Eduardo Dussek was born on January 1, 1954 in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro - … Read Full Bio ↴Eduardo Dussek was born on January 1, 1954 in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro - Brazil. He is a Brazilian actor, singer, composer and pianist who achieved national success in Brazil in the 80s. Born Eduardo Gabor Dusek, he has used variations of his artistic name throughout his career including Eduardo Dusek and Duardo Dusek.

Described as a “Carioca chameleon” (Carioca - a Rio native), he started his career in Rio’s theater scene in the 1970s; he has flirted with underground music, Brazilian Popular Music (MPB), he was a rocker, a pop star, a romantic, and by the end of 2010s he completed 40 years since his first recording. A talented artist, Dussek can go from lyricism to debauchery, and combine comedy and poetry.

Journalist Arthur Dapieve, author of the book “BRock - the Brazilian Rock of the 1980s” commented on Dussek’s musical trajectory: “He came out of a niche and had a spectacular time participating in festivals and the explosion of national rock, with many eyes and ears turned towards him. Then he returned to a niche, but always after what interested him. He is a good singer, good pianist, has sharp lyrics. Due to the inventiveness and genre variety between his tracks, I consider “Olhar Brasileiro” (1981) one of the ten best albums from Brazil in the 1980s.”

Biography

Dussek was born in Santa Clara Street, in Copacabana, in the New Year’s Eve of 1954. Son of a Hungarian mother and a Czechoslovakian father, his mom was a distant cousin of actress and socialite Zsa Zsa Gabor.

When the artistic family started having financial difficulties, they moved to a modest home in the wealthy area of Alto da Boa Vista. Moving among his upper-class neighbors (from whom he got some pennies, making patinas on furniture) and those from favela (slum) Morro do Borel, the skinny and blond boy became interested in erudite and popular culture from an early age. He started playing the piano under the influence of his father, Milan, and composed his first carnaval “marchinha” at the age of 9 — “Baianinha”, inspired by Carmen Miranda, a muse to whom he would later dedicate an entire songbook.

At age 15 he was a theater pianist, while studying at the National School of Music.

Dussek then graduated from the Technical School of Architecture at the age of 17, and was soon living with roommates at Rua Álvaro Ramos, in Botafogo. Under the same roof lived actor & comedian Luís Fernando Guimarães, later from the collective Asdrúbal Trouxe o Trombone, and Luiz Antônio de Cássio, an academic now living in Paris and lyricist of some of Dussek's first songs. The apartment was seething: without asking anyone's permission, the boys turned the space into a bar, theater, concert hall — whatever paid the rent and fueled their artistic ambition for the week. According to Dussek, those were times of great sexual freedom, where everyone slept around and “no one would ask whether you’re gay”.

When the inevitable eviction arrived, Dussek's career was already under way. In 1973, he was cast as a pianist in the play “Desgraças de uma Criança”, which featured Marieta Severo, Marco Nanini and Wolf Maia in the cast. The show was a success and allowed him to start performing in solo shows the following year with a now-forgotten stage name: “Duardo Dusek.” These were performance shows that mixed David Bowie's androgyny with the first chords of punk, which caught the attention of people like Gilberto Gil, Marília Pêra and, finally, trendy producer Nelson Motta, who in 1977 took him to the studio. Together they launched a LP just in time for Brazilian carnaval. But surprisingly the record was a radio and commercial failure. His career got canceled for years, while he taught singing, piano and composed songs for other artists while waiting for another chance to launch his musical career.

In 1978 Nelson Motta placed Eduardo Dussek on the Frenéticas album, which meant that he continued to be remembered and recorded by other names in MPB, such as Maria Alcina, Zizi Possi and, mainly, Ney Matogrosso, who transformed his compositions "Folia no matagal" and "Your type" in successes.

His compositions sought to combine satire and good humor. In 1980, he was called to the 1st Festival of New Popular Brazilian Music, which became known as MPB 80. Already renamed Eduardo, he appeared on national television with hair and angel wings to sing “Nostradamus”, an apocalyptic song in which a guy wakes up hungover and realizes the world is ending. It was an immediate sensation.

