Tomás Mayer-Wolf: "Les Luthiers Makes Humor That Transcends Time"

Tomás Mayer-Wolf was one of the ‘signings’ of Les Luthiers six years ago. The winning group of Princess of Asturias Award It did not incorporate new members, but it has had to make changes after the death of Daniel Rabinovich and the decision of Carlos Núñez Cortés to leave the stage. “I was a substitute for two years and in 2017, when Carlos Núñez Cortés retired, I took his place and became part of the starting lineup,” the musician from the lineup comments in soccer terms. “Football is a good analogy,” he says about the proposal that continues with him, Carlos López Puccio and Jorge Maronna as founders. “They are fine, they are vital. They are the heart of Les Luthiers”.

Mayer-Wolf had his first appearance as part of the main cast in Peru, on the last visit they made in 2017. “Carlos Núñez is irreplaceable, he has marked a path in the group. I entered to occupy the place that he left empty and I tried to put my style. It has been very nice, I think that people have accepted the changes beyond missing Carlitos, Daniel and Marcos Mundstock, who are extremely important people for the history of the group”.

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On June 3 they present at the jockey-club the show ‘Old laughing stock’, which is based on ‘Radio tertulia’. “It’s a nice anthology,” adds the 39-year-old artist who grew up listening to the music and jokes of Les Luthiers. “My parents played the cassettes for me when we went in the car, in the traveling car we listened to Les Luthiers. I mean, I was already a fan since I was little, I went to see them, I really liked going to the theater. People often ask me if it was something I had dreamed of and I say no, because it is not something that one dreams of, it is something that has become an institution and that one, as a musician, as an actor, never thinks of being a part of. . It was a surprise”.

Les Luthiers are a group of Argentine musicians-actors-humorists. Photo: Les Luthiers/Instagram

Remember that the founders still joke with the day of their entry. “When they called me for the casting, it even seemed a bit arrogant and we laughed about it. It’s just that the call disturbed me so much that I didn’t understand what it was for. He was shocked.” Mayer-Wolf was called on stage and from that day he continues in the group. “They had a function that day. They welcomed me and said: Well, are you ready? They put the microphone on me and I started at once, without anesthesia, as we say here”.

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For the artist, the challenge is to “maintain excellence” in music, as is the case with the humor of Les Luthiers, which is timeless. “There are jokes that were written 30 years ago and people still laugh the same way, we haven’t changed a single comma. It is a unique product. The group was able to build its own style, combining the use of the word with intelligent humor, humor that is not vulgar. Combine that and span many musical genres. They have not made humor with the cover of the newspaper or with public figures, and have used informal instruments such as buckets and showers. Something that caught my attention when I entered is the constant attention to detail, always trying to polish, to correct something that does not work”.