Justo Molinero: "Folk songs, yes, but I didn't want to die in front of a microphone."

BarcelonaJusto Molinero (Villanueva de Córdoba, 1949) has stepped aside. He's the owner of Radio Tele Taxi. He still goes to the station, recording commercials or seeing clients, but he no longer does a radio show every morning. His group of stations, with thousands of loyal listeners and advertisers, has historically been a very attractive channel for the politicians who have governed Catalonia and wanted to reach the new Catalans arriving from all over Spain. Justo Molinero's merits have been recognized with the Creu de Sant Jordi, the Ondas Award, and being named Mataró's Adopted Father. At 75, he's toned down his tone and revved up his performances.

How come you're not doing radio every day these days?

— Man, it had to happen to me someday. Making the decision isn't easy, but it's even harder to carry it out day after day.

Do you have a microphone monkey?

— Sometimes, yes, a lot. It's been 43 years, since 1982. Deunited, a life.

Have you recently had the feeling that time is passing faster or slower?

— Time used to pass more quickly. I'd start the program in the morning, not realize it, and it was already noon. But I'm pretty stable, I have a woman I love, she loves me, we go out, we go here and there. Good. We live.

What's the last definition you can think of to explain who Justo Molinero is?

— Justo Molinero was born in Villanueva de Córdoba, who came to Barcelona fleeing hunger, who started working as a mechanic, then I went to do my military service, there I met a friend whose father owned a taxi, he told me how much he earned and suggested I get one.

But there are 10,000 taxi drivers and there is only one Justo Molinero.

— Yes, it's true. I remember coming by bus to Catalonia and thinking that the land that would give me the opportunity to develop as a person would be my land. And this land has been Catalonia, and therefore, I am just another Catalan. A Catalan from Córdoba, but just another Catalan.

You arrived here when you were 17. What are your last memories of the town?

— Memories of when I was a child, when we were going to repair a truck carrying olives, and its tires had burst. I was under the truck, with olive oil dripping down the back of my neck. I'll never forget it. Hearing the town bells, the storks...

You arrived in Catalonia in 1967, during the penultimate wave of immigration. What did you come here looking for?

— I was fleeing hunger. We came to find work and to be able to live with my parents. It's very painful for a family when night falls and they don't know what to feed their children. We were three brothers and a sister. There were people who were already working in Catalonia and were returning to the village by car. I thought, "That's going to be amazing." And when I arrived in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, the first night, at five in the morning, I heard a lot of noise, and it was people going to work at a textile factory. Oh, they hadn't told me this. It wasn't easy, no. I've been lucky, things have gone well for me, and I'm proud to be just another Catalan.

Have you ever felt discriminated against in Catalonia for being a Catalan from Córdoba?

— I thought I should learn to speak Catalan, because if I ever had children, I didn't want them to be discriminated against because of their language. I have two children, and I speak Catalan with both of them.

How did you learn Catalan?

— Speaking. I remember that in Córdoba, there was a Valencian man named Bienvenido Catalán, who owned trucks. Whenever something happened to him, he always said: "Cagondéu"My first job in Barcelona was in a workshop on Wellington Street, I don't know what happened to me and I said:"Cagondéu"And Mr. Domènec says: "Look at Justo, he's been here a week and he already speaks Catalan." I didn't even know what that meant.

I'm a fan of Radio Tele Taxi, and many of the listeners who call in have been in Catalonia for the same number of years as you and don't speak Catalan. Why is that?

— I don't know, maybe there are people who don't feel Catalan is their own. Catalan is too polite, so to speak. If I'm speaking and I utter a bit of Castilian, it quickly switches languages. It's as if Catalan doesn't want us to enter that space of its language. You continue with Catalan, because Catalan is learned by speaking it. There's this habit of switching languages immediately.

And to those who, like you, have come from outside, what would you say?

— Some have not had the opportunity or the chance to study Catalan, but there are many people who speak it, Catalan.

Radio Tele Taxi's slogan is "Ours." TV3's is "Ours". "Ours" and "Lo nuestro" refer to the same thing or are they two different Catalonias?

— It's the same. There's no difference. There are many Catalans who listen to us and probably watch TV3.

How do you think Catalonia is responding to the latest wave of immigration, which has arrived from other countries?

— They're doing very well. They're putting all kinds of resources in place to help them adapt to the country. We also need them to work.

