MAN: RUBEN FUNKAHUATL GUEVARA IS... WOMAN: A BADASS.

CAN I SAY THAT?

MAN: REUBEN FUNKAHUATL GUEVARA IS PIÑA MANGO PAPAYA SWIRL OF CULTURE AND HISTORY FROM PRE-COLUMBIAN TO POSTMODERN TIMES.

AND HE'S MY HERO.

DIFFERENT MAN: TO ME, RUBEN FUNKAHUATL GUEVARA IS A CULTURAL ICON AND ALSO HE CAN SING.

DIFFERENT MAN: HE'S THE BEST OF WHAT THIS CITY IS.

HE'S HOT L.A. FIRE.

DIFFERENT MAN: HE'S AN AMERICAN HERO.

DIFFERENT MAN: A LEGEND.

WOMAN: HE'S A GREAT MISFIT.

MAN: HE'S ALSO A CULTURAL THEORIST.

DIFFERENT MAN: HE'S JUST PART OF THAT FOUNDATION THAT CREATED THIS BUILDING THAT WE CALL THE CHICANO EXPERIENCE.

♪ ♪ ANNOUNCER: THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY CITY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ARTS & CULTURE, NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS, AND THE FRIEDA BERLINSKI FOUNDATION.

♪ MAN: MY NAME IS RUBEN FUNKAHUATL GUEVARA, AND I'M A CHICANO CULTURE SCULPTOR.

♪ MY MOTHER'S FAMILY CAME UP HERE FROM MEXICO AND THEY SETTLED IN A LITTLE MEXICAN AMERICAN BARRIO IN SANTA MONICA.

IT'S CALLED LA VEINTE.

AND MY DAD CAME UP HERE TO THE U.S. ON A TOUR WITH TRIO LOS PORTENOS.

HE PLAYED SOME PRETTY IMPORTANT GIGS.

HE DID THE CHI CHI CLUB IN PALM SPRINGS.

FRANK SINATRA EVEN SHOWED UP.

USED TO SIT IN WITH MY DAD'S BAND.

LATER, I CAUGHT A SHOW AT THE SAHARA AND I GOT LOUIS PRIMA, KEELY SMITH, WITH THE WILD SAM BUTERA & THE WITNESSES.

MEN: ♪ [INDISTINCT] ♪ PRIMA: ♪ TELL ME YOU LOVE ME ♪ MEN: ♪ TELL ME YOU LOVE ME ♪ PRIMA: ♪ HEY, MARIE ♪ MEN: ♪ HEY, MARIE ♪ PRIMA: ♪ COME HERE, SAM ♪ GUEVARA: AND THE ENERGY AND IT JUST--EXCITING.

IT WAS NOTHING LIKE MEXICAN TRADITIONAL MUSIC.

I WAS HOOKED.

[BAND PLAYING UPBEAT MUSIC] I STILL APPRECIATED THE TRADITIONAL MUSIC MY DAD PLAYED, BUT I WANTED TO SWING.

I WANTED TO ROCK, MAN, YOU KNOW?

I MEAN, LET'S FACE IT.

I WAS MEXICAN AND AMERICAN.

♪ MAN: MEXICAN AMERICANS LOOKED DOWN ON THE RECENTLY ARRIVED IMMIGRANTS, AND THEN THE PREJUDICE WENT THE OTHER WAY WITH MEXICANS CALLING MEXICAN-AMERICANS "POCHOS."

SOMEBODY WHO CAN'T SPEAK SPANISH WELL.

SECOND MAN: "POCHO" WAS THE WORD THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM MY GENERATION GREW UP WITH AND IT'S VERY, VERY PEJORATIVE.

IT'S GARBAGE.

TRASH.

AS I SIT HERE WONDERING, I'M WONDERING WHICH WAS WORSE, BEING CALLED A POCHO OR A CHICANO.

I THINK THEY WERE BOTH OF THE SAME NEGATIVITY.

THIRD MAN: IT WAS HARD TO FIND VALIDATION.

SO, WHAT WE DID DO, WE SELF-VALIDATED.

WE HAD TO WAIT TILL WE HAD OUR OWN TEACHERS, OUR OWN TEACHING AT OUR OWN UNIVERSITIES, CHICANO STUDIES, BEFORE WE COULD SELF-IDENTIFY.

