Musician Julián Hernández has finished editing a new documentary about Spanish punk band Siniestro Total and is currently searching for a distribution platform.
Hernández, who remains the sole founding member still leading the group, confirmed the completion of the project during an interview with journalist Javier Menéndez Flores for Spanish newspaper La Razón.
Siniestro Total was formed in Vigo in northwestern Spain in 1981 and became one of the foundational groups of Spanish punk rock. Although the band retired from live stage performances four years ago following two concerts in Madrid, online reference sources continue to list the group as active due to ongoing archival projects.
Documentary production and archival reissues
Hernández explained that he has been working alongside filmmaker Mikel Clemente to finalize the documentary, describing the film as a substantial project. He commended Clemente for doing an extraordinary amount of work on the production.
The documentary is fully finished, but the team is currently resolving administrative issues while negotiating with potential distribution platforms. Hernández noted that navigating the self-distribution process independently under a do-it-yourself model has proven complicated.
In addition to the film, the group has been collaborating with independent record label Munster Records to edit and reissue archival recordings from early in their career. Hernández said these retrospective releases form the core of the band's current work following the end of their live performances.
Farewell concerts and touring conditions
Reflecting on the group's decision to stop touring, Hernández rejected the idea that a band from Galicia should have slipped away quietly. He said the farewell plan had been arranged in advance after he warned fellow band members about the physical demands of touring past the age of 60.
Hernández pointed out that continuing to travel in touring vans during intense summer heatwaves and regional wildfires could have been fatal for the musicians. The decision culminated in two farewell concerts in Madrid, which fans and critics widely acclaimed as legendary stage appearances.
When asked about the nature of rock bands, Hernández described a group as a unique human and social union that differs from a family or a circle of friends. He remarked that while a rock group can ultimately end in a cataclysm, its internal dynamics remain complex and difficult to define.
Artistic irony and band comparisons
Hernández also addressed questions regarding artistic irony, stating that solemnity does not interest him and that irony does not require official heritage recognition. He dismissed comparisons between Siniestro Total and 1990s Spanish hard rock group Extremoduro, which had been suggested by former bandmate Miguel Costas.
While acknowledging that both bands shared a transgressive spirit, Hernández stressed that Extremoduro lacked irony. He added that Siniestro Total never set out deliberately to provoke audiences, but rather produced transgressive music naturally without calculated intent.
He similarly dismissed the notion that he and Costas functioned like John Lennon and Paul McCartney within Siniestro Total. Hernández characterized the Beatles comparison as an invention by Costas, noting that neither Lennon nor McCartney toured under the Beatles name after the band split, whereas Costas continued performing using the Siniestro Total name.
Vocalist Germán Coppini and regional anthems
Discussing original lead singer Germán Coppini, who also fronted post-punk band Golpes Bajos, Hernández said managing two distinct groups was challenging for a vocalist. He recalled that Coppini performed with intense energy on stage with Siniestro Total, pointing to a recorded 1983 concert at Madrid venue Rock-Ola as evidence of his powerful stage presence before he adopted a different style with Golpes Bajos.
Hernández also commented on the legacy of the band's famous song Miña terra galega, a tribute to Galician emigrants set to the music of Sweet Home Alabama. While acknowledging that listeners abroad often cry when hearing the track, he remarked humorously that crying is not dying.
He acknowledged that even Spain's prime minister had previously referred to the track as the unofficial anthem of Galicia. However, Hernández added that he does not view any single composition as his personal favorite among the many songs he has written.
State of music education in Spain
Concluding the interview, Hernández criticized the cultural standing of music in Spain, rejecting the common assertion that Spain is an exceptionally musical nation as completely false.
He noted that music education in Spanish schools was historically treated as an easy elective and has now largely disappeared from academic curricula. Unlike countries such as Ireland where music forms part of daily life, Hernández stated that music in Spain remains an exception rather than a routine cultural practice.
