Nadie Sabe Nada (23/06/2018): "La trompeta no es nada"

Hosts: Andreu Buenafuente & Berto Romero
Podcast: SER Podcast
Date: June 23, 2018

Overview

This episode is a quintessential "Nadie Sabe Nada": Andreu and Berto improvise with their trademark silliness, stories, and playful banter. They riff on everything from nature documentaries gone wrong, the existential futility of toy instruments, stories of minor physical injuries, and funny interactions with public officials. As always, listener questions, spontaneous live audience interaction, and absurd reflections pepper the hour. The recurring theme—"la trompeta no es nada" (the trumpet is nothing)—becomes a hilarious symbol for things that seem meaningful but end up being pure nonsense.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Nature Documentary Parody & Setting the Tone (00:00–03:00)

• Andreu opens playing with a clay bird whistle, pretending to be in a nature documentary.
  • He mock-laments the absence of toads in "la casa de los sapos" but celebrates the presence of birds.
  • Notable bit: Describes the whistle's spacey sound and recalls that Karlos Arguiñano may have gifted it ("le mando un saludo supeditado a que sea así").

"Este es un experimento de naturaleza acojonante. A falta de sapos, buenos son pájaros." —Andreu (00:46)

• Berto teases, imagining Andreu naked in a worn-out slip playing with the whistle in the woods.

2. Instruments, Broken Promises & "La Gaita" (03:00–06:30)

• Berto regrets forgetting to bring a toy bagpipe from Vigo for Andreu, who is both disappointed and amused.
• They riff on how “gaita” in Catalan is “sac de gemecs” (sack of laments), perfectly describing the instrument.
• Berto discusses a recent finger injury, comparing his blackened nail to Jack Sparrow’s painted fingers.

"Nunca se ha definido mejor ese puto instrumento. Saco de lamentos." —Berto (05:20)

3. Pain, Comedy, and Tom Hanks (06:30–10:00)

• Berto tells how hurting his finger while filming ended up “inside” his TV character.
• Andreu references Tom Hanks: “los buenos cómicos son los que han sufrido mucho” (“good comedians have suffered a lot”), pondering if physical pain counts.
• They joke about separating from one’s old nail and from the serenity lost due to sudden pain.

4. Administrative Hazards: The Passport Photo Odyssey (12:03–21:00)

• Andreu narrates needing a new passport photo before a trip, describing his aversion to bureaucracy.
• Discussion on whether it's better to use a photo booth or get a pro to take your photo (“máquina o persona”).
• Andreu tells of a curt and highly efficient photographer, highlighting this deadpan exchange:

"Si no queda bien, no es culpa mía." —Fotógrafo descrito por Andreu (18:09)

• He recounts incidents at the police station and photo shop, poking fun at public servant stereotypes and cultural differences.

5. More Bureacracy: "Máquina o persona" and The City of Justice (23:15–26:50)

• Berto shares his preference for photo booths, despite technical mishaps (dirty lens, "churrete" on all photos).
• Narrates an awkward visit to “Ciudad de la Justicia” while journalists stake out for news, and a security guard’s joke makes him feel accused of wrongdoing.

"¿Tú también has metido la mano en la caja?" —Portero, ridiculizando a Berto en público (26:02)

6. THEME: "La trompeta no es nada" (27:06–31:16)

• Andreu delightedly plays a toy trumpet but discovers it only makes one note. The segment devolves into comic existentialism about the futility of the instrument:
  • Debate: The tambourine is “algo”, the trumpet is "nada".
  • The phrase “la trompeta no es nada” is repeated like a life lesson, resulting in the idea to make it the show’s next-season slogan or T-shirt.

"Esto no es nada. Es la hostia. Esta trompeta. Esto no es nada." —Andreu (28:42)

• Berto: “La trompeta no es nada. El milenarismo va a llegar.” (28:54)

7. Audience Q&A: Show Origins & Improvised History (32:00–35:20)

• A live audience question leads to a nostalgic review of how "Nadie Sabe Nada" began as a theater show before moving to radio.
• Light contention over who came up with the original idea, ending with mutual credit and comic confusion.

