THIS WEEK ON LATINOPIA: SAL BALDENEGRO ON HAVE YOU NO SHAME? RICARDO ROMO ON THE ART OF VINCENT VALDEZ, EL PROFE QUEZADA REVIEWS VIÁZTLÁN REDUX AND MARK GUERRERO’S L.A. MUSIC STORIES FEATURES LARRY RENDON OF THEE MIDNIGHTERS.
Hola and welcome to Latinopia! We begin this week’s posts with Sal Baldenegro’s Political Salsa y Más. This week he looks at the hypocrisy in the Trump administration by recalling an old Spanish phrase, “Que no tienes verguenza?” (Have you no shame?) This phrase was memorably uttered during the McCarthy Hearings of the 1950s referring to Joe McCarthy’s shameless words and deeds. Check out Sal’s take on this phrase and how it resonates time and again under the Trump administration.
Also this week Ricardo Romo’s weekly Tejano Report profiles the amazing art of Texas based artist Vincent Valdez. This man’s work is awesome: finely crafted and politically relevant and inspiring. His imagery in “Strange Fruit” leaves you stunned.
El Profe Quezada returns to Latinopia this time with a review of a new book, Viáztlán Redux, chronicling the San Antonio based literary journal Viáztlán. The book reviews the history of this international publication. As El Profe summarizes it, “Castillo introduces Ramon, the Publisher; Carlos, the Center Director; Julian S. García, Associate Editor; Hector (Nicha); and Jesse García (Púnz) with a keen critical eye that reveals both their virtues and their complexities. ”
And in music, Mark Guerrero returns with his East L.A. Music Stories. This week he interviews Larry Rendon, lead saxophonist of the acclaimed and legendary rock group of the sixties Thee Midnighters.
Enjoy your week on Latinopia!
Tia Tenopia