Flema

Genre:Punk Rock

Flema was an Argentine punk rock band, that managed to find a unique style among other punk bands. The last configuration of the band was: Ricardo Espinosa (Vocals and Guitar), Fernando Rossi (Bass), Luis Garibaldo (Guitar), and Pepe Carvallo (Drums). Their songs usually deal with loneliness, alcohol and drugs, friends, women, politics, and complaints about the tough things in life. Their songs have titles like "borrachos en la esquina" (drunken on the corner), "Semen de buey" (bullock semen), "Blanco cristal" (White crystal, a reference to cocaine). The band leader, Ricardo Espinosa (also known as 'Ricky') was a very controversial and beloved figure, and the core and spirit of Flema. Always drunk, always on coke, always in trouble, often the band could not play on a scheduled date because Ricky and other band members were detained at a local police station.The band was formed in 1987, in Avellaneda (Buenos Aires) by a group of teenaged students. There were a lot of changes in its lineups, with Ricky as the only constant member. Always an underground band, Flema launched their first record in the year 1992 ("Pogo, mosh & Slam"), through an independent record company. The band acquired great success in the Argentine punk scene, not reaching the masses only because of the reputations of the members, specially Ricky.
Their shows were marked by chaos, the members usually drunken and doped on the stage, Ricky fighting with the public, sniffing cocaine on the stage, etc. Their songs often featured guttural vomit-like sounds performed by Ricky, that were one of Flema's trademarks. Happy melodies mixed with profound and touching lyrics written by the perturbed Ricky caught up the feelings of many teenagers that saw their problems reflected in the songs of that band from the suburbs.

On May 30, 2002, Ricardo Manuel Espinosa ended his life throwing himself off the 5th floor of a building in Gerli. He was 34 years old. There is a very persistent urban myth that says that he was drunk playing a Winning Eleven match with a PlayStation when he said to his friend Luichy "If I lose, I'm gonna jump through the window" - He lost and did it, but you will not find reliable sources with direct confirmation of this incident. A lot of versions surrounded Ricky's death. He had been talking about putting an end to his life for years, even writing songs with titles like "I'm Gonna Commit Suicide", "I Have To Go", and "You Will Remember Me". 3 days after Ricky's death, the rest of the band put on a big show with other local groups in his honor. Flema was officially disbanded after that. Every anniversary, hundreds of fans visit Ricky's tomb at the Avellaneda cemetery.