FOURTH MAN: WE TOOK A CLASS CALLED CHICANO THOUGHT: MEXICAN-AMERICAN ROOTS IN MEXICO.

SO, WE STARTED TO REALLY LEARN THE HISTORY.

THE FACT THAT WE WERE POCHOS AND WE TOOK ON THE WHOLE THING OF--EVEN CHICANO WAS A POCHO.

AND THAT'S WHY WE TOOK IT ON.

WE TOOK ON THAT WORD BECAUSE IT BOTHERED PEOPLE.

VALDEZ: YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THAT RELATIVES BACK IN MEXICO, THEY WERE LOOKING AT US AS PEOPLE WHO ABANDONED THEM, WHO GAVE UP ON THEIR CULTURE.

MAN: CHICANOS IN GENERAL SAID IF WE'RE NOT COMPLETELY ACCEPTED THERE IN MEXICO, AND WE'RE CERTAINLY NOT COMPLETELY ACCEPTED HERE IN THE UNITED STATES, THEN WHERE DO WE BELONG?

MAYBE WE BELONG EVERYWHERE.

["THE LONE RANGER" THEME PLAYS] JAMES: YOU SURE THERE'S NO OTHER CATCH TO THIS?

JIM: NO, THAT'S ALL.

ED SULLIVAN: 'CAUSE THESE YOUNGSTERS FROM LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

MAN: WHY?

GUEVARA: WHEN MY GRANDPARENTS GOT A TV, I NOTICED THAT THERE WEREN'T ANY MEXICANS ON TV.

LATE FIFTIES, ALONG COMES RITCHIE VALENS.

[PLAYING ROCK MUSIC] VALDEZ: RITCHIE VALENS WAS LIKE A SHOOTING STAR.

HE COMES OUT OF NOWHERE.

HE SHINES BRILLIANTLY FOR A RELATIVELY BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME.

AND THEN HE'S GONE.

[VALENS SINGING "LA BAMBA"] GUEVARA: HE HAD THIS BIG HIT "LA BAMBA," AND IT WAS SUNG IN SPANISH.

IT WAS UNHEARD OF.

VALDEZ: ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU HAVE NOT JUST KIDS WHO GREW UP LISTENING TO SPANISH, MAYBE SPEAKING SPANISH, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE THEIR FAIR-SKINNED COUNTERPARTS WHO SUDDENLY ARE JUST TOTALLY INTRIGUED BY THIS SONG IN A LANGUAGE THEY CAN'T UNDERSTAND.

BUT IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN DANCE TO.

IT'S GOT A RHYTHM.

GUEVARA: RITCHIE VALENS WAS CALLED THE LITTLE RICHARD OF THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY.

LITTLE RICHARD WAS MY IDOL, TOO.

THAT'S HOW I STARTED SINGING.

MAN: ♪ MY BELOVED ONE ♪ ♪ MY BELOVED ONE ♪ MEN: ♪ MY BELOVED ONE ♪ ♪ YOU WERE THE ONE, YOU... ♪ GUEVARA: I DECIDED I WANTED TO FORM A DOO-WOP GROUP.

I PUT TOGETHER A GROUP IN HIGH SCHOOL WITH MY BUDDY PABLO AMARILLAS AND WE FORMED THE APOLLO BROTHERS.

WE WERE DOING GIGS AROUND, YOU KNOW, HIGH SCHOOL AND DANCES, PARTIES.

AND LATER OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL, WE GOT SIGNED TO A LABEL.

UNBELIEVABLE.

MAN: ♪ 'CAUSE THERE'S A RIOT THERE'S A RIOT THERE'S A RIOT IN THE PARK OH...THERE'S A RIOT IN THE PARK OHHH, OH... ♪ GUEVARA: AFTER WE RELEASED OUR FIRST RECORD, WE STARTED PERFORMING IN CONCERTS ON THE RADIO, EVEN TV.

WE WEREN'T MAKING ANY MONEY, BUT IT WAS PRETTY EXCITING FOR A COUPLE OF 19-YEAR-OLDS JUST OUT OF SCHOOL.

AFTER A COUPLE OF YEARS, THINGS WEREN'T MOVING FORWARD FOR US, SO, ME AND PABLO SPLIT UP, BUT I KEPT ON SINGING SOLO.

