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David Summers Interview
A Mexican Tree of Life, some carvings of saints, and several altarpieces adorn the living room of his home in Madrid. Decorative elements that reveal David Summers' attraction to Mexico and its culture. They are a small sample of thousands of memories accumulated over nearly 40 years of touring.
His mother is from Huelva, and his father, Manolo Summers, was named an adopted son of Lepe. What is his connection to that city now?
The year I was born, 1964, my parents bought a house in La Antilla. At that time, the Lepe city council would give you the land if you built a house, in order to attract people and turn it into a tourist spot. My father built house number 12, and we spent our summers there our whole lives. My mother still keeps it, although now there aren't just a dozen houses, but a lot more.
Do you still go there?
I go less often because I bought a very nice house in Zahara de los Atunes 20 years ago, and since then we go there. But my brother and my mother still summer in Lepe.
I suppose you have traveled the world with your band Hombres G.
I haven't stopped traveling. But those trips aren't planned for enjoyment, although sometimes we spend two or three days in a city and I take the opportunity to see everything I can.
Why do you have so many memories of Mexico in this living room?
I have traveled the country many times and know Mexico better than many Mexicans do.
Have you ever gone back to places you didn't get the chance to enjoy due to lack of time?
Yes. For example, I've returned to New York with my children. My current partner is from New York and we go there frequently to hang out. I've also been to London a lot to record, and as a tourist, I've been to Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Venice, Florence... I love Italy, especially the south of the country, Sicily, Catania... The people are very kind and hospitable.
If you could choose a place to retire, where would you go?
I've had a lot of noise in my life and now I seek the opposite: to be calm and be left alone a bit. Therefore, I think of my house in Zahara and the estate we have in the Sierra de Huelva. Silence and tranquility, either in the countryside or on the beach. Andalusia is my blood, my land. But now I go a lot to Galicia, to the Costa da Morte, because my partner has grandparents there, and it's incredible. I'm beginning to enjoy Galicia. We go to a little village called Caldebarcos, with a wonderful and lonely beach of 16 kilometers that goes up to Fisterra. A paradise, a madness.
What has been the most incredible trip of your life?
In 2008, I took a trip to Egypt with my children that I will never forget. We took a beautiful cruise on the Nile on a little boat, stopping at all the temples until we reached Cairo. I was fascinated by Egypt. They take you into mastabas, and you see carvings that make you wonder: 'How could it be that while others were throwing stones at goats, these people were carving like this?'. I've seen nothing comparable in my life.
What is the strangest place you've performed with Hombres G?
During one tour, we went deep into Ecuador. We played in Cuenca and Ambato. Thanks to my job, I can say I know Ambato, a place I would never have gone to in my life if it hadn't been for a concert. I also didn't think I would go to Peru so many times, or that they would love us so much there. There's nothing that excites me more than arriving in a place I've never been and meeting the people there.
What motivates you to travel from one place to another during tours?
Well, sometimes it's more interesting than going as a tourist. If you go to Mexico as a tourist, they'll take you to see the Zócalo and the cathedral, whereas if you're on tour, you work with local people and dive deep into the country. Plus, we travel by road and stop at really strange places to eat, which tourists don't do.
Any anecdotes related to your travels?
I've seen it all. In the eighties, we were playing in Medellín (Colombia), and after the concert, I was told that Pablo Escobar's daughter wanted to meet me. She was a petite girl surrounded by bodyguards. Another time, returning from Cali, we were stopped by the FARC, and they pulled us out of the car at gunpoint. At that time, people were being killed every day. I wonder how my mother would let me go on that tour when I was just 21 years old.
Do you collect souvenirs from the places you visit?
Not as much anymore. I have my beach house filled with memories and handmade objects from my early trips, but I've been letting that go.
Where have you been treated best?
With artists, everyone is nice and friendly. In Mexico, I feel at home. To the point that I'm performing in other Central American countries, and when I arrive in Mexico, it feels like I've come home.
Do you prefer the sea or the mountains?
I love the sea, and I have a sailor's soul, as Joan Manuel Serrat would say. The smell of the sea pulls me. Someday, I'd like to retire to a place where I can see the sea.
What trip are you still dreaming of?
I really want to go to Jamaica. I've never been, and I think it's unforgivable. I love reggae, ska, and all the music they make there. I have to see it and study what those people do.
What was your last pleasure trip?
I was in Rome during Christmas 2020 when they were already talking about the coronavirus on TV. It's an incredible, spectacular city. You don't have to go to see something specific; you just see it all by walking down the street and in any church. It's crazy, it completely captures you.