25 Facts About Manu Chao

Manu Chao became a solo artist after its breakup in 1995 and since then has toured regularly with his live band, Radio Bemba Sound System.

Shortly after Manu's birth, the Chao family moved to the outskirts of Paris, and Manu spent most of his childhood in Boulogne-Billancourt and Sevres.

Manu Chao cites much of his childhood experience as inspiration for some songs.

Manu Chao is friends with Gogol Bordello and that group has covered Mano Negra's song "Mala Vida" on their own and with Chao beginning in 2006.

The resulting music differed drastically from Mano Negra; the songs were primarily sung in Spanish with far fewer French tracks and the musical style had shifted from punk and alternative styles to the street vibe Manu Chao was aiming for.

Manu Chao's music has many influences, such as punk, rock, French chanson, Iberoamerican salsa, reggae, ska, and Algerian rai.

Manu Chao has a tendency to reuse music or lyrics from previous songs to form new songs.

Manu Chao was one of the headlining acts at the 2008 Austin City Limits Music Festival and the Outside Lands Music Festival in Golden Gate Park.

Manu Chao believes that our world lacks spaces for "collective therapy" and describes his concerts as small temporary spaces where people of different backgrounds can come together.

Manu Chao's lyrics provoke his audience to think about immigration, love, living in ghettos, drugs, and often carry a left-wing message.

Manu Chao has many followers among the European left, the Latin American left and the anti-globalisation and anti-capitalist movements.

Since 1991, Manu Chao has been working with La Colifata, which is an NGO made up of a group of patients and ex patients of Hospital Borda, a psychiatric hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Manu Chao uses both a website and a Facebook account to show the work he does with these patients and ex patients.

Manu Chao explained how he believes that the global market is causing social inequality, and how issues in education and immigration are connected to this.

Manu Chao stated that this is one reason that he is for the legalization of drugs such as marijuana - he explained that mafias are making capital off of the distribution of illegal drugs which gives them more economic power, thus making it easier for them to potentially overthrow governments.

Manu Chao explained that since most people are not given the power to directly change these policies, the most effective way to bring about change would be to make a statement to those running the economy by becoming self-sufficient through boycotting corporations, growing one's own vegetables, and making one's own clothes.

Manu Chao then added that he does not own a car or cell phone because he does not need either of these.

Manu Chao talked about having weak leaders as a threat to democracy and explained that there are small movements in Spain that are fighting for blank votes to be recorded as legitimate votes.

Manu Chao explained this could be a solution because blank votes currently make up a majority of the votes in elections, which means that election results are inaccurate.

Manu Chao expressed his belief that education is important and should be free for everyone.

Manu Chao mentioned that Cuba is able to provide free education for all those living in Cuba despite being a small country and that he does not understand how the United States being such a powerful nation was not able to do the same.

Manu Chao then expressed frustration at the fact that one can enroll in the armed forces in the United States and "learn to kill" for free, but had to pay to learn to do anything else.

Manu Chao suggested that this is a sign that the United States is afraid of its future.

Manu Chao explains that providing legal status to immigrant young people would require the United States to honor the rights of these immigrants, and therefore it is cheaper and easier for the United States to deny so many young immigrants a legal status.

Grabner states that Manu Chao's work emphasizes the connection of contemporary 'contentious Europe' with past struggles, particularly through his lyrics and combinations of musical styles.