AND AROUND THIS TIME, MY MOTHER IS WORKING AS AN ACTRESS IN HOLLYWOOD, AND SHE WORKED WITH SOME PRETTY BIG STARS, LIKE ANTHONY QUINN.

SO, SHE HAD SOME CONNECTIONS AND SHE GOT ME AN AUDITION FOR "SHINDIG!"

WHICH IS THE HOTTEST ROCK AND ROLL SHOW AROUND IN THE MID-SIXTIES.

MAN: HOWDY-HI, SHINDIGGERS, AND WELCOME AGAIN TO AMERICA'S FIRST AND FAVORITE MUSICAL SHOW OF ITS KIND--"SHINDIG!"

MAN: ♪ LET ME HEAR THE CHOIR SING ♪ WOMAN: I SAW HIM ON-- WAS IT "SHINDIG!"?

I WAS LIKE, "THAT'S RUBEN?"

IT WAS WONDERFUL TO SEE.

GUEVARA: ♪...BUY HER A DIAMOND RING AND IF THAT DIAMOND RING DON'T SHINE HE'S GONNA TAKE IT TO A PRIVATE EYE... ♪ SO, HERE I AM ON "SHINDIG!"

WITH MY ROCK AND ROLL IDOL BO DIDDLEY.

♪ CAN YOUR MONKEY DO THE DOG?

♪ WOMEN: ♪ DOO WOP ♪ GUEVARA: ♪ CAN YOUR MONKEY DO THE DOG?

♪ WOMEN: ♪ DOO WOP ♪ GUEVARA: ♪ CAN YOUR MONKEY DO THE DOG?

♪ WOMEN: ♪ DOO WOP ♪ GUEVARA: ♪ CAN YOUR MONKEY DO THE DOG?

♪ WOMEN: ♪ DOO WOP ♪ GUEVARA: ♪ WELL, MY DOG CAN MONKEY JUST LIKE YOU CAN YOUR MONKEY DO THE DOG LIKE I DO, LIKE I DO?

♪ IT WAS SURREAL.

IT WAS GREAT.

BO DIDDLEY WAS GREAT.

WE SHARED OUR DRESSING ROOM TOGETHER AND...

IT WAS COOL.

♪ WHOA, WHOA, YEAH ♪ ♪ OW!...YEAH ♪ MARTINEZ: IN A PLACE LIKE L.A., WE ARE NOT NEARLY AS VISIBLE AS WE NEED TO BE.

SO, THE WORK OF MAKING US VISIBLE, THAT'S PART OF THE MOVEMENT, AND RUBEN GUEVARA HAS BEEN DOING THAT SINCE HE WAS A KID ON THE SCENE PLAYING "SHINDIG!"

WITH BO DIDDLEY.

BOJORQUEZ: RUBEN PUT OUR FACE ON THE MUSIC WE WOULD SEE ON TV, AND DON'T THINK IT WASN'T NOTICED.

GUEVARA: THERE WAS JUST ONE CATCH.

THEY WANTED ME TO CHANGE MY NAME TO JAY P. MOBEY.

I DON'T KNOW.

YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T WANT TO CHANGE MY NAME, BUT I FIGURED, HEY, RITCHIE VALENS WAS RICARDO VALENZUELA.

SO, I BECAME JAY P. MOBEY.

ANNOUNCER: TONIGHT, "SHINDIG!"

PROUDLY PREDICTS STARDOM FOR A GREAT NEW DISCOVERY-- MR. JAY P. MOBEY!

[CROWD SCREAMING] GUEVARA: ♪ DON'T CRY NO MORE WIPE AWAY YOUR TEARS DON'T CRY NO MORE, BABY WIPE AWAY YOUR TEARS 'CAUSE I KNOW, I KNOW THAT LOVIN' FEELING WHOA, YEAH ♪ I WAS TORN ABOUT IT, BUT I WAS YOUNG AND I WANTED TO MAKE A NAME FOR MYSELF.

I JUST NEVER IMAGINED I'D HAVE TO DO IT WITH A MADE-UP ONE.

I QUICKLY LEARNED ONE THING.

IN HOLLYWOOD, YOU'RE A PRODUCT AMD NOT A PERSON.

