Flávio Basso (January 26, 1968 – December 21, 2015), better known by his st… Read Full Bio ↴Flávio Basso (January 26, 1968 – December 21, 2015), better known by his stage name Júpiter Maçã and by its English-language variation Jupiter Apple, was a Brazilian singer-songwriter, lyricist, guitarist, bassist, percussionist, keyboardist, record producer, film director, actor, screenwriter and former television presenter. Before beginning a prestigious solo career in 1994 he was already known for being a founding member of bands TNT and Os Cascavelletes, both pioneers of the Rio Grande do Sul rock scene in the mid- to late 1980s/early 1990s.

After his second departure from TNT, Basso began to perform solo, under the moniker "Woody Apple". It wasn't until 1995 when he adopted the stage name he became famous for, Júpiter Maçã, and formed the very short-lived project Os Pereiras Azuiz alongside Ubirajara Guimarães, Rogério Campos and Luiz Wilfrido. In 1997 he signed with independent label Antídoto to release his first solo full-length album, A Sétima Efervescência; with a heavily psychedelic and experimental sonority comparable to Pink Floyd's 1967 debut The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, the album was critically acclaimed at the time of its release and in 2007 was ranked 96th at Rolling Stone Brasil's list of 100 Greatest Brazilian Music Records.

Its follow-up from 1999, Plastic Soda, unlike its predecessor, was fully sung in English; to reflect this, Basso signed the album as Jupiter Apple. It was characterized by an increase in the experimental elements already present in A Sétima Efervescência, mixing psychedelic rock with bossa nova and jazz. Even though it also had a good reception, critics considered it a very hard album to listen to. After the album's release Basso temporarily moved to England, returning to Brazil in 2002.

Hisscivilization, his third album, was released soon afterwards, and was his most ambitious and elaborate work, composed of 13 mostly instrumental tracks, the longest of which opens the album and is over 11 minutes long. Basso experimented more with electronic music elements in this album, what polarized critics and fans alike. In 2003 he moved to Europe once again – this time to Spain – alongside his then-domestic partner Bibiana "Bibmo" Morena to work on further material; after a 4-year hiatus, both returned to Brazil and he released alongside her the collaborative album Bitter. In the same year he released his fourth (and ultimately last) album, Uma Tarde na Fruteira.

Alongside Tatá Aeroplano, he wrote and directed the short film Apartment Jazz, which was broadcast for the first time by MTV in 2010. In 2015 he began work on a second short, Jane's Nightmare; a trailer was uploaded to YouTube on July 15, but the film was left unfinished. He also hosted the short-lived talk show Júpiter Maçã Show on MTV.

Known for his extravagant lifestyle, Basso struggled with alcoholism and drug abuse throughout most of his life, and was undergoing a treatment for cirrhosis on his later years. On December 21, 2015, he was found dead on the bathroom floor in his apartment; his cause of death was later revealed as being multiple organ failure. His wake was held at the Teatro Renascença in Porto Alegre, and he was buried the following day at the Cemitério Ecumênico João XXIII

The Freaking Alice
Júpiter Maçã Lyrics

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Venha me colher em cima da bosta do zebú
Uso um chapéu do tipo hippie under groove
Colha-me, colha-me
Coma-me, coma-me
Beba-me, beba-me
Saca-me, saca-me

Vem para a colheita depois da chuva purificadora

Mova seus pezinhos embarrados por pintora
Colha-me, colha-me
Coma-me, coma-me
Beba-me, beba-me
Saca-me, saca-me

Toda mutação acaba sendo evolução
Ir e não voltar é conhecer outro lugar
Vejo borboletas celebrando a mutação
Hoje borboletas celebrando a mutação
Colha-me, colha-me
Coma-me, coma-me

Beba-me, beba-me
Saca-me, saca-me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Júpiter Maçã's "The Freaking Alice" are enigmatic and open to interpretation. The first stanza seems nonsensical and almost absurd, with the singer inviting someone to come harvest him from atop a zebu's dung while wearing a hippie-style hat. The repetition of "colha-me, coma-me, beba-me, saca-me" creates a strange mantra-like effect, perhaps suggesting a desire for consumption or transformation. The second stanza is more grounded in imagery, with the singer inviting the listener to join him in a post-rain harvest and describing the process of mud on one's shoes by referencing a painter. The final two lines offer a possible key to understanding the song's themes, with the assertion that "toda mutação acaba sendo evolução" ("every mutation eventually becomes evolution") and an image of butterflies celebrating transformation.

The meaning of "The Freaking Alice" is murky and subject to individual interpretation. One possible reading is that it's about the transformative power of art and nature. The invitation to be consumed or harvested could represent a desire to be absorbed by or transformed by the creative or natural process, while the reference to mud and painting suggests a connection to artistic creation. The image of butterflies celebrating mutation could represent the beauty and wonder of change and transformation. Another interpretation is that the song is about the cycle of life and death, with the invitation to be consumed or harvested representing a willingness to accept mortality and embrace the next stage of existence.

Line by Line Meaning

Venha me colher em cima da bosta do zebú
Join me in the harvest above the zebu's dung

Uso um chapéu do tipo hippie under groove
I wear a hippie under groove hat

Colha-me, colha-me
Pick me, pick me

Coma-me, coma-me
Eat me, eat me

Beba-me, beba-me
Drink me, drink me

Saca-me, saca-me
Draw me, draw me

Vem para a colheita depois da chuva purificadora
Come to the harvest after the purifying rain

Mova seus pezinhos embarrados por pintora
Move your muddy little feet like a painter

Toda mutação acaba sendo evolução
Every mutation ends up being evolution

Ir e não voltar é conhecer outro lugar
To go and not return is to know another place

Vejo borboletas celebrando a mutação
I see butterflies celebrating the mutation