8. Musical Styles & "Firmas" Vocales (38:04–41:56)

• Berto introduces The Weeknd, noting his Michael Jackson vibe.
• Extended riff on singers whose “signature” vocal quirks set them apart (e.g., Shakira, Michael Jackson, Macaco, Bunbury), arguing which affectations are natural and which become addictive "tics".

9. Reverse Technological Gap & Listener Generational Funnies (47:00–48:59)

• Listener Magdalena asks if a “tech gap in reverse” exists, as she accidentally calls diskettes “CDs” at age 22.
• Hosts joke about young people using “donetes” or “risquetos” instead of actual obsolete media.

10. Interruptions, Alarms, and Meta-Humor (43:28–46:05)

• Comic chaos as a crew member’s recurring phone alarms disrupt the flow, turning into a running joke about multitasking and professionalism.

"¿Cuántas alarmas tienes? Pero mira, mira qué locura." —Andreu y Berto (45:42)

11. Finale: Existential Nonsense, Retrospective, and "Alarm Endings" (49:34–end)

• Closing minutes reflect on how little was accomplished: summary of sidetracks, failed beginnings, and the show's philosophy of “nothingness.”
• Berto promises to bring the gaita next week.
• Program ends, fittingly, to the sound of a mobile phone’s alarm and another “la trompeta no es nada” refrain.

"La trompeta no es nada. Le va bien esta música." —Andreu (50:56)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Andreu: "Este es un experimento de naturaleza acojonante. A falta de sapos, buenos son pájaros." (00:46)
• Berto: "Nunca se ha definido mejor ese puto instrumento. Saco de lamentos." (05:20)
• Fotógrafo (vía Andreu): "Si no queda bien, no es culpa mía." (18:09)
• Andreu: "Esto no es nada. Es la hostia. Esta trompeta. Esto no es nada." (28:42)
• Berto: "La pandereta es algo. La trompeta no es nada. El milenarismo va a llegar." (28:54)
• Berto haciendo autocrítica: "Igual viene de empalmada y pasa del rollo." (21:43)
• Berto sobre signatures de cantantes: "Shakira, coger lo que es un gallo y llevar el gallo a sus máximas consecuencias, que hasta entona." (39:16)
• Andreu: "A los 70, madre, ya a los 70 te quedas tú." (47:51)
• Berto: "La semana que viene intentaré traer la gaita." (50:13)
• Andreu: "La trompeta no es nada. Le va bien esta música." (50:56)

Key Timestamps

• 00:00–03:00: Nature documentary parody, clay whistle, introduction
• 03:00–06:30: Forgotten gaita, gift stories, black fingernail anecdote
• 06:30–10:00: Comedy and pain, Tom Hanks reference
• 12:03–21:00: Passport photo odyssey, bureaucratic misadventures
• 23:15–26:50: Photos, City of Justice, comic public mishaps
• 27:06–31:16: The “la trompeta no es nada” bit, musical insignificance
• 32:00–35:20: Audience Q&A, show origins, improvisational history
• 38:04–41:56: Singer “signatures,” music styles, pronunciation quirks
• 43:28–46:05: Running phone alarm gag, crew member Sergi's alarms
• 47:00–48:59: Reverse generational tech confusion
• 49:34–end: Finale, philosophy of nothingness, alarm ending

Tone & Style

Playful, absurdist, improvisational, and meta: Andreu and Berto never miss an opportunity for mutual ribbing or finding the comic void in everyday details. The episode rides on randomness, leaning into its own incoherence as a comedic virtue.

Summary Takeaway

"La trompeta no es nada": Like the trumpet, much of what we fuss over is pure “nada”—but with Andreu and Berto, “nada” is everything; banality becomes hilarity, and boredom is transformed into comic gold.
The episode is a celebration of improvised comedy, inside jokes, music nonsense, and the art of giving importance to things that, truly, are nothing at all.