SOON AFTER THAT, THE SHOW WAS CANCELLED, AND THANKFULLY, SO WAS THAT STUPID NAME.

♪ ...DON'T YOU CRY HEY, HEY, ALL RIGHT ♪ [CROWD SCREAMING] MIYAMOTO: WE HAVE BEEN TOLD AND WE HAVE FELT THAT THE ONLY WAY WE WERE GOING TO BE ACCEPTED WAS TO BE AMERICAN.

SO, THE COLONIZATION OF PEOPLE AND FEELING LIKE IF I ACT MORE AMERICAN, IF I DRESS MORE AMERICAN, IF I SPEAK MORE AMERICAN, I'M GOING TO BE ACCEPTED AS AN AMERICAN, I'M GOING TO HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE I'M AMERICAN.

♪ GUEVARA: I HEARD A FRANK ZAPPA RECORD CALLED "CRUISING WITH RUBEN & THE JETS."

AT FIRST, IT KIND OF OFFENDED ME.

AND THEN I READ THE LINER NOTES AND IT SAID, "THE PRESENT-DAY PACHUCO REFUSES TO DIE!"

I THOUGHT, "HUH.

HOW DOES THIS GUY KNOW ABOUT PACHUCOS?"

SO I WENT AND I CHECKED HIM OUT.

[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING] I WENT TO THE CONCERT AND THEN I GOT IT.

RUBEN AND THE JETS WAS ROCK THEATER.

MAN: ♪ SHOOP SHOOP... ♪ ZAPPA: JUST BEAR IN MIND SOME OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO DISCUSS WITH THESE PEOPLE.

ONE OF THEM MIGHT BE... MAN: ♪ SHOOP SHOOP ♪ ZAPPA: MOTHERS.

MAN: ♪ AAH!

♪ ZAPPA: OTHERS.

MAN: ♪ AAH!

♪ GUEVARA: SO, I WAS IMPRESSED AND I DECIDED I WANTED TO GO BACKSTAGE AND CONGRATULATE HIM, TO MEET HIM.

I WALK IN AND I TELL HIM, "HEY, FRANK, THANK YOU FOR DOING DOO-WOP, DOING ALL THIS CRAZY ACID ROCK."

AND I SAID, "BY THE WAY, MY NAME IS RUBEN, AND I USED TO SING A LITTLE DOO-WOP BACK IN THE DAY.

HE JUST LOOKS AT ME AND SAYS, "UH, RUBEN, HUH?"

MAN: AND WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THAT WAS NOT, YOU KNOW, HIM SAYING TO ZAPPA, LIKE, "YOU'RE FAKE" OR "YOU'RE APPROPRIATING."

IT WAS LIKE, "HEY, I SEE THAT YOU LOVE THIS AND YOU'RE MAKING THIS KIND OF TRIBUTE, BUT I'M FROM THIS CULTURE AND I KNOW THESE STREETS AND I KNOW THIS MUSIC AND I KNOW THESE PEOPLE.

WHY DON'T YOU LET ME BECOME PART OF THAT PERFORMANCE?"

AND SO HE BECAME REALLY PART OF A KIND OF--I SEE IT AS LIKE AN EXTENDED ZAPPA PERFORMANCE THAT THEN TOOK ON A LIFE OF ITS OWN WHERE HIS MUSICAL CAREER TOOK ON A NEW CHAPTER.

♪ WOMAN: WHEN I THINK ABOUT RUBEN GUEVARA'S GROUP RUBEN AND THE JETS, I REALLY HEAR SOUL IN THERE.

IT'S ROCK, BUT IT'S ALSO GOT, LIKE, DEFINITE SOUL INFLUENCES.

BOJORQUEZ: IT WASN'T DOO-WOP.

IT WAS ROCK AND ROLL.

IT WAS HIPPIE DOO-WOP.

IT WAS KIND OF LIKE SUMMER OF LOVE DOO-WOP, YOU KNOW, A MILLION SCARVES DOO-WOP.

YOU KNOW.

MEN: ♪ AND EVERYTHING WOULD BE ALL RIGHT ♪ BOJORQUEZ: HE REPRESENTED THAT-- ALSO THAT CHICANO FREEDOM.

