Chaléwood No. 23: Stephanie Andujar

Stephanie Andujar - Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

By Kiko Martinez
San Antonio Current contributing writer
kiko@cinesnob.net

For actress Stephanie Andujar, her role in the critically acclaimed drama Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, hit close to home.

Born and raised in Manhattan, Andujar, who is of Puerto Rican descent, spent most of her adolescence without her father, who was in and out of jail for drug-related crimes. In Precious, she plays Rita, a young girl trying to put her life back together by quitting drugs and attending an alternative school. There, she meets the title character, Precious (Gabourey Sidibe), an overweight and illiterate teenager who is pregnant for the second time with her father’s child and living with an abusive mother (Mo’Nique).

During an interview with me, Andujar, 23, talked about the film, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival this year, and what she hopes audiences discover in their own lives after seeing it.

You graduated from Pace University this past May with a degree in business. When did acting become a part of your life?

It’s always been a part of my life. I did a lot of theater growing up in New York. My mom put me in an after-school program for acting. She didn’t want me to be on the streets. Then, I went to a performing arts high school. All I could see myself doing was acting and being an entertainer. I couldn’t picture myself doing anything else.

Tell us about Rita and what interested you in playing this role.

Rita is a former heroine addict. In the book, she can’t read, she has HIV and she’s been a prostitute since she was 12. [The role] hits home because my father was a heroine addict. I’ve dealt with things like that in my family. I’ve always had a tumultuous relationship with my father because he was always in and out of jail.

What did he say about your role in Precious?

It was tough to talk about. I just remember when I got the part, he told me I should go to rehab programs to see what they were like. He didn’t get to see Precious. He passed away in January.

Did your role give you a better understanding of what your dad was going through?

Oh, man, yes. Heroine is such a tough drug to beat. My father really tried to overcome that. I can see the same in Rita. She had no other choice in her life. In the film, she is ready to get her life together. She wants a better life.

Precious is your first film. What was the audition process like for you?

I just remember [director] Lee Daniels telling me in the audition room, “I don’t care how many other girls are out there, you got this part. I want you to play Rita.” I was so excited. At the time, it was only a small independent film. We didn’t know where it was going to go. Now, it’s getting all this press. I feel honored to play this character.

What would tell people who might say this character is stereotypical?

I play this part because it’s a true character. There are so many Latinas out there who are told, “You can’t do this. You can’t do that; just have babies and get on welfare.” They don’t have the guidance to see they can do whatever they want. They can become a Supreme Court Justice. Unfortunately, there are a lot of Latinas who are misguided and go through things like this in life. Other Latinos might say these types of roles are demeaning, but I’m an actor. Why is it demeaning? If a role calls for a pregnant prostitute involved in a murder case, I’m going to play it because that’s what I do. That doesn’t mean I’m limited.

What do you hope audiences who see this film take from it when they leave the theater?

This film is about hardships and getting through difficult things in life. I hope people see that they shouldn’t let things bring them down. They should keep on fighting and succeed. The movie might make some people cry, but the tears will be happy tears. I can’t wait until the world sees it.

Live & Local preview: 2009 Rammy Awards Show

How's this for service journalism? I'm giving you one more chance to find out about the opportunity of a lifetime — the chance to see the local concert of your lifetime, the 2009 Rammy Music Awards. Don't be one of those people who skips it only to later have to lie about it to their grandchildren about being there. Because there's no way your kids' kids are gonna understand why you passed up the opportunity to see Altus, Deadpool, Bombasta, the Heroine, Mexican Stepgrandfather, and Mexicans With Guns, all on the same stage (not at the same time), and all for FREE.

"Why weren't you there, grandpa?" Doe-eyed little Sally will ask you, confused. "I sure hope I didn't inherit your dumbass gene."
 
And one more reason to show: I'm reviewing the Mexicans With Guns show for next week's Live & Local. When everyone else reads the review, they'll be like "Yeah, I know. I remember how bad-ass that show was and you, Jeremy Martin, through the brilliance of your word poems, have brought all that amazingness back to my forebrain." But if you don't go, you'll be the one who's all like "Huh, what? Anybody catch that special episode of Smallville? My stuffed animals love that show!"

Don't be that guy.

 

Ernest Gonzales gets Pitchfork love

Hipster tastemakers/suspected intellectuals Pitchfork recently gave Ernest Gonzales a nice write up for his remix of Sunny Day in Glasgow 's "Shy."

They credit him with "refashioning the krautrock drum-machine beat and guitar loops … into a more sparse, dynamic mix, keeping the track afloat on wispy loops of vocals and synths."

