Not even Negro Olmedo was so different: ten years after Tangalanga’s death, an unrepeatable comedian

Tangalanga was the most exciting thing to happen to Argentine humor in many years. To this day there is no one worthily sitting on the bench of that influence. Its existence was an unforgettable stupidity. Doctor Tangalana’s profession is elusive and solitary. He was born to become popular as an older man. He died exactly ten years ago. As an old man, at 97 years old.

Despite his telephone skill, he was quiet, not very talkative. At least it was in interviews. He popularized telephone fare, home-made humor, and did it with dedication and sophisticationknowing the secret to prolonging the speech, mastering the art of intuition and turning a craft into a collector’s item.

In the ten years since his death, seven films have been dedicated to him. Last year The Tangalanga Method was released, with Martín Piroyansky in a tender approach to the Doctor’s origins. But the crazy work of Diego Recalde, absolutely taken by the character, led him to shoot five films! An almost permanent tribute called Victims of Tangalanga which can now be seen on YouTube and, with nothing to envy of the saga of Star Warswait for a sixth part.

About a month before hearing the sad news, already with health problems and an advanced age, the news of his death had spread. Impostor. That day Tangalanga was visiting the Botanical Garden.

“I never thought there was a place with more cats than TVs“he told this newspaper, bringing some relief and détente.

Until it was finally true. Tangalanga or Julio Victorio De Rissio, his real name, died on December 26, 2013.

An unrepeatable character

What we have learned in all these years without him is that he was a sublime, serial, unique improviser. There could be Olmedos, there has been and perhaps there will be. Tangalanga is unlikely to happen again.

Absurd humor is like an exercise against monotony. Something that has the crazy quality of making us feel like we’re less present than we should be. Tangalanga is pleasure that gives guilt. Staying serious when it comes to him can even be cheaper than having to accept the problems with our way of being.

The legend he helped build indicates as much He started making prank calls to amuse a friend who was sick.. He made people laugh out of nowhere, from a device called a landline telephone, a device that has fallen into disuse and which has nothing to do with the uses, customs and consumption of cell phones.

With whom could such ingenuity be equaled? We’ve all tried making phone charges at one time or another and we know that Tangalanga is virtually impossible. There should be a special name that serves to define this type of repentant born for the common good.

It became popular in the 1980s. A beautiful time because his identity was a total mystery. At the same time as Olmedo’s morcilleo – but in another format -, together they brought improvisation to very high levels.

We were in his spacious Buenos Aires apartment in El Bajo. Is that the phone? “Yes,” she replied. On a desk, white, square, large, quite heavy. Would you leave me? “Be careful dear, I’m working on it,” he implores, “I tell you that sooner or later we will put it up for auction at Sotheby’s. The device was given to me by my friend Spinetta, Luisito, and I tell you that I did the calls from the last 15 years.”

Known recordings of Tangalanga began circulating in 1979.

Miles have been written about the character. That his work was “an exploration of tolerance”. Also an essay: “Notes on trying to understand Tangalanga”.

The unforgettable celebration of 90 years

Full theater, cake, great-grandchild, luxury guests. It’s 2006 and the Doctor – on your feet, gentlemen – celebrates his 90th birthday with open doors in a club in San Telmo. Among the tables of La Trastienda, Luis Alberto Spinetta, the members of Divided, approximately 700 people. And that fat man dressed as Tangalanga? El Gordo Cosco, they explain: ten thousand roast griller and number one fan of the doctor.

The show begins with Flaco and his bow. “It has been proven that of all therapies, laughter is the best. I hope it lasts forever in a world that already seems like it will never laugh again.” From his position, the protagonist waits for the applause to end and responds. “They told me you came to sing… Please, no more than two songs, eh…”

According to director Diego Recalde “Tangalanga was the first to naturally mix civilized language with barbaric expression and create a unique language.”

Spinetta, his most prestigious fan, included the comedian’s voice in a song on the album Milk peluson. With a cap and fake mustache, for example, he passed through the remembered Nothing is worsethe program of Jorge Guinzburg AND Orazio Fontova. Or inside The theft of the centurythe broadcast of the FM Rock & Pop hosted by them Matias Martin AND Diego Angeli.

In April 2011 he stood up and told this reporter: “I’m tired.” This was the title. He was 94 years old and said his family wanted him to retire. He, however, doubted. “I’m ten points away from the pad, my legs aren’t helping.”

“My legs don’t respond to me… Yes, yes, I know that at 94 you have to have something and I also know that at my age it’s difficult to rehabilitate. It’s bad to feel good in friends and bad physically. However, I wouldn’t like it. Let me be the opposite. From alcohol, from sugar, from cholesterol, I’m fine… but the shrimp, the shrimp can’t be fixed.”

And he continued: “The point, dear, is this When I’m on stage it’s all, I’m done, it doesn’t hurt at all.. I can easily stay an hour and a half. I’m in a show and my memory doesn’t fail me, I don’t have any pain, nothing, but when I’m not in a show, I need this, I need that…”

Their live shows consisted of phone calls and banter. Sometimes she called and no one answered. Then I called again and the same thing happened. The minutes of the show wore out with fewer successes than attempts.

Last time home was a man who had just left his walker on the side of the room and had little to do with the laughter therapist we knew.

He confidently assumed that he had not been recognized and said that it seemed strange to him because he was perfectly aware of his uniqueness:

“I had no rivals. What I do is difficult. Argentine comedians are used to the script. Tato Bores called me every week to tell him a joke that he included in his monologues. A thousand times he told jokes that I gave him in exchange for nothing. Tato was my friend. Once, when the Uruguayan rugby players’ plane crashed in the Cordillera, I told him something that he didn’t dare include in his program…”.

What was your best call? “Mmm… the one with the angry roofer. The one with the den, to which I tell you that she fixed the roof so badly that when it rains we all go out on the patio (more info in Doctor Tangalanga The Golden Book or on YouTube). When prostitution begins, success is total. I prefer there not to be so many complaints, but rather more ingenious things. “The course of the call may be more interesting than the auction, but the success is the complaint.”

“I cause insults because people are interested in recordings of the other person getting angry. When I recorded phone calls from home, I thought, ‘Uh, how do I make this guy be an asshole?’. If I know there are women, I It’s a bit embarrassing and I prefer other types of jokes, like the one where the boss says to the employee: “Do you want to come to my house and listen to music?” “What if I don’t like it?” “If you don’t like it, get dressed and leave?”

“I liked Verdaguer’s humor. Verdaguer stopped working two years before he died and for me he died of grief. I saw him in one of his last performances at the Bauen and because he had forgotten his lines halfway through, he had to leave. his humor mine is also unusual in every sense. I recently returned from Pilar where I had been invited to host a barbecue. I was coming back with a pickup truck, it was like two in the morning and I was wondering: are there any kids my age on the road at this time?”