YOU KNOW, THAT NEW NEO-CHICANO.

GUEVARA: I PUT A BAND TOGETHER AND STARTED WRITING SOME SONGS WITH FRANK.

WE HAD SOME PRETTY BIG GIGS WITH SOME PRETTY BIG NAMES LIKE T. REX, THREE DOG NIGHT, DOOBIE BROTHERS.

WE EVEN PLAYED ROYALS STADIUM.

KANSAS CITY.

OVER 40,000 PEOPLE.

THAT WAS A TRIP.

BUT THERE WAS THIS ONE CLUB IN NEW YORK, MAX'S, KANSAS CITY.

AND THE MARQUEE, IT READ BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND, BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS, AND RUBEN AND THE JETS.

NOT BAD COMPANY, MAN.

MAN: ♪ BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM ♪ ♪ BOOM BOOM ♪ GUEVARA: SO, FRANK AND I WERE WORKING ON THE SECOND ALBUM, AND WE DECIDED TO CALL IT "CON SAFOS."

"CON SAFOS" IS A TERM THAT IS PART OF PACHUCO, CHICANO GRAFFITI CULTURE, AND IT MEANS "EXEMPT FROM DANGER."

AND IT WAS THE FIRST ALBUM COVER BY A MAJOR RECORD LABEL TO FEATURE CHICANO GRAFFITI ART.

BOJORQUEZ: THE BIGGEST ART THAT WAS HAPPENING AT THAT TIME WAS ALBUM ART.

SO, I LIKED THE ALBUM COVERS.

KUN: EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS RECORD.

I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY, THE SONGS ARE FANTASTIC.

YOU CAN REALLY HEAR THE, YOU KNOW, THE DOO-WOP INFLUENCE, THE EARLY R&B INFLUENCE.

YOU KNOW, THE COVER ART IS SO IMPORTANT.

AGAIN, LIKE, POSITIONING HIM IN PLACE, RIGHT?

STANDING UNDERNEATH THE SIGN OF SOTO.

AGAINST A WALL WHERE THERE'S TAGS, RIGHT?

SO THAT THIS RECORD BECOMES AN ADDITIONAL TAG.

THE SONGS BECOME KIND OF SONIC TAGS ON THE WALL OF LOS ANGELES.

MIYAMOTO: HE WAS MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT HOW HE WANTED TO PRESENT HIMSELF.

EVEN THOUGH HE WANTED TO PUSH AHEAD WITHIN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, THAT TAKES A KIND OF, YOU KNOW, CULTURAL BRAVERY.

♪ MAN: HEY, FELLAS, YOU WANNA GO CRUISING?

MEN: YEAH.

MAN: COME ON, COME ON!

♪ I GOT A '52 CHEVY WITH... ♪ MARTINEZ: IT'S A HOLISTIC WAY OF LOOKING AT LIFE AND ART, THAT IT'S ALL A PERFORMANCE.

YOU'RE ALWAYS ON STAGE.

THAT'S BEEN HIS PROJECT, PUTTING US ON THE MAP AND TRACING THE CONTOURS ON THAT MAP AND SHOWING US WHO WE ARE TO OURSELVES AND TO THE REST OF THE WORLD.

MEN: ♪ AH AH AH AH ♪ ♪ AH AH AH AH ♪ GUEVARA: SO, DURING THIS TIME, THERE'S PROBLEMS WITH THE BAND.

THEY JUST WEREN'T GETTING THE IDEA OF ROCK THEATER.

SO, THE JETS WERE STARTING TO IMPLODE NOW, AND OUR MANAGER TELLS ME THAT--THAT THEY'RE BANNED FROM EVERY HOLIDAY INN IN THE COUNTRY.

THINGS WERE STARTING TO FALL APART.

AND THE JETS CRASHED AND BURNED.

[MEN SINGING DOO-WOP] MAN: ♪ CHEER UP TO LOVE ♪ MEN: ♪ AH AH AH AH ♪ MAN: ♪ AND TO BE LOVED FOREVER ♪ MEN: ♪ AH AH ♪ ♪ GUEVARA: SO, AFTER THAT, I DECIDED I WANTED TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL AND CONTINUE WITH EXPERIMENTAL THEATER, BUT THIS TIME, TALK ABOUT THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN EXPERIENCE.