I say he makes the track live up to its name by turning those exultant vocals in on themselves, then directly playing the introversion against the heavy dance-ready beat to emphasize the original's delicate wallflower sensibility. But whatever, let's agree to disagree, Pitchfork. At least I think we disagree, either that or we're both just using fancy words with no real meaning because we think  it makes us sound all smart and shit. If that's the case, let's just hope no one finds out.

Check out Gonzales performing as Mexicans With Guns FOR FREE (along with the Heroine, Bombasta, Deadpool, Mexican Stepgrandfather, and Altus) at tomorrow night's first-ever Rammy Award Show, to be held at Limelight. Doors open at 8, and we suggest you get there early. Go here for more info.
                       

The Sound and the Fury: James McMurtry, Nirvana, and Manu Chao

By Enrique Lopetegui
elopetegui@sacurrent.com



If you like your rootsy rock and roll straight, go see Austin-based singer-songwriter James McMurtry’s set Friday at Sam’s Burger Joint (330 E Grayson St., $10-$15, 9 pm). The former leader of The Heartless Bastards has just released the tight Live in Europe, which could very well be his best album.

If you’re a lazy bastard who doesn’t want to come out of the house, get this instead:



It’s the long-awaited two-CD/DVD set that came out this week with Nirvana’s legendary August 30, 1992 UK's Reading fest concert, arguably the most bootlegged album in history and Nirvana's finest live hour. It includes practically the whole Nevermind album, plus In Utero’s "All Apologies," "Dumb," and the first-ever performance of "Tourette's"), all of which would come out two years later. The band also played a few tracks from Bleach ("Blew," "About a girl," "School," "Negative creep," and "Love buzz") plus two covers (Fang’s "The money will roll right in" and the Wipers’ "D-7"). Only two of the 25 songs have been released before, and the DVD looks and sounds great.

Manu Chao’s Baionarena …



… filmed and recorded at France’s Roman Amphitheatre in Bayonne, was supposed to come out this week, but it was pushed back to December 1, so get ready. The DVD includes a 30-minute behind-the-scenes video and the album and concert footage also include a few songs from the glorious Mano Negra years.

Now, if you’re not only a lazy, but an impatient, cheap bastard, go to www.vivalacolifata.org and download for free the album Manu produced for the mental patients behind La Colifata (roughly translated as “The nut”), a radio show hosted by actual locos in Buenos Aires, even though, if you ask me, everybody is loco.



The album is a riot, but it helps if you speak at least some Spanish. When you download, give ’em a “pay-what-you-want” donation. A few bucks go a long way in Argentina.

There may be a mathematical proof that addresses the circularity of the Sarah Palin - Newsweek - sexism conundrum

...but I'm not astute enough to know what it is.
Probably because I'm a girl.

But, seriously folks.
This Newsweek cover


is generating tons of controversy. Sarah Palin doesn't much care for it, apparently angered by the same evident sexism rightly criticized by Jullie Millican at Media Matters for America.

The actual photo was taken in a shoot for Runner's World with Palin's full participation. As an art critic, I find it appalling for reasons quite aside from the fact that Palin's femoral epidermis is showing. The pageanty, semi-contrapposto pose actually makes it look like she's hiding one of her legs, the lighting's way too harsh, her elbow resting awkwardly on the flag seems flippant from a patriotism standpoint (using Old Glory as an elbow rest?) as well as physically irrational (she isn't really leaning any weight on it). Also irritating me is that I can't tell what kind of room she's in. is that her office? Why is that flag-draped chair so high? Is it a baby chair? ...Barstool?

Is that Russia through the window?

But let's move on.

Millican also rightly, to my sensibilities, objects to this image inside the news magazine's pages:


Yes, it looks like those boys are looking up her skirt. Yes, that's annoying.

And about the following image

Millican says, "Then, for no apparent reason, illustrating Christopher Hitchens' piece on "Palin's base appeal," Newsweek ran a picture of this disgusting Sarah Palin-as-a-slutty-schoolgirl doll."

Well, it's not for no reason. For one thing, it adorns an essay by Christopher Hitchens, Vanity Fair's louche, intermittently relevant bad boy who also infamously opined last year that women aren't funny. HItchens is nothing if not skilled at generating gender controversy with schoolboyish glee; why not illustrate his point with graphic representation of the childish and puerile?

It's almost funny. Almost.

The whole Newsweek shebang (har) was brought to my attention by my friend Michelle Garcia, journalist and documentary filmmaker.

"What do you make of this?" she Skyped.

My first reaction (keeping in mind that the Current editorial staff had  a lunch meeting with some of our company suits about driving traffic to the website, so eyeball currency was very much on my mind), was "it's great for Newsweek."

My guess is this issue will sell well, and the website's sucking in eyeballs.

