Rolinga

A "Rolinga"

The Rolinga (also known as "Rock Chabón") is an Argentine urban tribe, comprising fans of The Rolling Stones and Argentine bands with a similar style.^[1]

Origins

Ratones Paranoicos, with a style similar to that of The Rolling Stones, was the band that started the "rolinga" urban tribe in the 1980s. The Rolling Stones had not influenced many Argentine Rock bands before that point, and in the 1980s there was a boom of pop music and glam rock. Their style soon became a success.^[1]

The Rolling Stones first played in Argentina in 1995, during the Voodoo Lounge Tour.^[1]

The 1990s saw an increased number of "rolinga" bands, such as Los Piojos, Viejas Locas, La 25 Los Gardelitos, Jóvenes Pordioseros, Los Guasones and Callejeros. Their lyrics slowly departed from the classic topics of rock and roll music and focused instead on localism and the customs of poor people;^[1] but not to the point of talking about idealistic struggles or purported revolutions.^[2]

Decline

The República Cromañón nightclub fire, which took place during a concert of Callejeros, started the decline of the "rolinga" subculture. Most of the leading bands broke up or changed their style, and new music styles became prominent.^[1] The political reactions to the República Cromañón nightclub fire included increased safety controls at nightclubs in Buenos Aires, which made the concerts of small bands very expensive. The subculture remained in the suburban areas of the Gran Buenos Aires, which was under the administration of the Buenos Aires Province and did not enforce the same controls as the city.^[3]

References

Bibliography

• Hernandez, Deborah Pacini (2004). Rockin' Las Américas. United States: University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 0-8229-4226-7. Retrieved August 9, 2013.