Mariachi Americano

Tomorrow is my birthday and because it falls in the middle of the week, my wife and I decided to celebrate a few days early on Sunday by going out for dinner and some live music. A few weeks ago, I read a Facebook update from “Our Tiempo,” an entertainment blog that stated there would be a free show of Mariachi El Bronx at the Double Door here in Chicago. Upon seeing the words “free,” “mariachi,” and the “Bronx” strung together I had to read more.  After reading the post and a few other online sources I learned that Mariachi El Bronx is an iteration of the punk band The Bronx. A few years ago, the Southern California band put together some songs in the mariachi style, along with other Mexican styles such as jarocho and norteño. As they state on their website, “mariachi music is every bit as much of a soundtrack to southern California as punk.” They have a couple of albums now that are completely in these styles.

Compelled further by the story, I had to take an actual listen to their music. I was excited, but reserved my enthusiasm out of fear that their music would be too punk, an unsuccessful mash-up of genres, or simply just bad music. I was more than pleasantly surprised after watching about a dozen of their tracks on YouTube; I even became a little obsessed, finding spare moments to give their music another listen whenever I could. This is a band that has appeared on both Conan and David Letterman, and as you can see by Letterman’s reaction, they have a real wide-ranging appeal and incredibly, play music that is really “beautiful.”

One of the trademarks of Mariachi El Bronx is that they don complete mariachi suits when playing, and that they also play traditional Mexican instruments like the vihuela and the guitarrón. While they include a couple of Latino/Mexican-American members, including the son of David Hidalgo from Los Lobos, they are mostly a bunch of white guys and an Asian on violin (seems like a stereotype, but it’s true). Again, doubt can easily be raised about the authenticity of the motives of this group of musicians: is it parody? Is it a cheap imitation? A gimmick?

Upon seeing them live, I had my answer. These guys are real honest to goodness punk mariachis, from their ostrich skin boots, upholstered belts and customized belt buckles, to their ability to drink Tecate and play music, these guys played original Mexican music sung in English that is no less authentic than La Negra or Guadalajara.

The reaction from a really diverse crowd in terms of age, ethnicity, and gender was amazing. People were singing along, shouting out gritos, dancing and moshing. The love that the band received and gave was great. And as proof of their "mariachi-ness" I felt no less pride on hearing them play, with the bass thumping through my chest, than if I were hearing mariachis play at a wedding.

What I took away was that culture from south of the border has really mixed with American culture in an incredible way that still maintains an authentic identity. Gustavo Arellano, the writer of the “Ask a Mexican” column in the OC Weekly, and author of a recent book on Mexican cuisine in the U.S. makes the argument that mash-ups and iterations of Mexican food are all authentic and prove the strength of Mexican culture. Rather than decrying what is authentically Mexican or not, these evolutions are beyond flattery and show the adaptability and resilience of a culture whose essence remains. It also shows its allure beyond natives to the point that is able to incorporate them into the mix. The Mexican philosopher José Vasconcelos called the Mexican people “La Raza Cósmica,” or the cosmic race, a race of the future, because of their cultural ability to develop and persist in this way.

This idea comes at a time when there have been two important demographic developments; first, Mexican migration to the U.S. has come to a virtual halt, and second, that minority births, many of those Latino, are now outnumbering white births in the U.S. While it may seem that there is a possibility for a decline in the presence of the Mexican culture because of the first shift, it seems that the salsa is out of the bottle, because what it means to be American is not a change that will happen when those newborns come of age, it is a change that is already here-and it sounds like mariachi music—in English.

All the News that's Print to Fit?

During a poignant scene in the 1988 movie Stand and Deliver, math teacher Jamie Escalante, who became famous for his students’ success on the Advance Placement calculus test, confronts Educational Testing Service agents investigating alleged cheating among his students.  Escalante, as portrayed by Edward James Olmos, implies that his East Los Angeles students’ cultural heritage has more to do with the investigation than any actual cheating.  “There are two kinds of racism, Mr. Escalante,” one agent replies, “singling out people because they’re members of a particular group, and not singling out people because they’re members of a particular group.”  I thought about this construction of race again this past week when reading Sun-Times columnist Alejandro Escalona’s piece about the recent release and publication of Cosmopolitan for Latinas, an English-language periodical based on the original Cosmopolitan magazine.

