The real ones: Juan Suárez

The Gift of the Word

By Laura Martínez

The behind-the-scenes history of this island is written by the hand of Juan Suárez, the journalist and writer who used to be an architect. He was the commercial director at the Diario de Ibiza newspaper for more than 30 years, and he’s best described as restless, a great conversationalist and a music lover. Juan has experienced so much excitement in his lifetime that extracting this interview from our chat was torturous. I just hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

How does someone from Gran Canaria end up in Ibiza?

“I was finishing my communication studies, which I alternated with DJing at Saxo, the most underground club in Las Palmas at the time. After that, I got together with Ramón, Carlos and Pepe, the current owners of Café del Mar. They worked as waiters in Las Palmas, and they knew an American saxophonist, Don Harper, who had a fantastic jazz club on the island. However, it didn’t get off the ground, so we proposed another concept for Don’s place. We would introduce records on the mic and make a big song, and dance about it. That started to take off, and one day, Pepe Roselló (the legendary founder of Space Ibiza) came along and told us: ‘You guys are amazing’. And he offered us to come to Ibiza to inaugurate the Playboy 2 club there.”

So, that was the beginning of your career in Ibiza?

“Ramón, Carlos and Pepe came straight away, but I still had to finish university, so I arrived the following year. So yes, things got started with Pepe Roselló’s help and the opening of Playboy 2. I alternated nightlife with radio, my favourite medium. At that time, I had also opened a record shop in Las Palmas and at night, I was a showman in Playboy 2. I dressed up every night in incredible costumes that my wife’s friend designed for me. People freaked out... In short, I had a lot of shit going on between one thing and another.”

It certainly sounds intense. I sense that your wife, Janet, has played an important role in all of this?

“You hit the nail on the head; my wife is the best thing that ever happened to me, the best partner. At Playboy 2, she ran one of the bars where people had their private bottles of alcohol, something that was very popular and exclusive. After three years at Playboy, we went to set up, with my brothers-in-law, the most underground club in Amsterdam, which was previously the city’s most famous gay club, Da Schakel, in the middle of Leidseplein Square. It was very successful, and Roxy Music, Prince, and all the stars of the time visited.

Also, in 1981, we hosted the first DJ set live on a street in Europe on the famous Queen’s Day, when people are free to do what they want in the Netherlands. The police turned up eventually because it was so packed.

After three years without seeing the sun, we decided to head back to Ibiza, and here we are, happy and married for 50 years.”

How wonderful! And when you came back, what awaited you on the island? Three years pass by very quickly here!

“You’re telling me! Things constantly happened, and opportunities quickly arose. On my return, I set up a video bar called Simple. It was a really cool place with a load of Philips TV screens. It was the beginning of the music video era, and two videos always filled the place: Thriller by Michael Jackson and Club Tropicana by Wham. People heard the music when they passed by and came inside to dance like crazy. It was so much fun.”

And then came the Ibiza ’92 festival and the famous concerts era in KU. How did you start interviewing bands, and which ones do you remember most fondly?

“I was the MC at KU for the Miss Tanga, Miss Wet T-shirt parties and all that jazz. Then, the promoter Pino Sagliocco, who had already started to organise his fantastic concerts where artists such as Spandau Ballet, Freddie Mercury and Alaska played, asked me to introduce them on stage. It was perfect because they came to play, and I interviewed them just before their performance. I remember with great affection all those moments backstage, Freddie Mercury looking starstruck at Montserrat Caballé... I remember him gawking at her and saying: ‘You’re my queen’. Another memorable interview was the one I did with George Michael at Pino Sagliocco’s house. It was a big surprise that Pino prepared for me because George was my favourite artist. We had a conversation that went late into the night, and a lot of wine was involved!”

Sitting down to chat with your idols... what a dream! You interviewed many personalities for Diario de Ibiza; which would you choose if you had to pick just one?

“I’ll choose Jesús Quintero, the famous Spanish journalist who died in 2022. I admired him greatly, and he once told me a phrase that has always stuck with me: ‘Juan, always focus on the essence of everything and avoid the superfluous. That is the only thing that truly matters.’ Now, you have to seek the essence of this conversation to write your interview. Just like this island, the essence remains constant while it continually changes at the same time. That is the wonderful thing about Ibiza, and life in general.”