Podcast Summary: "La mirada | Ignacio Martínez de Pisón: 'El desliz'"

Hoy por Hoy – SER Podcast
Date: November 10, 2025
Host: Àngels Barceló
Commentary by: Ignacio Martínez de Pisón

1. Main Theme

This episode's commentary, led by Ignacio Martínez de Pisón, explores the concept of "el desliz" (the slip, or romantic infidelity), framed humorously around the recent public confession of an aging Spanish king. Pisón uses wit and irony to comment on how personal missteps, especially within monarchy, are perceived publicly versus privately. He reflects on the shifting cultural norms regarding adultery, relationships, and sexual behavior, both historically and in contemporary society.

2. Key Discussion Points & Insights

a) The Context: Royal "Deslices"

• Pisón opens with a light-hearted calculation: are two slips in a long marriage too many or too few?
• He notes that for an ordinary, "soso" (dull) person, it's a lot, but for someone with royal status, especially a Bourbon, it's actually very little.
• Quote:
  "Pero si has sido rey de España durante 38 años y sobre todo si eres un Borbón, son pocos, Muy pocos." (00:16)

b) Royal Standards vs. Common Life

• The commentary pokes fun at the legendary sexual exploits often associated with monarchies, particularly the Bourbon dynasty.
• Pisón jokingly thanks the monarch for making his own modest life seem more interesting by comparison.
• Quote:
  "Así que gracias, majestad, por hacer mi vida sexual mucho más interesante. Arriba, abajo, al centro y pa dentro." (00:41)

c) Satire on Public Perception & Statistics

• Pisón draws a humorous analogy between eating chickens and committing "deslices":
  • If one person has two slips and another has none, the “average” is one per person.
• He lampoons statistical logic when applied to the private lives of public figures.
• Quote:
  "Si uno tiene dos deslices y otro ninguno, salimos a desliz por cabeza." (00:35)

d) Changing Times: Modern Relationships

• There’s a comparison between old-fashioned notions of marriage and the current age of polyamory, dating apps, and open relationships.
• Pisón remarks on the asymmetry in “open-ness” within “parejas abiertas” (open couples).
• Quote:
  "Y menos ahora, en tiempos del poliamor, el Tinder, la Viagra y las parejas abiertas, que como sabemos, siempre están más abiertas para un lado que para el otro." (01:02)

e) The Weight of Words: "Desliz"

• Pisón reflects on how the word "desliz" feels like an artifact from another era, conjuring images of lifelong marriages and old moral codes.
• Quote:
  "Desliz, Qué palabra tan antigua, con esas connotaciones. Como de otro tiempo, cuando el matrimonio era para toda la vida..." (01:12)

f) The Legacy of the King

• Pisón humorously suggests the king will be remembered more for his flirtatious escapades than for his royal deeds, invoking classic Spanish pop culture references like Arturo Fernández.
• Quote:
  "El rey emérito va a pasar a la historia como chatinas. Chatinas. El Arturo Fernández de su dinastía, un galán otoñal, más otoñal que galán..." (01:27)

g) Final Satirical Advice

• Pisón jokingly suggests the king should have “confessed” to more flings for the pride of his subjects:
  • If the king had said "20 or 30" instead of just two, everyone would have more to claim and be prouder of.
• Quote:
  "¿No te das cuenta de que si en vez de dos deslices hubieras dicho 20 o 30 saldrían más a repartir? Y tus súbditos estaremos más orgullosos de ti y de nosotros mismos." (01:43)

3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Pero si has sido rey de España durante 38 años y sobre todo si eres un Borbón, son pocos, Muy pocos."
  (00:16) — Pisón frames royal infidelity as almost expected.
• "Así que gracias, majestad, por hacer mi vida sexual mucho más interesante."
  (00:41) — A tongue-in-cheek thank you to the monarch.
• "Desliz, Qué palabra tan antigua, con esas connotaciones. Como de otro tiempo..."
  (01:12) — A nostalgic and critical reflection on the language we use for infidelity.
• "El rey emérito va a pasar a la historia como chatinas... un galán otoñal, más otoñal que galán..."
  (01:27) — Cultural and generational commentary, blending humor and critique.

4. Key Timestamps

• 00:08 – Pisón introduces the question of how many "deslices" are too many.
• 00:35 – The "deslices per capita" analogy.
• 01:02 – Reflections on relationships in the age of Tinder and polyamory.
• 01:12 – Musings on the outdated term "desliz."
• 01:27 – The king’s legacy and comedic cultural references.
• 01:43 – Final satirical advice for the king’s image.

5. Tone and Language

• The commentary is playful, loaded with sarcasm, pop culture references, and delivered in a conversational, relatable Spanish tone. Pisón’s wit is central, using humor and analogy to discuss sensitive social themes, royal reputation, and shifting cultural definitions of fidelity.

This episode uses the story of royal “deslices” as both a mirror and a foil to explore how changing attitudes, language, and social expectations shape what we make of private and public morality in Spanish society.