisted. "We know that there was a time when it was not possible to listen to our music in Cuba. Well, here we are. Times have changed," said Mick in his introduction to one of the songs. He's right: things have changed. The band that many decades ago was portrait as the quintessence of the decadence and degradation of young people in capitalism is closing its Latin American tour, "Ole",...

This Norwegian guy doesn’t look like a rock’n roll fan at all: his hair is short, and he’s dressed like any other tourist. However, for the last 21 years he’s been the soul of “It’s only rock and roll” (IORR) - the biggest and most popular Rolling Stones fan website in the world, with 1 to 2 million visits per year. He takes care of most of the content: set lists, pictures, news about each concert… Of course there are contributors who send him reviews of gigs, fan forums, and links to similar websites, but he does most of the work by himself. I discovered the website a few years ago. I wrote him an email, he replied, and we exchanged a few more emails after that… until now that I heard that he would be travelling to Havana, and that we’d have the chance to meet in person. Everything started in 1971, when Bjornulf bought a copy of Sticky fingers. He played it once. He played it again, and again, and again… He played it so many times, alone and for his friends, that it got scratched and he had to buy a new copy. Two years later, he...