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Rarely does one have the feeling of seeing (almost) the birth of the great communicator of the future, but this is true of Carlos Peguer (Don Benito, 1999). It’s not that he is a digital native, it’s that the words come to him with an astonishing naturalness. He is “the dick” in the famous podcast La pija y la quinqui (every Sunday on Spotify), the favorite of generation Z, which he shares with María de los Ángeles Maturana, and which took the definitive leap to fame when Rosalía (a simple fan) wanted to be interviewed by them to promote Motomami.
What is the history of this coffee shop, La Deseada?
A friend posted on Instagram a message: “Come here, some friends are opening a coffee shop”, and since my office is next door I started coming here every morning for coffee and I ended up staying because of Julia and Juan, who run it. I became friends with them and now I come and stay here for an hour talking to them.
And how do we get to that TikTok moment when you talk about the seven euros your coffee costs and the criticism starts raining down on you?
(laughs). That was a “joke” I made about my overpriced coffee, which gets me through the day and improves my mental health. It was an exaggeration, obviously, because coffee does not cost seven euros, but people started calling me “fucking posh boy”. The truth is that it is a specialty coffee, very well made. But well, I hope that thanks to that joke people came here.
Apart from coffee, what do you like best here?
The kimchi sandwich: a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with kimchi, which is fermented Korean cabbage, which gives it a spicy touch and is very tasty. I saw it one day at the bar and asked them what it was. I tried it and then one day I took it to the office for everyone to try. And now people come for the kimchi sandwich.
Are you a cook?
I would like to be more! I used to do things, but now I have too much work, I’m never at home and, the truth is, I don’t do much, but I do like to cook.
From whom did you learn? From your mother?
From my ex-boyfriend! Neither my mother’s nor my father’s. When I came to live in Madrid I had never cooked on my own. And when I did, I would prepare a grilled chicken fillet or something like that. And in confinement, when I was locked up with my ex-partner, I would watch him make things and he would show them to me.
Did you also discover the world of podcasts in confinement?
Yes, I started listening to a lot of podcasts out of boredom, while cleaning or cooking, to have something in the background. Later, my friend Mariang and I, who worked together in the same company, when we finished work we would meet up for a drink and go out every day for seven beers. I always told her: “We are so funny! If we record this, we’ll make a fortune, let’s make a podcast! And well, we didn’t make a fortune, but we’re not doing badly either.
Had you studied anything related to communication?
I was studying a degree called Modern Languages, Culture and Communication, which has communication subjects.
And what attracted you to the podcast format?
I knew they existed, but I had never put one on until confinement. In fact, if you are used to the rhythms of television, the podcast format is boring: one person talking non-stop for an hour! Now I don’t think so, because I’m used to it, but at the beginning it was boring. But I started to enjoy it when I put it on in the background and thought that they were my friends, who were there chatting.
“I’M GOOD AT MANAGING NETWORKS AND KNOWING WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN’T.”
Carlos Peguer
From your point of view, as you also work at Europa FM, in “Cuerpos especiales”, what is the difference between podcasting and radio?
The main difference is the lack of expectations and the lack of professionalism of podcasts. I understand that radio purists don’t like it, but it has also democratized things a lot. On radio you never hear people speaking badly or with accents. And in podcasts, on the other hand, everyone can do whatever they want, however they want. In ours, for example, a few days ago there were twenty minutes in which we didn’t say anything, we just laughed… and on the radio that’s not possible. There are no silences on the radio either.
You started out on your own, but then the company you work for signed you up…
Yes, we had several offers, but Animal Media made us a pretty good one to broadcast the podcast on Spotify, and that way everything was at home, like a family. The only difference is that I don’t handle the cameras or the mics, but they let us do whatever we want, whenever we want and however we want. Let’s say it’s more professional.
Your definitive take-off came when Rosalía wanted to come to your podcast because she was a fan of yours.
Indeed, Rosalía, Natalia Lacunza or Belén Aguilera have passed through here, as well as other musical artists, but sometimes we don’t even talk about music, because the conversation goes somewhere that has nothing to do with it.
What are your plans for after the summer? New projects?
My plan for after the summer is to quit my job, because I have no life. No, I’m kidding: I really like my job, but it’s true that I want to find a balance between everything I do. I’m at Movistar Plus with Eva Soriano, at Showriano, managing the networks. I’m with our podcast, of which I’m also in charge of the networks. And I also do advertising, which is where the money is! And I’m not paying attention to it because I’m doing fifty things. My plan is to find the balance and know how to say no to things.
Can you tell us what you specialize in?
I think what I’m really good at is managing networks and knowing what works and what doesn’t work. I know how to make something work: how to package it in a format so that it goes well. And that’s what I mainly work on.
Photo: Jaime Partearroyo.