Humorist Nelson Gudín, the Bacán of Life, makes his debut as a businessman

October 8, 2024

The inauguration on the 12th of the restaurant El Callejón del Tarro, owned by Nelson Gudín, the well-known "Bacán of Life", has been one of the topics of conversation we had when I "ambushed" him right on Calle 8 in Little Havana.

Flor de Anís, Bacán, Urbinito, Mentepollo… who am I interviewing? Which of those characters has made you happiest? Many humorists appeal to a single character, why do you use several?

I should clarify that Flor, Urbinito, and the Bacán have been performed by me and, although Mentepollo is a character I created, Carlos Gonzalvo performs it. I prefer to answer you as Nelson Gudín, because the characters have their complications and other personalities, with ways of thinking independent from mine. One "gives birth" to the characters; they're created by a creative need and they all make me very happy.

I've created several characters and became known, became popular through the Bacán of Life. Although I had done others in theater, it was the Bacán who launched me to popularity. Flor de Anís was created because there were things I wanted to say that acquired greater dimension from a female perspective. With Urbinito I wanted to approach the Cuban peasant, very Creole, pure, who is apparently rudimentary, but always with things to say. It's that I'm a peasant myself. Besides, they helped me portray a bit of my reality, Cuban reality, the one I always lived.

Each one has their own particular way of speaking and well, here in Miami I've also created characters like Ismael, Lino, and they all continue to make me happy because I do humor not just to make jokes, but because I have things to say.

From Pilón, in Granma, are you an artist, did you study art, could you consider yourself self-taught? Tell me about your literary passion that began in childhood and your love for theater.

From Pilón I was already venturing into art; we had an amateur group there and I wrote for the group and did dramatic theater and yes, I'm self-taught. Since I discovered theater, I've been passionate about the arts and literature and haven't stopped studying; I learned to read with my dad before going to school and haven't stopped since. As a teenager I started writing for humor that has to do with acting and theater.

Television welcomed you with open arms. What did television mean for you? How difficult is it to do comedy in a communist country, without freedom of expression? What did "Deja que yo te cuente" mean to you?

I arrived in Havana in 1997 and in 2000 I entered Cuban Television on the recommendation of [Osvaldo] Doimeadiós and Antolín el Pichón [Ángel García] and I contacted director Julio Pulido. The first thing I did was the program "Fin de semana", where the humorists who had remained from "Sabadazo" were concentrated, and I entered as a writer.

Imagine, I worked 14 years in Cuban Television, how many anecdotes could I have? I have many good ones and others… not so good! I was on "Deja que yo te cuente" for eight years and it was controversial because it reflected the reality of the people. It was, you should remember, more of a social critique and it was very difficult because we competed with programs from other countries that have super-productions and we had major problems with technology.

Besides the censorship, which was considerable, and if we didn't make a program where, at least, people saw themselves reflected, well, we weren't going to have viewers. Despite all that, I was happy with television because it educated me, it taught me things and now I'm not going to say what many say: "I struggled, I did things Noooo…!". I was respectful and disciplined with Cuban editorial policy just as I've been respectful and disciplined with the editorial policy of the channels here in Miami when I've come to work.

I'm not a producer, I'm nothing; I'm a worker and I accept what is established by the editorial office I'm working for. I've been very clear about that my whole life. I consider myself a laborer. Ah! On my networks I do say what I want and how I want, but when you're hired, you have to comply with what's established at the television stations.

I was hired here for short times, others for long times and so on, but nothing permanent, and I haven't entered television again. I have done things in theater, in clubs.

With Cuba's political system it's very difficult to do television because it's very censored and with the only thing you can say you have to make the News, the telenovela, the musical program, the comedian… And that way it's very difficult; you have to blur everything and leave it implicit, be ironic and they noticed. That's how with the program "Deja que yo te cuente", after eight years on air, I decided to "rest it".

We went through a lot of trouble to work, you couldn't touch many topics, resources were lacking and I got a job outside the country and I took advantage of it. They didn't eliminate the program, later I wanted to return and they gave me evasive answers or called me to record a program, and that program wouldn't air or they'd cut my part. That way, I realized I was censored; nobody told me, they simply didn't give me work and, when I did something, they'd take it away… That's how things are done there!

Your literary and humor awards at Aquelarre…

There aren't many literary and humor awards. When I was an amateur, I did win awards in theater several years at festivals: awards for screenplays, for staging. In literature, a poetry award for children; some territorial poetry awards, but let me tell you something?, the greatest award has been the applause of the people and… well! in humor I've had many recognitions, at the Aquelarres for example: acting awards, staging awards… and then, I wouldn't participate because I was part of the jury for many years. In other words, people's affection, the admiration of the most specialized has been my greatest award.

What drove you to leave Cuba, when did you arrive in Miami?, what have you done, why this restaurant idea?

I had come to the United States about 20 times and I always came to act in theaters and on television, always to América Tevé on channel 41. I worked with Carlos Otero, with Carlucho for long periods, writing and acting. I never wanted to stay because I had my small children in Cuba.