And Sarah Palin pointing out the sexism is a double edged sword--it's certainly disingenuous of Newsweek to take the cover out of context.

And Newsweek editor John Meacham's defense doesn't help. He claims:

"We chose the most interesting image available to us to illustrate the theme of the cover, which is what we always try to do. We apply the same test to photographs of any public figure, male or female: does the image convey what we are saying? That is a gender-neutral standard."

OK, I call semi-bullshit on that. Newsweek likely would not have run a running-outfit picture of Michelle Obama...but then again, would Michelle Obama ever have posed in a skimpy running outfit? Highly unlikely.

Which brings us to the circularity conundrum.

BAGnews contributing photographer Nina Berman had this to say about Newsweek's tactics:

The Newsweek cover is a shrewd strategic maneuver to demean Palin without having to take responsibility for it. I think it's brilliant. They take an inelegantly, even laughably propped photo where Palin is an obvious participant as opposed to being a manipulated subject, and recontextualize it to show how far out she is willing to travel on the road of self promotion. They beat her at her own game and in the process shield themselves from what would have been the inevitable criticism if they had dolled her up themselves and posed her the same way.

Julie Millican (with whom, again, I largely agree in her Media Matters for America essay), argues that "Newsweek is supposed to be a serious newsmagazine, and the magazine is certainly not reporting on Palin's exercise habits."

True. Newsweek isn't reporting on her exercise habits. But Palin did. Palin herself participated in that photo shoot, engaged as a subject of both word and photo-journalism in short-shorts and what appear to be nylon pantyhose in "dark nude."

Yes, the Newsweek coverage is mired in the same explosively gendered minefield of over-sexualized Palinography that the rest of the male-dominated press are, as MIllican  points out.  I mean, Jesus, if you're gonna make fun of the woman—which is totally kosher in my view, by the way —  make fun of her goddamn book.

And as Berman argues, Newsweek seemingly outfoxed her, "beat her at her own game." Her Runner's World cover is Sarah Palin's Playboy shoot, her sex tape. The implication always with those sex tapes is that "she knew the cameras were on, right? The consequences are her lookout, not that of a free press with the rights to the images."

This was no cooked up Photoshoppery, after all, like this image:

...which must have been e-mailed to me about fifty times during election season last year, several times by male journalists and male media folk of the lefty persuasion.

Here's another photographic artifact of male leftiness, one I turned up quite by accident while doing a Google image search just now to find the Newsweek cover. It pretty much sums up the sexist-yet-leftist dilemma (maybe they should've used this at Newsweek to illustrate the Christopher Hitchens essay?):



And yeah, it's annoying as hell. Palin reduced to an obscenity for vagina sucks. This modeled T-shirt appeared as a for-sale item on an indie-alternative website in Philadelphia. And actually, for all I know, a woman could've designed it.

What's doubly annoying is that this bullshit helps Palin, whose policy stances are so frighteningly and ironically anti-woman. Newsweek hasn't beaten her at her own game, as Berman states: it's handed her the ball.

So here we are, at the heart of the Palin conundrum. She's both mediagenic, and media-hating. She's certainly media-manipulative: she can legitimately object to over-sexualized images of her— including those okayed by her— and this legitimate objection allows Palin, in the eyes of her base, to discredit the editorial content. "It doesn't matter what words they print about me," she's saying. "They showed my panties!"

It's a win-win really, or lose-lose. Zero-sum? Palin gets to look good as a(n admittedly corny) pin-up, while crying foul about looking bad as a political hopeful, which only spurs her popularity as a political hopeful with those who hate Newsweek and the rest of the "liberal media" already! The people who love Palin as well as those who don't can each use the Runner's World/Newsweek cover as ammo. On the left, they can lob this image against Palin for her perhaps-crass use of her own good looks. On the right, they can demonize the left's crass use of Palin's use of her good looks.

I swear, there's a word problem in here somewhere. Some algebraic shenanigans, or logical theory disproved, or reproved, or something. Schroedinger's cat? That's a thing, right?

Unfortunately, the only thing Sarah Palin and Newsweek have in common is that they both benefit by showing a woman's legs, rather than her ideas.

Ten years without Doug Sahm: Augie and Shawn remember

By Enrique Lopetegui
elopetegui@sacurrent.com



Tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of Doug Sahm, the legendary leader of the Sir Douglas Quintet and the Texas Tornados. The Current spoke to the two persons who probably knew him best.

Augie Meyers: “He was number one.”

How did you two meet?
My mom had a grocery store when I was 12 years old and his folks used to buy groceries there. He liked baseball and football cards. So we used to trade cards and we got to talking. I was 12 and he was 11. That’s how we met.

