Carlos Santana Interview

Infamous Rock journalist and internationally acclaimed interviewer Claude Balzac recently sat down for an in depth conversation with the legendary guitarist and spiritualist, Carlos Santana.

Madhouse Magazine: Hi Carlos, thanks for hanging with me today. It is great to see you again.

Carlos Santana: Claude my man, last time I saw you was at Woodstock. You are the one who spiked my drink. I was tripping balls when they told me to go on early. I was hanging on to that guitar like it was a snake. I didn’t think I was going to make it but it worked out pretty good so I think I owe you. By the way I love Madhouse. Madhouse was my spiritual lighthouse for many years.

Madhouse: Good Times, tell us about meeting Bill Graham and how he became your manager

Santana: In 1967, me and a friend climbed up the fire escape of the Fillmore theater in SF, in an attempt to sneak into the Cream concert. We got caught by Bill Graham, who knocked our heads together and then offered to manage our band. Graham convinced us that we needed some songs instead of endless jamming and made us record “Evil Ways”.

Madhouse: Graham was a legend but he seemed a bit shady.

Santana: Funny story, Bill Graham wanted to get Santana on the bill at Woodstock, so he cut the band Chicago’s brake lines on their tour bus and they drove off a cliff. No one was hurt but the band was unable to get to the festival so we were hired instead. That’s the kind of things Bill did for his people. It sucks for Chicago but it was great for us.

Madhouse: So you have been in the news lately

Santana: [laughs] Yes I made the terrible mistake of saying a man is a man and a woman is a woman. Can you imagine if at Woodstock in 1969 I told you that one day we would be having arguments over such nonsense. You would have thought I was tripping for sure.

Madhouse: We are living in Crazy times for sure.

Santana: Yeah so these sonsofbitches smacked me over the head and threw me in the back of a van. I woke up and I was on trial in front of some kangaroo court. They sentenced me to re-record Back Magic Woman with that Dylan character. These are some weird ass people.

Madhouse: What’s your thoughts on the border crisis?

Santana: Oh boy you are going to get me in trouble again but I came here legally. If anyone is against borders I want their address and house key.

Madhouse: Weren’t you caught up with immigration issues yourself?

Santana: Yes a few years ago they deported me to Mexico. I am a citizen but it was a case of mistaken identity. I did not have my ID with me and ICE rounded me up. I had to pay a coyote to sneak me back over the border. It took me a week to get back home.

Madhouse: That sounds terrible.

Santana: Yes then it happened again. I was at James Taylor’s house in Martha’s Vineyard. We ran out of beer so I went for a beer run with Cheech Marin. National guardsmen threw a net over me and Cheech and threw us in the back of a van. We were then whisked off to a military base somewhere in Massachusetts. I was finally able to get word to my lawyer, publicist and James Taylor. After 6 hours in a cage, we were released. That was the worst party ever. I hate James Taylor and Carly Simon, all thos Martha Vineyard people are hypocrite. They all want to be sanctuary until it’s time to do sanctuary shit.

Madhouse: So you got a new movie coming out.

Santana: Yes a new documentary, but we are in discussions for a biopic as well. We are trying to get that girl who played Wednesday Adams to portray me as a young kid. Freddy Rodriguez and Danny Trejo will play me in the other stages of my life.

Madhouse: You are a legend. Keep being you sir.

Santana: No Madhouse is a legend. You keep on Mad-housing.