Josep Maria Mainat: "I'm planning on doing a solo tour, telling my story."

He is the mastermind behind some of the most successful programs in the history of Spanish television, the singer of one of the most popular phenomena of the seventies, and also a recent protagonist of crime stories due to the attempt by his ex-wife, Angela Dobrowolski, to murder him. Josep Maria Mainat (Canet de Mar, 1946) is all this and much more. A computer programmer, ambassador for products that keep you young, and a great lover of science. In fact, years ago he published Optimistic Science (Grijalbo publishing house), and he'll be writing about science in the ARA newspaper, where he'll be making his debut as a columnist with the section "Las cosas del Mainat" (Mainat's Things), which will be published on weekends in the summer newspaper.

I've seen you in shape at Canet Rock.

— I like going on stage, but I do something short, okay? And I end up tired.

But I see you take care of yourself…

— As much as I can, even though my body is doing its thing. But I train practically every day, lifting weights three times a week to take care of my muscles, which are what weaken the most with age.

You take cold baths.

— I have a small bathtub at home. We put ice water in it, set to 15 degrees (which is very cold), and I soak in it for five or six minutes. This stimulates circulation and produces dopamine.

Have you always taken care of yourself?

— Before I turned 50, I didn't take care of myself at all. I smoked a lot, ate whatever I wanted, and didn't move. And after 45, I started suffering from gout attacks, and I thought I was in for a really bad old age. I quit smoking, I don't drink, I don't take recreational drugs, I eat healthy, I exercise, I try to walk, and that's it.

And is life still fun?

— Of course it is. It still is, although I've been stressed lately by family issues. And now I'm a single father with children aged nine and thirteen.

I guess it wasn't in the plans...

— No, I married a young woman, she wanted children and didn't care how old I was. And she failed me.

How are you?

— It's settled for me. The trial is over, it's over, and that's it.

Don't you still wonder how what happened could have happened?

— I've spent years wondering how it was possible. But now it's over, I know it was drugs. He fell in with some unsavory people, and his brain went crazy. And I don't want to say too much.

How do you recover from something like that?

— I have a pretty strong resilience. I have compartments in my brain, and I can put them aside and not think about them. I focus on the day-to-day and the hope for the future.

What helps in this process?

— The people around me, my children, who are wonderful. And it helps that I have this ability to not get stressed.

And what do you say to your children?

— It is a topic that is not discussed.

You should also take care of yourself and have energy for them, right? Because they need you.

— Exactly, they drain my energy and they also give me energy. If they weren't there, my life would be more boring. They're fantastic; they get good grades, they're smart, they're empathetic, they love me, and that's good for me.

What do you like to do together?

— This week we're going to the Greek islands, on one of those horrible cruises with ten thousand people doing everything at once. And a babysitter will be coming, too, because I have moments when I need to go in the cabin. I'd already been there twenty years ago with my older children. And it's beautiful to see their relationship; we're a good family. My oldest son, who is fifty, and my youngest son, once again, love each other madly.

And you, what interests you today?

— I worked too hard for many years and got tired. Since I retired, what I want is to do a project from time to time. Toni Cruz and I went to America to do a very successful program called The artist, and we've done something here for TV3. But I already told Toni: "If you want, I'll help you a little, but I don't want to do more television. I don't want to go around with a suitcase like a salesman hoping they'll buy my project." He's now joined the audiovisual side of Barça and is enjoying himself like a cow.

And it doesn't tempt you in the least?

— No, I like performing. If it were possible, I'd do some solo tours, maybe tell my story, sing a little. I've got it in my head. And what I do a lot is write.

And here's another important reason for the interview: you'll be writing for this newspaper in the summer supplement.

— Yes, about science. I wrote a book called Optimistic Science, and now I'm preparing the second part. And the ARA articles will be along the same lines, that is, insights into science without messing things up. I come from the entertainment world, and I don't know how to do anything that isn't entertaining.

I won't give too many spoilers. But I saw one where you talk about your toilet.

— I have a very nice, smart toilet that does things by itself. Well, all of them except one thing you have to do. But when you get in, the lid lifts, some lights turn on, water comes out that disinfects, the lid is warm in winter, and when you finish, directed pressure jets come out that clean you, and a dryer that dries you. But it helped me talk, above all, about the millions of people who have to defecate in the open air, people without running water or with contaminated water, and the deaths this causes. And I sense guilt and remorse. This must be fixed. Within ten years, there must be toilets for everyone.