Did you talk about music?
Oh, yes. He was playing music when he was eight, nine years old. He used to play fiddle, steel guitar… And I was playing piano a little bit at 12. But I didn’t have a band. He was playing around with different people. I got my first [band] when I was 15, and he already had a band. After he played and I played we would get together and go out and eat and talk and hang out. In 1964, the Dave Clark Five came into town. I got the only Vox organ in town; actually, in America. My band opened the show, and then Doug’s band played, and then the Dave Clark Five came out. Huey Meaux, the producer, was there, and he said, “You both have long hair. Let’s put a band together.” That’s how the Sir Douglas Quintet came together.

I saw him twice with the Tornados, and he knocked my socks off both times. Was he always such a powerhouse?
He was always that way. He was a great songwriter and guitar player and got a tremendous voice. He could play country music, fiddle, steel guitar, sax, lead guitar… You name it.

Despite its name and early press images, the SDQ had a unique sound…
With the SDQ I said, “We got to do something different. What don’t you get a bajo [sexto] and I’ll get an accordion? Let’s do some conjunto music.” He got one made at Macías Brothers, and we started doing conjunto music. My dad used to listen to nothing but conjunto.

Had anybody mix conjunto and rock before?
No.

You told me this story a million times, but I don’t get tired of hearing it. Tell me about 'She’s about a mover.'
That was the first song we recorded. We played it at a club called the Blue Note in San Antonio. There was a very sexy dancer on the floor, and I said, “She’s a body mover.” So [Doug] wrote a song called 'She’s a body mover,' but the record label wouldn’t play it because they said it sounded nasty. So we changed it to 'She’s about a mover.'

In between SDQ and his solo work, he did some producing, and…
Yeah, he produced Little Walter, Chuck Berry, Louie and the Lovers…

Chuck Berry?
We did an album with him.

Remember which one?
I don’t even know. It was back in 69-70 in San Francisco. [Augie refers to 1968’s From St. Louie to Frisco, which lists Doug Sahm and Augie Meyers as musicians. “We didn’t produce the whole album, but a few of the tracks,” he’d say later.]

What do you remember of that session?
Chuck Berry didn’t like white people. He was very arrogant. I saw him a couple of years ago in Italy. He’s an asshole.

Are you on the record?
Yeah.

Then came the Tornados…
I had a record out, ‘Hey baby qué pasó,’ with Atlantic records. They weren’t doing a good job, so I bought my contract and publishing back from them. And then Warner called Doug to put a Tex-Mex supergroup together. So Doug turned to me and said, “Man, let’s do a supergroup,” and I said, “OK,” and he said, “Who are you going to get?” I said, “I don’t know,” and he said, “I’ll pick Freddy Fender,” and I said, “I’ll pick Flaco Jiménez.” So we put the quintet together as a back-up group, the bass, drum and all that. Then we went to San Francisco and sold out four shows. People were lining up around the corner to get in. And Warner said, “Hey, man, whatever you want, we’ll make an album and we’ll give you as much money as you want.” And that’s how the Tornados came about.

How were the rehearsals? There were four strong personalities in the room…
“[Doug] and Freddy always argued, but they loved each other. Freddy wanted to play and sing certain tunes, and Doug would say, “No, we’re going to play these songs.” And we played the songs that Doug wanted, because those were the songs we should’ve played. I was always called the peacemaker.

Did Doug usually win the arguments?
Yeah.

Why?
Because he just moved better.

His passing was unexpected, wasn’t it?
It was a total surprise. I was in Arizona playing with Freddy. My son called me and told me, “Doug died.” He was in Taos, New Mexico. Heart attack.

I’ve read he was pretty healthy, supposedly. Did he do any…
No, no, no. He had high blood pressure and got into a hot tub, in the altitude. You don’t get in a hot tub when you have high blood pressure. That’s what killed him.

He was such an important force, both musically and personally. How did the band reacted?
He was number one. We just had to sit back and regroup. We didn’t know what we were going to do.

When you think of him, do you think Texas, San Antonio, or Austin?
He was from San Antonio. He just lived in Austin because he thought it was a better music scene.

Besides the obvious physical resemblance, are there any musical similarities between Doug and Shawn?
Oh, yeah. When I look at him, I think Doug is there. He plays like Doug and he sounds like Doug.

Do you have any unreleased recorded material?
Oh yeah, we have a lot of stuff. Hell, I have a whole album that’s never been released. It’s got to be mixed. Little by little I’m going to put it out.

How many songs?
Oh, about 10 or 12.

Who recorded those songs?
Me and Doug. Way back, 20 years ago. Last Friday we just got a Gold album in Norway, for stuff we did 20 years ago. It’s called Scandinavian years. They re-released it and it went Platinum. Some were under Doug Sahm and Augie Meyers, some under SDQ. There are probably 30 or 40 albums we did.

