Mexicans at the Portal of Fantasy: Ricardo Montalbán

Me and Gustavo Arellano were on the radio yesterday talking about Latinos/as and Cop Shows on TV; one of his questions threw me--regarding Latinos/as on cop shows that were good! I riffed some rant about not looking to TV for good Ethnic Studies archetypes. What I should have said is what we need more of is "Mexicans" in non-Ethnic roles. Ricardo Montalbán's role on TV's Fantasy Island was as a gatekeeper of dreams, a warden of potential pleasure... that's it! No sombrero, no bandito glint, no steenken badges. Who would have thought schlock TV from Aaron Spelling would have given us cutting edge, post-Textmextian semiotic ruminations on "Mexican" subjectivity! More visual candy here!

Of course, a smart-ass and write in something about Mexicans and the fetish for midgets re-valorized by Herve Villechaize--but he was French!

Christopher Walken, Chicano

"Chicano" Image Search...

There's Just Not Time in the Day to Critique Everything Flying in Over the Transom

NSFW.

Click to read the whole tale (though my link will drop you medias res)--needless to say, the vision of Mexico herein contained is both predictable and curious. The artist, Josh Lesnick, is not without talent, and the perambulations of his imagination, colored by hallucinations of Mexico and Mexicans deserve a chapter in a future edition of Tex[t]-Mex. An example? Click around the comic--you'll dig the pages where a sombrero works as a viagra-like semiotic libido-enhancer. Or maybe not!

Loco Josh Kun Again from the NY Times on Los Pikadientes de TJ

Gustavo Arellano and Bill Nericcio on the Radio TODAY!!!!

a taped podcast of the show is now available!

or do a direct MP3 download here.

More on this kpfk show, 4pm ish, later today! Me and Ask-A-Mexican will be hyping our lucha libre joint lecture at CSU Fullerton this coming Monday and tearing apart the NBC program, SOUTHLAND. Here's the first episode! Dig the leering "Mexican" in the first frames--classic Tex[t]-Mextian nonsense! From the producer of ER, no less!

Uncharted Waters of Speedy Gonzales

Gustavo Arellano sends in this taunting challenge from Tejas!

From: "Gustavo Arellano"
To:


I am SHOCKED you have yet to pontificate on the following cartoon, especially in light of its wonderful parable of la frontera!





Desde Dallas,

Gustavo

My response!? I don't have time as I have to do your pinche radio show! ¡Zas!

Loco Josh Kun Zaps in a Linkaso Concerning the Death of Speedy Gonzales

Of course, in this version, our "only hero" dies of narco-laced drogas. Sigh....

"Mexican" Minuteman Founder in Illinois on the Loose!

My sis writes in with a link to Wonkette:

Subject: Wonkette : Anonymous Racist Freeper Is Actually… R
epublican Candidate To Replace Rahm
From: Josie Nericcio
To: Bill Nericcio

Another self-hating minority. Why do we have to suffer because of their poor self image? Have some self respect, for Pedro's sake!

Geez!

Josie Nericcio

You tell em, hermana! You tell them!

Gabo Sighting

East Coast correspondent Daphne Strassmann sends in this link to an update on Colombia's nobel laureate who is doing just fine thank you very much!

Los Lobos: Kiko

updated | original posting October 17, 2008 | video link updated 6 April 2009.

Holy Lacunae, Batman--how could the Tex[t]-Mex Galleryblog live and breathe without a sampling of SoCal legend band, Los Lobos! Omission corrected!

Rita Cansino, aka Rita Hayworth, Dancing in DANTE'S INFERNO

imdb movie factoid page on Dante's Inferno.

Posting 1002 and Counting

Wow. Without even noticing it, I blew past my 1000nth posting on the Tex[t]-Mex Galleryblog. Let me take a minute here to thank my indulgent readers and to thank as well all the kindly readers of Tex[t]-Mex: Seductive Hallucination of the "Mexican" in America who have taken the time to read the book, drop me a line, or send me a salacious link or two. Here's hoping the next 1000 posts will be as useful as the first! Gracias, gracias!

Music Explosion from UCLA

for a direct link, click this image:

21st Century Iconoclasts!