In another you talk about the risk of asteroids.

— Fortunately, it's an issue that is being taken seriously. As Neil de Grasse Tyson, astrophysicist and science communicator, once said: "If we have the ability to deflect an asteroid and we don't do it, we'll be the laughingstock of the aliens in the galaxy."

One good thing about science is that it gives us good news.

— A survey was recently conducted that concluded that in several European countries, people think things were better fifty years ago. Bullshit! Everything is better, even if good news isn't abundant on the news. There's less hunger, longer life expectancy, more women in university. And advances in science and technology... I mean, let's move toward a world of abundance. What we must do now is endure the next ten years in good health, because medicine will change radically, and most diseases can be cured or alleviated.

You say you have every intention of reaching 120 years.

— And we already know what works: eating well, moving, challenging your brain, a good social life, sex is also very beneficial. And sleeping well. If I'm in good health when this thing that will make us age less quickly comes along, maybe we can turn it around and instead of aging, we'll get younger.

Doesn't all this show that we are basically very afraid of death?

— Yes, I don't feel like it. Dying is a bitch. But I care more about getting older, about decrepitude. I've already made it very clear: the moment I no longer know my children and don't know what I've done, leave me alone. I don't want to be a vegetable who doesn't know who he is.

You know what success is. Is it hard not to lose your mind when things are going well and you're making money?

— I don't earn as much as people think. But yes, I've made a good living, and I've done it by working, compared to the Catalan fortunes. But I was lucky and I also put in the effort, and we made two programs that were huge hits, like Operation Triumph and Martian ChroniclesAnd that meant I was able to sell the company very well when I retired. But it never went to my head; I've always been very normal.

I was hooked on the first season of "Operación Triunfo." Why did it work so well?

— I don't know. It's something we didn't understand either. It's one thing for a show to be very popular, and another for Spain to go crazy.

And do you think 'The Martian Chronicles' would be possible today?

— Maybe not with that kind of thing, because at that time Telecinco gave a lot of freedom, and Xavier Sardà and my brother Joan Ramon—who was the soul of the show—could have a super party every day. It was all live, with the risk of things getting out of hand. In fact, I would sometimes watch it and think: "Oh, if only we could edit that little bit!" But there was a lot of freedom. Sardà often began the program by saying "no to war."

Are you worried about the return of a PP government?

— It would be quite disastrous, because the only way they can govern is with the far right. And they're very dangerous, as we've seen in the places where they've governed. Against freedom, language, dissidents, gays. The far right, if it has power, is shit. In some parts of Europe, there's been a pact between parties like the PP and the PSOE, but here they're two very polarized blocs. So I prefer the Socialists to win in Spain.

Any games you're interested in?

— In the last election, I had two envelopes, from two different options. I shuffled them and told my son: pick one. So I don't know what I voted for. I didn't like either of them at all, and neither of them completely repels me. But I think you have to vote, because otherwise you'll give away a vote to those you're sure to repel.

A few quick closing questions. A TV moment in your life.

— The day Ernest Lluch was killed. An hour passed before the start. Martian ChroniclesWe did a live show with an entertainment team and the news crew. It turned out that on TV3, the poor Buenafuente was being recorded, and while we were doing a three-hour special, they had a comedy show. Terrible.

What is success?

— Success is doing what you love, what others love, and not having to do it with an intensity that exceeds your own efforts to remain happy. And happiness is essential. The first thing I want is happiness.

And how do you become happy?

— A lot has happened to me in my life. Both of my parents died, a brother died of cancer, and I had a terrible time. I was lying in bed until I said, "This can't be true." I got up and carried on. I believe hope is the fundamental virtue.

And when you look at the world, what worries you and what excites you?

— I'm worried that young people don't know what a dictatorship and a country without freedom are, and now it might seem revolutionary to them depending on the circumstances. I'm worried about the sheriff who governs the United States, who is crazy and capable of launching an atomic bomb. I'm also worried about Netanyahu and Putin; I hope they die. They say humanity advances funeral by funeral. Well, I don't wish death on anyone, but I do wish that young people don't lose hope, which is the most important thing. And I'm excited precisely by the fact that there is a group of young people who represent the exact opposite of that, and who fight, study, and organize to move forward.