When was the last time you two spoke?
I talked to him on a Monday. He said he was going to New Mexico and I was going to Arizona, and that’s the last time we spoke. I told him, “Be back, because we have to take pictures for Texas, we play Friday.”

* * *

Shawn Sahm: “He would’ve freaked out with the new [Tornados] album.”

What your earliest and latest memory of your dad?
My earliest days are very young. Three, four. If you look at the cover of Rolling Stone, in 1968, I was on the cover with my dad when I was htree. I remember those days, I remember running around in California with Dad. When I was a kid I always wanted to play his Gold records. He had a ‘Mendocino’ Gold record, and I always cried because I wanted to play it on the turntable… (laughs)

The actual Gold record?
Yes! As a little child I wanted to put on the Gold record, and they would say, “No, no! You can’t do that!" My earliest memories are family stuff, hanging out with dad. Me, Dawn, and Shandon, the three of us and my father were really close. I just remember running around with Pop.

And the latest?
Honestly, right before he passed away, when he was heading out to Taos. This story has gotten changed around a lot, as it happens with people and times goes by, the story gets changed a bit, embellished, but the truth of the matter… You know, I live off HWY 10, you take 10 all the way right to Taos and right to California. He came by my house on the way to Taos. So my latest memory is him sitting there at the table with me. We were talking about everything from personal business stuff, because we had a company together. That, family stauff, and I remember asking him if he was OK. Because it dawned on me that he looked like he didn’t feel well. We thought he might’ve had the flu, and he said, “No, no, I’m fine.”  And then he continued on to Taos after staying for a couple of hours. That would be my last memory of him. I remember looking right in his eyes, man.

I remember seeing him twice in LA. We had gone to see Flaco Jiménez, but your dad stole the show both times. He was amazing.
You know? Flaco is so awesome about giving Dad credit for introducing him to the rock and roll side of things. My dad took Flaco up to New York in 1972 or '73 for the Doug Sahm and Band record, with Bob Dylan, and Dr. John. That really introduced Flaco, and these are Flaco’s words, that really introduced him to a whole new world. He said, “Shawn, your dad was the one who said, 'You can take what you do and bring it into my world, and play the rock and roll with the accordion. The accordion is an instrument that has no boundaries.” When you think about it, Dad and Flaco getting together, having that conversation, that was a quintessential little moment, wasn’t it? Of course, Dad and Augie [Meyers] were doing that for a long time as well. You can hear tracks like ‘Nuevo Laredo,’ from the [SDQ's] Together after five album, from probably 1970 [right]… Those were quintessential Tex-Mex songs. We still play ‘Nuevo Laredo’ today, and that’s Tex-Mex to the bone.

Augie just told me they got a Gold album for something they did like 20 years ago.
No, no… OK, yeah, yeah… You know Dad: There were always a million people playing on his records. We just did this Doug Sahm’s tribute for Dad’s birthday on the 6th. It was sold out, just last week. We had Jimmy Vaughn, and Augie, and what I did was this: I set up a special Gold record presentation where the fan club had come down and presented the award to the guys, and I accepted the award. It was really cool. But that was from records in the 80s. Last year the records went number two, Gold and Platinum.

But are we talking about the Norway sales?
Scandinavia. Right, exactly.

Musically speaking, what did he teach you, specifically?
Honestly, at the end of the day, I got it all from him. You learn from a variety of sources, you always do. I learned from the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles… Hell: Old school Elton John. I’m trying to paint different pictures of music styles. I like all kinds of different styles. But the things you grow up with seem to be the things that matter most. And I would be lying if I said that it wasn’t Doug Sahm’s music that has been embedded the deepest in me since I was a child. I mean, the first song I learned to play was ‘Mendocino.’ You can see my baby books, where my mom would write it. I was just obsessed with my dad’s music. I always wear his influence on my sleeve, and rightfully so. It’s my father, and it would be ridiculous for me to deny it. At the same time, I also think I have my own things to say, and I write my own songs. Me and Daddy used to write songs together all the time. He used to call me his “own little songwriting machine.” One day I had this song, ‘One and only,’ that the Tornados cut. The very beginning of the song was very similar to one of his songs. So he said, “Hey, son, that’s a great song, man! I think you got that one line from me, man!” I said, “Pop, you kidding? I got them all from you, man!” So he hugged me and said, “That’s my boy!” He’d also tell me, “When we sing harmonies, it all sounds like just one voice.” And I would say, “Well, it is, pop!” And he’d give me a hug.