Mr. Escalona argues in his column that the continued growth of English-language media outlets is a cause for celebration in that major companies not only recognize the purchasing power of Latinos but also the diversity of Latino populations, an ever-increasing number of which whose first language is English instead of Spanish.  Other such high-profile demonstrations exist and have for a while.  Ever hear of the Latin Grammys?  As such, the growth of English-language news and entertainment media for Latino audiences is seen as an integration of Mexican- and similar national-origin populations’ in the United States.

Marketing such media solely to and for Latinos, however, is narrow and shortsighted.  Doing so further balkanizes these target audiences.  If the information these outlets convey is important for one group, is it also not important for the larger population regardless of national, racial, or ethnic heritage?  I think so.  Further, the larger segment of society is somewhat poorer for not knowing about issues confronting the rest, being aware of their concerns, or otherwise being exposed to aspects of their culture.  The Latin Grammys, for example, may reward musical achievement while celebrating Latin music, but do not do enough to expose non-Latino audiences to that very same music.  Relatedly, English-language Latino news and entertainment media will inform an audience but not one large enough to make a lasting impression.

Before celebrating the ever-increasing presence of Spanish-language and English-language media marketed to Hispanic, Latino, and similar populations, we should consider first who and what is excluded by its very nature.

Chicano, Mexican, or Other?

With Cinco de Mayo (a.k.a. the Fifth of May) just around the corner, it is time for that annual effort by Mexicans and non-Mexicans alike to determine what it means to be Mexican in America.  Unfortunately around this time of year that usually winds up being more about an inordinate amount of fools, louts, and assorted douche bags downing shots of Cuervo with Corona chasers and wearing comically oversized sombreros in a ridiculous celebration of what they mistakenly think is Mexico’s independence day.

Other, somewhat more reasonable attempts come from prominent public figures or various celebrities of Mexican descent who assume the role of cultural emissary in their efforts to describe for the uninitiated what it means to be Mexican in America.  To wit, we have Cheech Marin's latest entry into this ongoing dialog.  Mr. Marin, you will remember, made his career as an actor and comedian by playing upon the tired stereotype of the marijuana-smoking, drug-dealing, lay-about stoner Mexican.  So forgive my cynicism at his recent effort in The Huffington Post at answering the question “What is a Chicano?”

Sadly, what Mr. Marin completely ignores about the origin of the term "Chicano" is its roots in Marxism and how the early proponents of the term [who mostly were college students] affiliated with and held particular affinity for the working classes.  Thus, I would submit that a Mexican American who earns a PhD in Chicano Studies and teaches it at a university for 20 years, as Mr. Marin describes, ceases to be a "Chicano" because he or she has ascended the American status and occupation ladder.

Eva Longoria, who recently was tapped by President Obama’s re-election campaign as an appeal to a Latino voting bloc, serves as prime example of what I am talking about.  In describing how she is particularly situated for her new political responsibilities, Ms. Longoria cites her recent scholarly pursuit of a Master's degree in Chicano Studies at Cal State Northridge.  “I really wanted a better, more authentic understanding of what my community has gone through so I can help create change,” she naively has stated.  Unfortunately, Ms. Longoria’s “community” is one of famous models, actresses, and former NBA wives - anyone of whose life struggles Chicanos have not confronted.

And in case anyone is wondering, I do not self-identify as a Chicano.  As an academic with a PhD in History, I long ago admitted that I was pursuing a middle-class life style and thus cannot in good conscious say I am of the working class.  As an educator, I hope to create more opportunities for others – be they Mexican, Mexican American, Chicano, or even celebrities.  In so doing, I hopefully am informing people’s understandings of what it means to be Mexican in America to a greater degree than Mr. Marin, Ms. Longoria, and others of their ilk.