Lately I've noticed you're less combative, as if you've already fought your wars years ago and now you don't want trouble.

— I am a person of peace and I seek peace wherever I go.

Do you see yourself returning to live in Villanueva de Córdoba?

— I'm going to spend a few days, but I'm not going to live here. This is my homeland. I feel so sorry for the people who came here, who were already very old, and they may have suffered from the desire to return but couldn't. My parents and grandparents are buried here, in Badalona.

What is the last thing you asked God for?

— I have a daughter who's in Australia, and the other day, at the airport, I gave her two kisses, thinking they might be the last two I'd ever give her. And I pray to God that wherever she is, she's well and happy. Now my niece has gone there, and they sent me a video of them at the beach.

So, for the moment, God is listening to you.

— Yes, yes, I get along well with God. I haven't cursed him anymore, since that time I told you about the auto repair shop.

We talked a little about your relationship with politicians. When was the last time you met President Pujol?

— I haven't seen him in a while. The last time I went to see him at his house was on the day of his wife's death. We don't see each other often, but we have a good relationship. I think he's doing well. Although I don't do radio every day anymore, I'd like to interview him. He helped me fall in love with my homeland, seeing how he felt about Catalonia. He's made many people believe in this country. We'll need another Pujol soon.

The thing is, Jordi Pujol's work as a government is involved, but there's also the confession about the money in Andorra.

— This is another problem I haven't experienced and don't want to know about. It's their problem. It's normal, because if you have the cash register next to you for many years, you'll end up reaching in.

Man, not everyone.

— There comes a time when you think the box is yours. It can happen to anyone, I think. It happened to him too, poor thing.

You and Oriol Junqueras wrote a book together; you also have a close relationship with him. Do you think Catalan and pro-independence politicians have treated you unfairly in order to reach a segment of Catalonia they didn't have easy access to?

— I've never heard this before. I greeted Oriol the other day at the April Fair. I asked him about his wife. She's fine, she's happy, and I'm glad. I went to see him in prison. Who would have thought I'd go to see a friend in prison? He's more of a friend than a politician. I've had a very good relationship with everyone, and I still do.

How is this latest edition of the Catalan April Fair going?

— Setting an admission price for the fair was a mistake. They must have thought that if a million people came and each paid three euros, it would be three million euros. It was a very bad idea. It was eliminated and that's it, no problem. Radio Tele Taxi is the official station, we have a small booth, and artists come every day.

Right, I suppose you've been thinking, "What will happen to Radio Tele Taxi the day I'm gone?" When was the last time?

— I think about it often. My nephew, Miquel Àngel, is the one who runs it, and he's doing very well. I thought my daughter would want to return to radio someday, but that's not the case. My son is going down a different path. I don't know. Do you want to buy it? Because if you want, we can talk.

Would you like to sell it?

— I haven't thought about it.

What would you prefer: to sell the station, get paid, and not have to think about it anymore, or would you prefer for this to remain in your nephew's hands?

— I can sell it if the continuity is guaranteed and my nephew and the people there continue working. We can talk, that would be good. Someone from the family or someone I trust. Radio Tele Taxi is a necessary station in Catalonia. I remember when Jordi Pujol said: "When I want the people to know something, I go to Catalunya Ràdio and then I go see Justo."

What is the last project you have left to do?

— I think I've done almost everything. These are more personal projects, with my wife, than professional ones.

What was the last bad moment you had?

— I'm coping with everything that comes my way, but luckily I haven't had any bad times. I hope your retirement is like mine.

What made you decide to retire from the microphone, what was the final push?

— I think I had to step back and let my colleagues find their way. I still go to the radio station, record commercials, see clients, but without putting myself in front of the microphone every day.

You, who know the folk songs so well, with that thing they have of: "I'll die on stage"...

— Folk singers say it, yes. They think so. But I never thought I'd die in front of the microphone. You have to make way for other people. Fortunately, I have a team of very good workers at the radio station, who do a very good job. I'm very proud.

The last two questions are the same for everyone. A song you've been listening to lately.

— From Omar Montes, maybe. And all of Rocío Jurado's songs have been very important to me.

The last words of the interview are yours.

— I wish you all the best of health. Enjoy life, we have four days left. I'm here to help anyone. Come on, congratulations.