Bod was a living contradiction. Shy, mature, incredibly intelligent... and an undercover Punk rocker! "The perfect recipe for a serial killer" some may say... yes, and for a band manager too!
But Bod was no regular band manager, in fact, he did nothing to manage the band! His contributions were mainly of a sadistic nature... "man, you guys SUCK!" was often heard coming from this Chilean/American... yet, he always stood by the band through thick and thin. He even attempted a vocal stint with the IRA... but we didn't own a microphone... and he couldn't scream loud enough (back then, amps had to be on 10... or bust!).

As the band's career developed, Bod's presence remained a constant. Never one to seek the spotlight, he remained in the shadows, pushing the IRA with his usual words of encouragement "you guys suck!".

Bod's haircut was also an influence on the band. Somewhere between Tom Petty and Barry Gibb, Bod's locks provided hours of entertainment to all involved. He also had a cute little sister... but that's beside the point.

As mentioned earlier, behind his timid appearance lurked a true wild child, in fact, this man could do more damage than the entire band put together. Bod was the type that would smash hotel rooms... if the band had ever toured... or drive like a maniac... if we'd been old enough to drive.
I distinctly recall a trip to Guaruja' in which Jun (by then, old enough to drive) almost drove us and his jewel-green IRA-mobile onto an oncoming truck. Fortunately he was alert enough to avoid the deadly collision, and as we were recovering from the shock I remember Jun whispering "wow... that was a truck". Bod, always the cool one, quickly replied "no man... that was a canary!".

I believe this story tells a lot about this mysterious character. Actually... it doesn't tell a thing, but then again, I'm as confused about Bod as the next guy.

What do I know... I just played guitar for the band!

Andrea Luminati

image: Rod in 1996 together with Lapo and his daughter.