I TOOK SOME CHICANO STUDIES CLASSES AND I WANTED TO SEE FIRSTHAND THE PRE-COLUMBIAN MAYAN RUINS.

MY MISSION WAS TO RECONNECT WITH MY MEXICAN ANCESTRY.

I SOLD MY CAR AND TOOK A TRAIN TO GUADALAJARA.

I WANTED TO GO CHECK OUT THE ANCIENT RUINS OF PALENQUE AND CHIAPAS.

I WAS LOOKING FOR THE BUS STATION, AND I ASKED THIS OLDER GENTLEMAN IN THE STREET FOR DIRECTIONS.

HE ASKED ME WHERE I'M FROM.

I SAY, "LOS ANGELES."

HE LOOKS AT ME LIKE I'M SOME KIND OF LOWLIFE AND SAYS, "OH, YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE AMERICAN POCHOS."

I TELL HIM, "NO, I'M CHICANO."

HE SAYS, "EVEN WORSE.

CHICANOS DON'T HAVE A CULTURE.

THEY'RE MONGRELS."

I WAS SO SHOCKED.

I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY.

[DOG WHIMPERS] ♪ VALDEZ: THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN MIXED DESCRIPTIONS ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF THE WORD "CHICANO."

THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN MIXED OPINIONS ABOUT WHAT IT REALLY MEANS.

WHEN I WAS A KID, THE TERM "CHICANO" WAS NOT VERY FAVORABLE.

IT'S NOT THAT YOUR MOTHER WOULD SAY, "AH, YOU DIRTY CHICANO."

IT'S JUST--IT WAS JUST A WORD THAT DIDN'T COME INTO THE CULTURE.

MARTINEZ: RUBEN GUEVARA COMES INTO CHICANO, CHICANA ART HISTORY MAKING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MOVEMENT, THE CHICANO, CHICANA MOVEMENT, AND ONE OF THE MAIN POINTS OF TENSION AT THAT TIME WAS BETWEEN WHAT WE CALL CULTURAL NATIONALISM AND A MORE ANTI-NATIONALIST HYBRID VIEW OF HISTORY AND CULTURE, AND RUBEN GUEVARA CAPTURED THE SPIRIT OF THAT ACROSS THE SPAN OF HIS CAREER.

♪ GUEVARA: IN 1971, I TAKE A TRIP TO SAN FRANCISCO AND I CAUGHT THIS THEATER PIECE.

IT WAS A MISHMASH OF THEATER, MUSIC, DANCE, ALL THESE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS ALL MIXED TOGETHER.

THAT SPARKED AN IDEA.

SO, THAT IDEA EVOLVED INTO MY FIRST PERFORMANCE THEATER PIECE.

IT WAS CALLED "WHO ARE THE PEOPLE!"

A GOSPEL ROCK CANTATA.

AND I WROTE IT AS A ANTI-VIETNAM WAR STATEMENT.

MIYAMOTO: SO, WE WERE FIGHTING A WAR THAT REALLY DIDN'T SERVE US, AND THEN WE WERE HEARING THE SOUNDS AND MUSIC OF, YOU KNOW, "WHAT'S GOING ON?

WHAT'S GOING ON?

WHAT'S GOING ON?"

AND THAT REALLY STIRS THE IMAGINATION OF THE ARTIST IN PEOPLE, YOU KNOW.

I'M SAYING, "WHAT CAN I SAY TO ADD TO THAT?"

GUEVARA: IT HAD A MESSAGE.

I CALLED IT KIND OF LIKE PRIMAL THEATER.

AND IT GOT GREAT REVIEWS.

I DECIDED THIS WAS THE DIRECTION I WANTED TO GO IN.

MAN: CHICANO CULTURE IS A VERY WIDESPREAD CULTURE THAT HAS A LOT OF DIFFERENT PARTS IN THERE.

YOU CAN'T DESCRIBE IT IN ONE BREATH OR EVEN ONE SENTENCE OR IN ONE DAY OR A MONTH OR A YEAR BECAUSE IT KEEPS CHANGING.

THAT IS THE ESSENCE OF CHICANO CULTURE.

IT TAKES WHATEVER IS PUT IN FRONT OF IT AND INCORPORATES IT INTO THEIR-- THEIR DEFINITION.

