Juan Manuel Suárez Fernández (11 July 1962 – 9 October 1992) also known by Juanma Suárez was a Spanish punk rock bassist and singer, founder and member of one of the most influential Spanish punk rock bands,

Eskorbuto Eskorbuto was a Spanish punk rock band from Santurtzi, Greater Bilbao, Basque Autonomous Community, that formed in 1980. They have been one of the most influential bands for Spanish and Latin American punk rock. They are known for their strong ...

, since 1980 to 1992. With

Iosu Expósito Jesús María Expósito López ( Santurce, Vizcaya, 23 December 1960 – Baracaldo, 31 May 1992) better known by his nickname Iosu was a Spanish rock musician, known as the guitarist from the punk rock band Eskorbuto. Career Iosu Expósito ...

founded a previous band called Sección Mortuoria (Spanish for Mortuary Section), then Muñecas de Acero (Spanish for Steel Dolls). His friend, Roberto Moso (leader and singer of Zarama), gave them the nickname "Eskorbuto" (

scurvy Scurvy is a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, feeling tired and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding ...

in Spanish) for their scrawny look. He is widely considered an icon of Spanish punk.

Career

Early life

Juanma Suárez attended the same high school where he was in the same class as Iosu Expósito. He was characterized by his dark sense of humor. He spent most of his life in a block of apartments on Lauaxeta Street, in Santurce. For a short time he was a barman; this was his only work experience before forming a rock band. During his youth he was a member of a

Maoist Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Ch ...

group, and later on he became an engineer.

With Eskorbuto

Suárez employed dark themes, such as death and extermination, which contrasted with his bandmate

's preference for political issues. Suárez often told him to lead off topics with the sentence: "No te comas la cabeza, hombre, que son cuatro días" (in English: Don't bother yourself, man, we live for four days). He wrote the songs "Historia triste" (Sad Story), "Cerebros Destruidos" (Destroyed Brains) and "Más allá del cementerio" (Far Away from the Graveyard). Juanma was a sexually active person, but was negligent with his health, he smoked, drank alcohol and took amphetamines. As early as the 1980s was said to be "un kamikaze del pastilleo" (kamikaze of drugs). Suffered from a case of

endocarditis Endocarditis is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium. It usually involves the heart valves. Other structures that may be involved include the interventricular septum, the chordae tendineae, the mural endocardium, or the ...

that nearly killed him in 1985, when he chose to treat himself with analgesics instead of seeking the advice of a doctor. Another serious hospitalization was at the early 1985. In 1988 his addiction to drugs became more complicated. He was frequently spotted on his white

mobylette The Mobylette, sometimes shortened as Mob, is a model of moped by French manufacturer Motobécane during the second half of the 20th century. The Mobylette was launched in 1949 and was manufactured until 1997, with production numbers exceeding 14 ...

, working temporally to get money for heroin. His relationship with Iosu broke down during that period, although among them were never held distances.

Death

On 9 October 1992 Juanma Suárez died in Santurce of a heart attack and resulting complications. He was 30. He was buried a short distance from his long-time friend Iosu Expósito.

Equipment

Juanma mainly played a Westone Thunder 1A Bass to the late 1980s, he occasionally used a Fender Jazz Bass to the early 1990s. His playing style uses both pick and fingers, although he played mostly with picks.

Discography with Eskorbuto

Studio albums

* ''Zona Especial Norte'' EP (1984) * '' Eskizofrenia'' (1985)AllMusi
Eskorbuto – Discography
/ref> * '' Anti Todo'' (1986) * ''Ya No Quedan Más Cojones, Eskorbuto A Las Elecciones'' EP (1986) * '' Los demenciales chicos acelerados'' (1987) * '' Las mas macabras de las vidas'' (1988) * '' Demasiados enemigos...'' (1991)

Live albums

* '' Impuesto revolucionario'' (1986) * '' La Otro Cara Del Rock'', Live at

Villarreal Villarreal ( ca-valencia , Vila-real) is a city and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain. The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's ...

, Castellón (2004) * '' Sin fronteras, ni gobiernos'' (Recorded on 10 April 1987) (2007)

Compilations

* ''Jodiendolo todo'' (1983) * ''Primeros ensayos 1982'' (1992) * ''Segunda maketa 1984: Que corra la sangre'' (1998)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suarez, Juanma 1962 births 1992 deaths Spanish bass guitarists Punk rock bass guitarists Spanish rock singers Rock en Español musicians Punk rock singers People from Santurtzi Drug-related deaths in Spain 20th-century Spanish singers 20th-century bass guitarists Male bass guitarists 20th-century Spanish male singers Spanish male guitarists