Soon, Dussek was on soap opera tracks and recording his first LP, “Olhar Brasileiro” (1981), which featured several partnerships with Luiz Carlos Góes, author of the so-called "teatro besteirol". A decade of hits began - which some consider classics.

Success hit again in 1982, when he flirted with the still incipient Brazilian pop rock in the LP “Cantando no Banheiro”, which included the hits "Barrados no Baile" (with Luiz Carlos Góes), "Cabelos Negros" (with Luiz Antonio de Cássio) and "Rock da Dog" (Leo Jaime).

Two years later, in 1984 he achieved national success with the LP “Brega Chique”, with the title track "Doméstica" - a social satire about a domestic worker, right in the mood of the “besteirol” theater of the time. With great success, he was one of the attractions of the first Rock in Rio festival, in 1985. In 1986, he released “Dusek Na Suna”, including the songs "Aventura" and "Eu Velejava em Você", one of the most touching MPB songs, later covered by Zizi Possi. In 1989, he returned to the scene with the musical “Loja de Horrores”, in which he played the role of a dentist.

Critic Andre Barcinski, author of “Pavoes Misteriosos - 1974-1984, the Explosion of Pop Music in Brazil” considers Dussek a very talented artist, who managed to talk about social issues in a light, humorous and ironic way. He was the perfect portrait of an era, but his work outlived it.

In addition to opening the doors to major Brazilian 80s bands like Blitz, by Evandro Mesquita, he partnered with João Penca and Miquinhos Amestrados and also with Leo Jaime, author of his hit “Rock da cachorra” (rock'n'roll à la Jerry Lee Lewis that begins with “trade your dog for a poor child”). Musician Leo Jaime has mentioned that Dussek is a great songwriter and singer, but what impresses most is his ability to deal with the public. “He wins the audience over at the first gesture in an amazing way. Charisma, comedy timing, ability to improvise, and absolute control of the scene.”

In the 90s, practically removed from the role of singer, Dussek played the character Capitão-Mor Gonçalo in the hit soap opera “Xica da Silva”, from the extinct Rede Manchete. He also worked as a show director and producer and, at the end of the decade, he returned to present some works as a comedian and singer, one of them about singer Carmen Miranda.

In 2000, for numerology reasons and with the aim of provoking the correct pronunciation of his name, he began to act with the artistic name of Eduardo Dussek, adding another "s" to his last name.

He released additional albums in the 2000s including “Adeus, batucada: Eduardo Dussek sings Carmen Miranda” (2000), “O tao de Dussek” (2009) and lastly, “É show” (2011).

In 2015 he revealed in Quem magazine that he suffers from Parkinson's disease.

In 2017 Dussek celebrated 40 years of his first recordings. Undeterred by his Parkinson’s diagnosis, the singer keeps a busy schedule, renewing his repertoire and promising to write a book (more below). He also started painting in his residence’s atelier near Corte do Cantagalo - more specifically pictures of his father, deceased in 2016 at the age of 92. He considers the act an exercise against Parkinson’s.

Dussek tries to maintain an average of 8 shows per month, mainly private shows in congresses, for companies or weddings, where he does research and takes information that later becomes jokes on stage.

To avoid the illness progression which he calls Park Avenue or Mr. Parks, he undergoes a strict routine of healthy eating, abundant sleep and daily exercise. The complex treatment is supervised by a physician from the top Brazilian university USP. Dussek says he managed to transform a chronic illness in acute. He combines traditional meds with a big list of activities and alternative medicine for his body to rebuild. He says it’s a very expensive illness.

In addition to individual performances, Dussek has several side projects: the marchinha musical “Sassaricando”, duos with singer Silvia Machete, as well as more jazzy shows with saxophonist Derico (who played on Jô Soares’ show). He also wants to finish a double album of love songs, with a serious album dedicated to Maria Bethânia and the other, mockingly, to Marília Pêra.

Another project is the book “Trôpego de Capricórnio”. He warns that it will not be an autobiography, as he does not think he is “that important”, but a collection of stories collected throughout his eventful career.

On an 2017 interview to Jornal O Globo he was asked: “Will you have time to do everything?” To which he humorously responded: — “Hope is the penultimate thing that dies. The last one will be me.”