|
 Published
in San Diego City Beat 4/20/05
Papa's
Dream:
The San Diego
Roots of Chicano Music Legend Lalo Guerrero
by Victor Payan
The friendly voice
of Lalo Guerrero dances out of the cassette recorder. Known as the
"Father of Chicano Music," Lalo Guerrero had a prolific career, which
resulted in more than 700 recordings. He left this world on March
17, 2005 at the age of 88.
The tape is from
April 1992, and Guerrero was coming to town to perform an International
Children's Day gig at the CECUT in Tijuana. That performance was to
be followed by a special solo show at a TJ orphanage.
Already 75 at
the time, Guerrero's voice comes in strong and deep as he recounts
his storied career. Born on Christmas Eve in 1916. Fledgling songwriter
in the 30s. Big band crooner turned boogie woogie hepcat in the 40s.
Hitmaker of bilingual parodies in the 50s. Mexican children's music
icon in the 60s. Protest singer for Cesar Chavez in the 1970s. Soundtrack
for the Zoot Suit musical rediscovery in the 80s. Father of Chicano
Music in the 90s. Rancheras, boleros, mariachi, mambos, swing, son,
boogie woogie, jitterbug, corridos, parodies, love songs, protest
songs, rock and roll, you name it, Lalo Guerrero had not only done
it, he'd done it for the ages. read |
|
Published in
San Diego City Beat, 12/15/04
It
Aint Over 'til It's Over
Campy art-rocker
El Vez returns with the true meaning of Mexmas
by
Victor Payan
In a year when
politics became performance art, it's only natural that artists return
the favor. Such was the case for campy Chicano art-rocker and favorite
San Diego son, El Vez, who hit the road this year on a whistlestop
"El Vez '04 Prez" tour.
 The
National City-bred performer takes the age-old practice of Elvis impersonation
into the realm of Mextravaganza, weaving Presley songs with rollicking
references to groups like The Who, Santana, The Doors, T. Rex, BTO,
Bowie and the Beatles.
In his hands, standards are transformed into
Latinized anthems about Frida Kahlo, Cesar Chavez, Chicanisma and
the spirit of rock 'n' roll
Over the
years, El Vez has packed his versatile Memphis Mariachis and Lovely
Elvettes onto stages as small as the defunct downtown venue, Bodies,
or as large as Street Scene (at which he proclaimed, "this next song
is dedicated to the Zapatistas, who are fighting injustice even as
I dance").
"The hardest migrant
working-man in show business" - as he was once called, thanks to his
lengthy cross-country tours - took "El Vez '04 Prez" into 39 cities
in 44 days, starting only 72 hours after wrapping his gig as emcee
for Seattle's Teatro Zinzanni cabaret. He tore through the heartland
promoting a razzle-dazzle platform of populism via pompadours, platform
heels and that old-time revolution rock.
Representing the
America of Cesar Chavez, Martin Luther King Jr., JFK and John Lennon,
El Vez hit the stage in a glam Uncle Sam getup, delivering campy campaign
speeches, trying to liberate the hearts and minds of the people and
hoping to save America the way it was saved so many years ago, through
humor and hip-swiveling rock 'n' roll.
Although his glittery
Guthrifying and cheeky digs at Homeland Security might have been touchy
stuff for cities like Memphis and Chattanooga, it made for powerful
political theater that pulled no punches.
In the end, El Vez may not
have been able to rescue America from the greedy corporate grinches
and repressive Talibangelists who have co-opted the country. But he
was able to leave a swath of tolerance across the nation, fighting
blue-state blues with blue suede shoes and turning heartland into
Graceland.
Not one to be
defeated, El Vez continues his endless revolution, reminding us that
"It ain't over 'til it's over, as Lenny Kravitz said - as did Yogi
Berra."
The King who would
be president brings his sexy sleigh ride to San Diego for the traditional
last stop of his annual Merry Mexmas tour. Promising a more intimate
experience this year, El Vez vows to steal back the true meaning of
Christmas if only to warm the cockles of hearts in dire need of a
serious cockle-warming.
And while he
may not know who's been naughty or nice, word has it he's coming to
find out.
The annual El
Vez Merry Mexmas Show returns to the Casbah, 9 p.m. on Dec. 22. $17.
619-232-4355. Rookie Card and Human Hands also perform. |
Published in The Independent , 07/05
Once
Upon a Time in Mexico: The Next Chapter in Cinema
A New Article by Victor Payan
Published in the
July/August 2005 issue of The Independent.
Excerpt:
 "There's
a new Mexican revolution happening, however, one that started like
a shot heard round the world with Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu's
2000 debut film Amores Perros, a multiple narrative feature
that threw audiences relentlessly into the chaotic complexity and
the limitless labyrinth of the contemporary Mexican experience.
Like
their predecessors in the 1990s, the films of the new revolution stand
firmly in a Mexican cinematic tradition characterized in equal parts
by a rebellious iconoclasm, a keen political awareness, an intimate
examination of gender relations, a profound distrust of both church
and state, a romantic populism, and last but not least, a savagely
honest and absurdist sense of humor. And with Mexico's traditional
censorship a thing of the past, today's directors operate with a degree
of freedom that is changing the way we look at cinema..."
Buy The Independent and read the full article!
Published in
OC Weekly, 03/15/04
Now With
Less Edward James Olmos!
Independent
Latino filmmakers invade Surf City
 by Victor Payan
Think the only
filmic Latino depiction of Orange County are the maids on "The
O.C." and "Arrested Development," the invisible Rosie
and acerbic Lupe? You shoulda been in Huntington Beach last weekend,
then, when about 600 Latinos stormed into the city's Hilton Waterfront
Hotel for the annual National Association of Latino Independent Producers
(NALIP) Conference.
In a hotel where even the parking attendants are
white, this conglomeration of naturally tanned writers, producers,
directors and studio execs busted through panels on fund-raising,
dealmaking, new technologies, and effective strategies for getting
non-bandoliered Latinos on the big and small screens. read
|
