In the words of Milton Nascimento
“My first contact with River Phoenix was around 1988. I was in New York, had just finished a four-month tour, with shows in more than 40 cities, in Asia, Europe and America. Before returning to Brazil, I spend a few days in a hotel near Central Park. On a afternoon, I was watching TV in the hotel when started a movie: The Mosquito Coast. The name of River Phoenix in the credits immediately caught my attetion, but until then I had never hear of him. When the movie was over, I was paying attetion to the credits and, to my surprise, the actor who I had liked most was precisely River Phoenix. On the same day, also passed another film of him on TV: Stand By Me. I was so impressed that I decided to write a letter to him. That’s when a ready song came up in my head. I put the name: “River Phoenix (Carta a um jovem ator)”. [Letter to a young actor in English]
Some time later, in the recording of the album Miltons, I was willing to record the music. But I needed a permit. I called Quincy Jones, who handed me the contact of the actor’s mother.
Some time later, in the recording of the album Miltons, I was willing to record the music. But I needed a permit. I called Quincy Jones, who handed me the contact of the actor’s mother.
I called:
— How so? Put the boy’s name on a music of someone I don’t even know.
Until her daughter, younger than River, asked:
— Who wants to put River’s name on a song?
— His name is Nascimento, he said he’s from Brazil — replied the mother. But I already said no.
The girl, whose name is Rain, intervened. She said she and her borther were very fond of “that brazilian singer”, and asked her mother to change her mind. Result: I recorded the music with his name. Look how things are… Once, River told me he was at the same hotel where I watched The Mosquito Coast. There, he heard one of my songs on the radio. He liked so much that, as soon as the song ended, he was already at the record store looking for my stuff.
Almost a year later, in 1989, I was very involved with the Alliance of Forest Peoples NGO, and went to do a research trip through the Amazon. This work gave rise to TXAI album. As I was already more close to River, I invited him to participate of the album. He recorded a speech in defense of the environment on the track “Curi Curi” (Tsaqu Waiãpi). His family was completely involved with environmental issues; so much that when I invited him to participate with me in ECO 92, in Rio, he brought the whole family. At the time, he’d just be in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which was packing theaters in the world.
After the meeting in Rio, I took River to my city, Três Pontas, in southern Minas Gerais. There, he mixed with everyone, and spent the day surrounded by a lot of people. Nobody believed when they saw a star like him walking carefree through the streets of a miner little town.
We still met several times in the United States. We became friends, really. I prefer to think of him with good memories. River is a person who is very much needed in this world of today. He was a guy who was always there, for everything you needed.”
Until her daughter, younger than River, asked:
— Who wants to put River’s name on a song?
— His name is Nascimento, he said he’s from Brazil — replied the mother. But I already said no.
The girl, whose name is Rain, intervened. She said she and her borther were very fond of “that brazilian singer”, and asked her mother to change her mind. Result: I recorded the music with his name. Look how things are… Once, River told me he was at the same hotel where I watched The Mosquito Coast. There, he heard one of my songs on the radio. He liked so much that, as soon as the song ended, he was already at the record store looking for my stuff.
Almost a year later, in 1989, I was very involved with the Alliance of Forest Peoples NGO, and went to do a research trip through the Amazon. This work gave rise to TXAI album. As I was already more close to River, I invited him to participate of the album. He recorded a speech in defense of the environment on the track “Curi Curi” (Tsaqu Waiãpi). His family was completely involved with environmental issues; so much that when I invited him to participate with me in ECO 92, in Rio, he brought the whole family. At the time, he’d just be in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which was packing theaters in the world.
After the meeting in Rio, I took River to my city, Três Pontas, in southern Minas Gerais. There, he mixed with everyone, and spent the day surrounded by a lot of people. Nobody believed when they saw a star like him walking carefree through the streets of a miner little town.
We still met several times in the United States. We became friends, really. I prefer to think of him with good memories. River is a person who is very much needed in this world of today. He was a guy who was always there, for everything you needed.”
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