What’s the status of the Tornados album?
Well, I’m working on it right now. The guys have been great, Augie and Flaco and all the Tornado guys.

Will it include the last tracks recorded by Freddy Fender?
Oh, yeah! It’s great. I produced the record, I worked on it for a few years, obviously right before Freddy passed away. It’s a new Tornado reunion album, and the cool thing about it is that Freddy and the guys a few years back allowed me to basically go with my gut instinct and trusted me to make a great record and put it all together for them. We have about 12 tracks of what I call a quintessential Tornado record. When people hear this they’ll hear all the guys, to me, at the top of their game. When you listen to it, you understand why they are who they are. It’s Augie, Freddy, and Flaco at the top of their game.

What do you think would have been you father’s reaction?
That’s a very good question, and we have talked about that. Me and Augie had this conversation before. And we both think Dad would freak out, we would absolutely love it. When Freddy goes… [he imitates Freddy’s singing], dad would just be jumping around the room. He would’ve loved this record. The album will include an unreleased song of Dad’s, everyone’s going to be in this damn record.

Any more unreleased tracks for the future?
Oh, yeah… But we don’t just want to put stuff out: We want to put great stuff out, and we have plenty of them. It will all see the light of day at the appropriate time.

Augie told me that your dad had high blood pressure, and…
Well… That’s kind of assuming a lot. Augie has been telling the story that [Doug’s] girlfriend called and there was no answer…  I’m actually the one that called his girlfriend and gave her the news.

You know better than me: Augie loved your Dad. But his memory sometimes…
Oh, no, me and Augie are family too. We’re real close. But sometimes I have to tell him, “No, Oogie Boogie, it didn’t happen like that…” And he goes, “Oh, Shawnee, OK.” Sometimes stories get turned around. The truth, or the simple version of the truth is this: Remember that I told you that at my house [Doug] looked like he had the flu? Well, he’d been sick all week, apparently. Here’s the real version. I mean, yes, he did sit in a hot tub, but it was more than just that.

But he did have high blood pressure? I’m asking you because I have high blood pressure myself, I want to know!
In hindsight, he may have, but he never discussed this with us. A lot of the shit we found out kind of, you know… He had a little problem with his finger, little issues. We never knew Dad was sick. He was telling Augie he was sick. The truth of the matter is that none of us knew. No one can tell you they knew dad was sick and that he was going to pass away. It was a shock to all of us. He had some little health issues, and age and the flu partly contributed to them. But the truth of the matter is that he was sick from the time he left my house to the time he got to Taos. It was a series of things he did that didn’t add up correctly. He went all week with being sick. I remember him saying, “I’m feeling better.” I even offered to come get him a couple of times, and he would say, “Oh, yeah, I might let you drive me back down,” and then he would say, “No, I’m OK.” He did have some health issues, but overall he was healthy. It was getting close to 60 [degrees] in Taos, it was getting hot, and things started happening. But none of us knew there was anything wrong like this.

All about mariachi week

By Enrique Lopetegui
elopetegui@sacurrent.com

Updated on 11/17/09

If you need a good reason to stop by Municipal Auditorium on Saturday at 9 am, get this name down: Angélica Vargas. The six-year-old, one of the contenders in the vocal competitions to take place Saturday morning, stole the show Monday at the press conference of the 15th annual Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza. She’s cute, funny, and has a tremendous voice. True, her dad Manuel is an accomplished mariachi, but let’s face it: To sing rancheras, either you have it or you don’t, and she’s got it in spades. If there is another little girl who beats her, I want to know her now.

But the vocal competitions and Mariachi Vargas show Saturday night are only part of a long list of activities that began Sunday with a noon Mariachi Mass at Mission San José and a 'Serenade to San Antonio' at 3 pm at the Empire Theater.

The following are the remaining events:

Tuesday, November 17: Mariachi Mujer Internacional performs at the St. Frances Nursing Home, 2 pm.

Also at 2 pm, MV members Arturo Vargas (guitar) and Andrés González (violin) conduct presentations at Irving Middle School, 1300 Delgado St.

At 3:15 p.m., Vargas and González will be at Whittier Middle School, 2101 Edison Dr.

Wednesday, November 18: At 11:30 a.m., Vargas and González will be at Jefferson High School, 723 Donaldson Ave.
  
At 1 pm, they will be at Stephen F. Austin Elementary, 621 W. Euclid Ave. 
  
2 p.m.: Mariachi Mujer Internacional will perform for senior citizens.   
St. Francis Nursing Home, 630 W. Woodlawn.

2:45 p.m. Vargas and González will be at Twain Middle School, 2411 San Pedro Ave.

4:30 p.m. Vargas and González at Brackenridge High School, 400 Eagleland.