VALDEZ: I THINK THAT BEING A CHICANO HAS GOT TO BE AN OPTION.

IT'S GOT TO BE SEEN AS A CHOICE, NOT AS SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE STUCK WITH FOR ALL ETERNITY.

I DON'T FEEL LIKE I'M BETRAYING MY LATINO ROOTS IF I'M ABLE TO GO OUT AND HAVE SOME FRENCH COFFEE OR TO EAT SUSHI OR TO HAVE CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS.

WHY SHOULD I DENY ALL OF THESE WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES IN LIFE BECAUSE I IDENTIFY MYSELF AS CHICANO, LATINO, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT?

BAG: TO BE A CHICANA, FOR ME THAT'S KNOWING THAT MY LANGUAGE IS VALID, THAT IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

TO SPEAK SPANISH IN THE UNITED STATES IS NORMAL BECAUSE WE WERE PART, LIKE, ESPECIALLY HERE, THIS WAS PART OF MEXICO, AND WE SPOKE SPANISH BEFORE YOU ALL CAME OVER HERE.

SO, FEELING LIKE MY PLACE IN THE UNITED STATES IS NOT ONLY VALID BUT FOR YOU TO DENY IT IS YOU DENYING YOUR OWN HISTORY.

GUEVARA: COUPLE OF DAYS AFTER MY ENCOUNTER WITH THAT OLD GUY IN GUADALAJARA, I MADE IT OVER TO PALENQUE.

MAN, THAT PLACE REALLY BLEW MY MIND.

I FELT THIS INTENSE CONNECTION WITH MY ANCESTORS.

A JOURNEY IN MY FAMILY, ALL LEADING UP TO MY LIFE AT THAT MOMENT.

I DECIDED TO CLIMB THE TEMPLE OF THE INSCRIPTIONS.

AND AS I'M CLIMBING, ALL THESE QUESTIONS START COMING UP IN MY HEAD LIKE, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A CHICANO ARTIST?

HOW CAN I MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH MY WORK?

WHAT SHOULD I BE DOING WITH MY LIFE?

THEN I KIND OF HAD THIS EPIPHANY.

A CHICANO ARTIST WOULD BE SOMEONE WHO USES CREATIVITY TO CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR CULTURE AND HELP SHAPE IT, KIND OF LIKE A SCULPTOR.

HUH!

THAT'S WHEN I KNEW.

I KNEW WHAT I WAS GONNA DO AND I KNEW WHAT I WAS.

A CHICANO CULTURE SCULPTOR.

SO, I COME BACK TO L.A. AND I CREATE MY FIRST PIECE OF CHICANO SCULPTURE-- THE SONG POEM "C/S."

IT'S AN ABBREVIATION FOR "CON SAFOS."

AND I ADDRESS THE RACISM THAT WAS EXPERIENCED BY MEXICAN- AMERICANS AND JAPANESE-AMERICANS DURING THE FORTIES.

L.A. [DRUM BEATING RHYTHMICALLY] MY CITY OF THE ANGELS.

WE CAME TO WORK YOUR FIELDS OF PLENTY.

WE MADE YOU RICH.

YOU PAID US PENNIES.

WE LAID YOUR RAILROAD OVER TRAILS THAT ONCE WERE OURS.

WE TAUGHT YOU HOW TO MINE YOUR GOLD, ROPE YOUR CATTLE, AND IRRIGATE YOUR LAND.

WAIT A MINUTE.

YOUR LAND?

"CON SAFOS."

WHAT'S THAT STRANGE WRITING ON THE WALLS OF L.A.?

CON SAFOS.

WON'T YOU LISTEN TO WHAT THE WALLS HAVE TO SAY, L.A.?

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IS, [SPEAKING SPANISH] HEY, LONG LIVE L.A. [SNAP] ♪ KUN: WHENEVER I, LIKE, THINK ABOUT THE GREATEST L.A.

SONGS, AND PEOPLE ARE LIKE, YOU KNOW, "IF YOU COULD PUT TOGETHER YOUR TOP 20, YOU KNOW, MOST IMPORTANT SONGS ABOUT LOS ANGELES?"

"CON SAFOS" IS ALWAYS ON THAT LIST.