I'm a Spanish citizen and that allowed me to travel, plus my whole family could do it. I'm very family-oriented, I'm a country peasant, from a village. This is a very cosmopolitan country, it scared me and I only came for periods; and already four years ago, Carlucho called me for a channel he had and I decided to establish myself here.

In the end, I was already censored in Cuba, I had no work! I can tell you that the two last shows I had prepared on the island, the Minister of Culture arrived and suspended my show, just like that!!

In other words, I had no work in Cuba. I bought a plot of land and spent some time with my animals, my horses. Then, a work contract appeared in Miami and I decided to leave and establish myself here.

Here one has to experience things and that's why the idea of opening a restaurant. First I wanted to do it with a theater, but it's very difficult and I didn't have how to buy a theater; in fact, I rented a theater for a few months and it didn't go so well, the amount of public I needed to cover expenses didn't come, and someone appeared who proposed the restaurant idea to me.

I know how to cook. This was a pizzeria, but I thought: "Better make a restaurant" and, although I'm not the one cooking, they are my grandmother's recipes who cooked deliciously because she had the Spanish part with the peasant part, from my aunt who cooked very well, from my mom… and I hope people like it!

I hope people don't happen to me, that sometimes I go out to eat something and my expectations aren't met. I want this restaurant to be like when you go to a Cuban house and eat, for example, some yuca with fried egg or jerked beef with sweet potato or a chilindron with that homemade flavor…, and I hope people like the taste of home. I want us to do well, for it to become a family business, because I keep acting, but it's when something comes up, and if the restaurant gives me enough to pay the "bills" and live and people like it… well, with that I'm satisfied!

Do you think Miami is a graveyard for Cuban artists?

It all depends on the angle from which the artist looks at it; I didn't come here to Hollywood or pretending to make movies or big productions, I came hired to write and act at a television station and I decided to stay, but that had an end.

Then other performances and other scripts came up for me, but like everywhere, artists aren't permanent; work is unstable. The one who thought he was coming here to make the career of his life is screwed. Martí said: "Art I am among the arts and in the mountains, mountains I am" and he also said: "Once the bread is earned, let the verse be made".

First we are human beings; I'm first a father of a family and my mission in life is to live and be happy and work and struggle. I came here with the objective of establishing myself, finding a job. I'm always going to be an artist, even if I work in other functions. Being an artist is a condition, one is born with it and, even if I'm not on a stage, people are always going to call me an artist, and I work the same in a movie as in a show as in a private party.

But I've also distributed packages at Amazon, I've done UBER, I've been a driver at a medical clinic… and I've also been happy and I told the old people I transported: "I don't transport old people but legends", because they told me so many stories. I was in ecstasy all day long, I got to know the city, I felt useful because I realized that here I won't starve, because in Cuba working on television I said: "Oh, my God!, if this program falls, what do I do?".

English doesn't come to me, just two words to get by. This isn't our country, they've welcomed us here. You just have to be respectful of the laws. This country isn't great by chance, Americans have built it because it's their country and they've welcomed us.

So, one has to be grateful and it doesn't have much to do with us, but it also has nice things like life, so I don't think it's the "graveyard of artists". We're going to die here just like in Cuba, but here there's opportunity for everyone.

In Cuba I had no work and now with the situation there, the old people are having a very hard time, all the artists must be suffering because there are few projects and things there are getting harder and harder, and whoever said that Miami is the "graveyard of artists" said it out of envy or to sow fear.

This is another world, full of possibilities. I've learned to love this; at first I had a hard time, but when you adapt, you see the nice part and you do things that you saw as unreachable. Here whatever you set out to do you achieve and that makes you happy, it makes you great.

Why hasn't anyone thought of making a Cuban television station in Miami taking advantage of artists, directors, producers, musicians, journalists, makeup artists, cameramen, editors, etc., etc., etc., that are already in this city? Would you launch it, if you could do it?

Maybe someone has thought about it because here there are very good engineers, cameramen, announcers, actors and journalists, but television is very expensive and networks have ended television. I think the only television that has real audience left is American television because not even the Latino channels have good viewership like before.

They've been losing audience because networks have consumed it; it's like if you were walking around with the television in your hand everywhere, you can choose what really interests you: people like more what isn't so elaborated and with immediacy.

Television is falling behind, now what captivates people are the networks. Plus, people don't have time to sit and watch a program. Even in Cuba people watch their cell phones more than television, with the exception of older people who do watch it, but not here. I myself don't watch television and it wouldn't occur to me, even if I had the money, to buy one. At this moment, it doesn't work.

Family, here and there…

In Cuba I have my oldest daughter left and a six-year-old grandson, my brothers and my nephews, my great friends, my neighbors; my parents passed away, I still have many people I love. Here I have my wife, my son, many friends who love me, some artist colleagues that we share the life of immigrants, of struggling, and sometimes we get together, have parties, laugh.

One is divided, just like the world is divided, but you have to be happy and feel proud when you accomplish things. And move forward and know that we're a large community that's everywhere and with many hopes, that good things can always come. And, finally, Julita, thank you for thinking of me, for loving me and respecting me, which is mutual.

I hope to succeed with the restaurant and that those who come eat like at home; that's the slogan: "You eat like at home".