7 p.m. Vargas and González will play and talk about the ranchera tradition at the Instituto Cultural de México, 600 Hemisfair Plaza, 7 pm (free).

Thursday, November 19: Serenata en el Río (Serenade by the River) by several mariachi students at the Rivercenter Mall Lagoon, 849 E. Commerce, 5:30 pm.

Friday, November 20: Mariachi workshops by members of Mariachi Vargas and Mariachi Los Caporales at the Henry B. González Convention Center, 200 E. Market Street, 8 am.

Also, the Mariachi Group Competitions take place at 5 pm at the Municipal Auditorium, 100 Auditorium Circle.

Saturday, November 21: Mariachi Vocal Competitions at the Municipal Auditorium, 9 am.

At 1 pm, Patricia Greathouse will read from her book Mariachi at the Memorial Branch Library, 3222 Culebra Rd.

Finally, the Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán (the most respected mariachi orchestra in the world) will perform at the Municipal Auditorium at 7:30 pm, with the winners of the group and vocal competitions opening the show, and Los Angeles’ Nydia Rojas (arguably the best female mariachi singer in the country) as special guest.

Sunday, November 22: Almuerzo con Mariachi (mariachi lunch) with Mariachi México de Noche at Estela’s Mexican Restaurant, 2200 W. Martin (1 pm-3 pm).

For more information, go to www.mariachimusic.com.

Running for Johanna

By Enrique Lopetegui
elopetegui@sacurrent.com

John Sigmund works at SAY Sí with my wife since early 2009.

His position, Coordinator of College & Career Programs, means exactly that: He helps students apply and plan their future in college after they graduate from SAY Sí.

He’s also a Real Madrid fanatic, but he left predilections aside and bought my daughter a custom-made Barcelona outfit (complete with her name and a # 1 in the back), which is like being a Yankee fan and buying someone a Red Sox hat. That’s how cool he is.

But I had no idea there was something else about him, and he revealed it with a letter I want to share.

I could have just shared the key information with the reader, but I believe this is a letter meant to be read in its entirety.

Dear Family & Friends,

It has been eight years since we lost my sister Johanna during the horrific events of the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center. Johanna was only 25 years old, yet in her relatively short time on this earth, she accomplished so much and made an indelible impression on the people who were fortunate enough to know her. She had an infectious smile, a loving spirit, a generous heart, and a true appreciation for the good things in life. Most importantly, she deeply loved her family and friends. Among her many passions, Johanna was a dedicated athlete. In the last year of her life, she made my parents and I proud when she ran the New York City Marathon. She looked radiant and invigorated during the race, stopping for photos with my Dad and even dancing and drinking at the bar that night. In 2001, Johanna didn't earn a spot in the NYC marathon and planned running the Philly marathon in November instead. She was excited to run in front of a hometown crowd and my family planned on cheering her on. Obviously, these plans, like so many others, were tragically destroyed by the events of September 11.

In November 2001, just two months after her death, my family and I decided to carry on with Johanna’s unfulfilled goal and run the Philadelphia Marathon in her honor. We were not in great shape, so we did a “relay for Johanna” with 13 family members and friends each running a two-mile leg of the marathon. We each took turns wearing her actual number bib and we symbolically passed on one of her running sneakers like a baton. It was an incredible, healing event and we all felt that we had carried on her amazing legacy of athleticism and perseverance. At the time, I vowed that I would one day run the full marathon on my own in her honor. That day is soon approaching. Although it has taken me eight long years to build up the courage (and to quit the cigarettes!), I'm finally going to run the Philadelphia Marathon for Johanna in less than two weeks on November 22.  I am writing you to ask for your financial support for this cause.

Since Johanna and I were children, our family has regularly attended Mass at St. Malachy's Church, an inner-city parish located in North Philadelphia, surrounded by a cluster of public housing units. We were drawn to the parish because of the diverse community devoted to peace and justice. We also formed a close relationship with the parish priest, Father John McNamee. After Johanna died, we decided to start a scholarship in her name at the cash-strapped school that is connected to St. Malachys. The Johanna Sigmund Memorial Fund supports the mission and operations of St. Malachy's Elementary School.

Finally, I have to mention that I would have never found the encouragement to run and fundraise for the marathon if it were not for the amazing efforts of the Pickens family, our next-door neighbors in Philly, who have founded a group called “Run for Johanna.” It started in 2004 when the oldest Pickens daughter, Nora, raised a large amount of money and ran the NYC Marathon in Johanna’s memory. A year later, her younger sister Mollie did the same thing and the next year, Mr. Pickens surprised his children and also ran the marathon, raising a huge amount of money. Dan has been an enthusiastic leader and an unstoppable organizational force for this event. He has garnered the support of donors, handed out thousands of donation envelopes door-to-door in our neighborhood, and he recently helped create a website to promote the Run for Johanna. He has also invited others to join the run. This year, there are nearly 20 runners participating in either the NYC or the Philly Marathon to raise money for Johanna’s scholarship.

