It all began a few weeks ago when Jorge Valdivia, the Vice President of the Association for Latino Men in Chicago/ALMA, sent a message to me with a subject that read "Frida Fascination."
I was shocked! I mean, everybody certainly knows ABBA but nobody that I know truly adores ABBA's Anni-Frid Lyngstad, better known as Frida, for her solo work. And I guess I am specifically talking about her 1982 album "Something's Going On" which was produced by the then-great Phil Collins immediately following his first successful bid as a solo artist with 1981's "Face Value" (also a great album). Both albums document the disintegration of each artist's marriages and they also share one song, the beautiful "If Leaving Me is Easy." Collins also provided back-up vocals and drums for several tracks on the Frida album. I recommend it highly.
Anyway, so I'm about to write to Jorge to tell him that I can't believe that he also loves Frida and the moment I open the message I just know my Latino cred has just been shot to hell - maybe forever. Jorge, of course, was sending a note about a successful showing of Mexican artist Frida Khalo paintings or some sort of retrospective, NOT the other Frida. OMG!
The first to react was, well, Jorge himself who said he was ashamed and that I should really consider enrolling in a "Latin American icons 101" class.
Because I needed understanding and support I reached out to others and, well, I got no such thing. Pedro Julio Serrano from New York, Monica Taher from Los Angeles and Lorenzo Herrera y Solano from Austin engaged in cross-country cyberterrorism and plastered images of Frida Khalo on my MySpace page (hm, my MySpace page disappeared this weekend by the way, what's up with that?). So much for friendship.
So, like, am I still Latino?
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9 comments:
HA HA HA I'm really surprised at you on one level; yet as an avid reader of your blog I really shouldn't be.
This sorta puts forth the question are you more queer or Latino. And your answer at that moment showed what facet of Andres was dominant at the time.
Dude, what have I always told you? I'm gabacho, and I correct your Spanish sometimes. Enough said.
Ay! I grew up with Jorge...don't listen to him. He may have been program director of Radio Arte, but I remember him way back when, when it was only English music he listened to like the Cranberrys. Alas, knowing Jorge...I'm sure he meant well.
Sincerely
Osvaldo
(Oddly enough, former vice-president of ALMA myself).
OMG!!! Jorge only listening to English-language music? A scadal! But I know he meant it in jest. Thanks for the comment!
ay.. todo fue en love. tu sabes.
pero, on another note.. como que your myspace page is gone? now i have to go through the dreaded process of figuring out who to replace you with. which, of course, is an impossible task. eres unico. :)
oh, to be 12 and have my myspace page.
Ay corazon de melon! We love u no matter what!!
Having been at Frida's Casa Azul (Coyoacan), the Museo Diego Rivera (the two houses he and Frida shared with a built-in bridge) and owning a large collection of biographies, photos and anything you can think of (including a book sent to me directly from Chicago by, yes, you got that right, Mr. Jorge Valdivia), I have to say that I could not believe that you got the one and only one Frida confused.
Alas, I am from El Salvador. You could not expect anything less from me but cyberterrorism.
Te quiero mucho desgraciado.
La Taher
This is so brill! You go Girl! A little Frida (as in the Mexican one) goes a long way, esp. nowadays when she has been commercialised within an inch of her life. The other Frida, however, who could possibly get enough of her?
BTW, I would say that this in fact makes you more Latino than ever!
Uhm...I'd like to correct something that Osvaldo del Valle said. Sorry, Ozzie but I have always listened to Spanish music just as much as English music. You're way off on that one.
As for the Latin American Cultural icons 101 class I suggested, my good friend Andres take, it was a joke! Mi querido Andres, I just came across this blog. How hilarious that you had such a lenghty conversation and, obviously gave this topic much thought.
Saludos from Chicago,
Jorge
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