This year was one of the best Super Bowl Sundays I’ve had, and I didn’t even watch the game.
A few friends and I had the chance to spend time with former Menudo and MDO member Didier Hernandez and to experience a shortened version of his songwriting camp that he’s shared with other fans in North and South America. Out of all the fan gatherings I’ve been to through the years, it was one of the best ones.
For those who don’t know anything about Menudo, it was a group from Puerto Rico consisting of five cute boys who sang and danced. Once they reached 16, grew too tall or their voices changed, they had to leave the group. I was a huge fan back in the mid- to late-1980s.
In addition to attending countless concerts in New York and Puerto Rico, I was also fortunate to meet many members at formal and informal gatherings.
I was lucky to meet Didier back in the late 1990s. While I followed the careers of Ricky Martin and other former Menudo members, it had been a while since I kept up to date on the group Menudo. When I heard they changed their name to MDO in 1997, my friends and I were curious. We had to see what MDO was all about when we heard they would be performing at a festival in Queens. One friend made a couple of calls, and before you knew it, we were meeting them the night before. Didier and his groupmates Daniel Rene Weider, Abel Talamantez, Alexis Grullon and Edgar (Anthony) Galindo were absolute sweethearts. The next day, when we attended the festival, we were blown away by their singing and dancing abilities. My Menudo days may have been behind me, but I gladly made time to show my support for MDO whenever they were in New York.
When a friend recently decided to organize a get together with Didier, I was all for it. It turned out he was doing what he calls a songwriting camp in other countries with fans. The two-day events include photos and autographs, and cooking and getting a peek into his songwriting techniques.
While our get-together was only six hours and minus cooking — even though we did have food — we had the opportunity to sit down and participate in a songwriting exercise. First of all, Didier should be an interviewer. The questions he asked, as well as the follow-up ones, created some interesting conversations, especially about relationships. We all also enjoyed lots of laughs. It’s always good when you can laugh about your mistakes, especially romantic ones.
Many times, I have said to friends that I wish back in the day, I had focused more on friendships with my fellow fans instead of things such as snagging concert seats in the first few rows or meeting the guys. Fortunately for all of us, social media has allowed us to reconnect and rekindle old friendships or build on acquaintanceships over the years.
This past Sunday was one of those memorable days, and an example of how fortunate my friends and I are to have each other and the guys in our lives.
For me, it’s more than the bonding and the memories I was left with this Sunday. It was inspiring to see how Didi goes about songwriting and his commitment to it. As a writer, it helps me to see other writers or creatives working toward their craft, reminding me to take it step by step and enjoy the journey.
As much as I enjoy the appetizers, commercials and half-time show on Super Bowl Sunday, this year the day was more memorable.
To all the Menudo and MDO fans out there, grab the opportunity if you get a chance to attend a get-together with Didier. There is a fee, but the experience is worth every penny!
Rita's Rambling Road 