In less than two weeks, I’m returning to Philly from Texas to run the marathon. Although I’m not in perfect shape (the tacos in San Antonio are too damn good!), I just completed an 18 miler yesterday so I’m almost there. Please pledge your support to this cause by visiting the website www.runforjohanna.org. Click on “Support Us” or “Donate” to make a secure donation using Paypal. Any amount, no matter how small, will be greatly appreciated. When using Paypal, mention my name in the “Add special instructions to seller” box so I have an idea of how much I have raised. Also, you will receive an email confirmation for your donation with message “Receipt for your donation to Dan Pickens” because Dan (our neighbor) is the donations coordinator.

Please help me honor my sister’s spirit by making a donation to this cause.

Thank you for your support!

With love & gratitude,

John Sigmund
http://www.runforjohanna.org/

PS: A short article about Johanna from NY Times’"Portraits of Grief":
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/03/national/portraits/POG-03SIGMUNDA.html

Show & Prove: Cuban Frowns

In their last contest, the San Antonio Spurs avenged their last season first round playoff exit at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks with a gutsy 92-83 victory. With All-Stars Tim Duncan and Tony Parker sidelined with minor ankle ailments, Coach Pop found more minutes for some of the new Spurs resulting in a defensive minded starting lineup of George Hill, Keith Bogans, Richard Jefferson, DeJuan Blair, and Antonio McDyess. RJ and Bogans in particular sparked the Spurs with solid defense and combined 42 points.

In recent games the highlight of San Antonio's young Jeffersonian era has been the presence of a Spur who can consistently and emphatically dunk. Since injuries have somewhat grounded Manu Ginobili over the past couple of seasons, the Spurs have lacked an athletic player who defies gravity and injects enthusiasm onto the offensive end of the floor. Bat swatting aside, San Antonio's signature plays in this young campaign have been a pair of slams by RJ, first over Greg Oden, and later against a pair of Mavericks.

 Also impressive has been sophomore point guard George Hill who will be handling quarterback duties until Tony Parker returns. Since this year's Summer League, Hill has exuded confidence on the court and displayed a remarkable command of the offense, along the way becoming Coach Pop's favorite player. After payback against Dallas and their reviled owner Mark Cuban, Hill was his usual calm self.

 "It wasn't because we were playing the Mavericks, we knew we had to play better defense to win," Hill told reporters after the game. "We had a chip on our shoulder since we gave up lots of points versus Toronto. We took a step forward tonight. Intensity was the biggest difference. We took things away like their passing lanes and made them uncomfortable. It was a team effort and everyone stepped up. We have to keep taking steps and always stay positive and try to get better and keep our focus."

 Next up for the Spurs are the Oklahoma City Thunder and young NBA superstar Kevin Durant. Over the summer, Durant became a basketball media darling whose upside supposedly now dwarfs that of LeBron James. Around these parts, Durant is celebrated for keeping the UT hoops program relevant which for Longhorns who celebrate his visit as a homecoming is enough for now.

"No Te Acabes Kelly Field:" DIY collage project

I am so in love with this painting by Jesse Treviño.



I went to take another look at it  on Saturday as I was writing about it. It's at the Alameda, where it will reside until Feb. 28, and where I took a whole buncha little bitty iPhone photos of it. A very nice guard asked me to please cut it out, which I can understand. And I didn't have my press credentials on me, either. He was understandably dubious but really polite.

I thought about using all these little bitty pictures with the story so y'all could isolate some of the details, but there wasn't room.

So now I have this idea for a "No Te Acabes" arts n' crafts project. Grab these jpegs off of this here page (alas, you may not go down to the Alameda and take your own pics--I don't want to give that guard any more trouble.). Then print them out and tape them together and make a "No Te Acabes" remix. Or import them into Photoshop and do something with them.

I'm only somewhat kidding.

If you do make something, get in touch with me so I can see it, or send me a jpeg of it. Sfisch@sacurrent.com
Apologies/props  to Jesse Treviño and learning to love you more, the art website that no longer makes assignments.

Here are your source materials.

Texan Caterer Don Strange Dies

The Current joins San Antonio's culinary community in mourning the passing of caterer Don Strange, who made chuckwagon chuck chic and turned out larger-than-life Texas spreads that raised the bar for gala dining and entertainment. SavorSA has a few more details here; Ron Bechtol explains his magic and influence in next week's issue.