"And Novos Baianos can enjoy you in stride" a genealogy of “curtição” (groove on) between marginal cinema and Brazilian popular music

Abstract

This essay analyzes the emergence of “curtição” (groove on) as a creative and conflictual aspect in the Brazilian cultural field during the period of the entrepreneurial-military dictatorship (1964-1985). The expression “curtição” (groove on) was inventend by the Brazilian counter-cultural generation, which proposed a new way of thinking about the relationship between the body, aesthetics and politics. In the text, we highlight works of marginal cinema, such as Meteorango Kid, the intergalactic hero (1969), directed by André Luiz Oliveira, in which the phrase “curti adoidado” (I enjoyed a lot) appears as an emblem and synthesis of the attitude of “desbunde”. “Curtição” also gains ground in the songs of Novos Baianos and continues in the post-tropicalist period with Gal Costa, Waly Salomão and Jards Macalé, among others. We analyze an interview with Caetano Veloso on the political aspects that this issue raises today with the capture of “curtir” (like) in the virtual environment. In the final part, we address the dialogue between the works of Caetano Veloso (Meu Coco) and Chico Buarque (Que tal um samba?), in which samba is a common and fundamental element. The composers return to enjoy in stride a samba, indicating a way to dismantle political brutality.