TO ME, THAT IS JUST A QUINTESSENTIAL LOS ANGELES SONG, AND IT'S QUINTESSENTIAL ON THE ONE HAND BECAUSE IT WAS SUCH AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF THE CHICANO MOVEMENT.

IT WAS SUCH AN IMPORTANT COMMENTARY ON THE HISTORY OF LOS ANGELES AS A MEXICAN CITY.

IT'S QUINTESSENTIAL ALSO BECAUSE IT'S A SONG ABOUT MARKING UP THE CITY.

I MEAN, "CON SAFOS" AS A TAG, RIGHT, AS A WALL TAG OF SAYING, "WE ARE HERE."

SO, I SEE THAT-- THE SONG ALMOST AS A KIND OF MUSICAL TAG, AS A SONIC TAG OF SAYING, "I'M GONNA LEAVE MY MARK ON THIS CITY."

YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT'S BASICALLY, IT'S JUST LIKE A HISTORY LESSON, AND IT'S JUST LIKE, "LET ME TELL YOU THE HISTORY OF CHICANOS.

LET ME TELL YOU THE HISTORY OF CONQUEST AND LET ME TELL YOU THE HISTORY OF COLONIZATION.

LET ME TELL YOU THE HISTORY OF INDIGENOUS LIFE AND HOW IT RELATES TO MEXICO AND HOW THAT RELATES TO LOS ANGELES.

AND I'M GOING TO DO THAT IN THE STYLE OF THE SPOKEN WORD POET BUT ALSO IN THE STYLE OF THE DOO-WOP SINGER BUT ALSO IN THE STYLE OF, LIKE, LITTLE RICHARD, AND YOU'RE NEVER GONNA GET BORED, AND IT'S GONNA BE DOGMATIC BUT IT'S ALSO GONNA BE POETIC."

MARIN: "CON SAFOS" IS A C/S.

CON SAFOS WITH SAFOS, WHATEVER THE INTERPRETATION OF SAFOS MEANS.

IT MEANS NO BOUNDSIES.

YOU CAN'T--YOU CAN'T CROSS THIS OUT, BECAUSE IF YOU DO, EVERYBODY WHO'S IN THE CON SAFOS SIDE IS GONNA TALK TO YOU ABOUT IT.

YOU KNOW.

BOJORQUEZ: THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT BELONGED TO US.

IT WAS SOMETHING YOU PUT ON YOUR GRAFFITI.

"CON SAFOS" MEANS ANYTHING YOU DO TO THIS WORLD, WE'RE GONNA DO TO YOU.

SO, DO NOT TOUCH THIS WORLD.

THIS IS OURS.

YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE.

THIS IS OUR TERRITORY.

GUEVARA: VIVA LOS ANGELES!

VIVA MI TIERRA!

HEY.

LONG LIVE L.A. ♪ GUEVARA: ♪ DEBO BOM, BOM, BOM BOM, BOM, BOM, BA-BA-BA BER-BER-BER, BER-BER-BER... WHOA, SAY, CAN YOU SEE BY THE DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT... ♪ I COME BACK FROM MEXICO AND I'M WORKING IN THIS RECORD DISTRIBUTOR DOWNTOWN, AND RICHARD FOOS COMES IN.

HE HAD A RECORD STORE HE WAS STARTING UP CALLED RHINO RECORDS, AND HE WAS ALSO STARTING UP A LABEL.

HE KNEW ABOUT MY BACKGROUND, THAT I WAS WITH THE JETS, SO, HE ASKED ME IF I WOULD RECORD A DOO-WOP VERSION OF THE "STAR-SPANGLED BANNER" AND "AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL" FOR THE U.S.

BICENTENNIAL.

FOOS: RUBEN AND I FIRST MET IN 1976.

I HAD JUST STARTED MY RECORD LABEL.

I HAD A RECORD STORE.

FOR OUR SECOND RECORD, I WANTED TO DO A DOO-WOP VERSION OF "THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER."

IT WAS THE BICENTENNIAL AND KIND OF WANTED TO POKE GOOD-NATURED FUN AT THE SERIOUSNESS OF OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM.

GUEVARA: AND I THOUGHT, "YEAH, THAT'D BE GREAT."

TO TURN THOSE ANTHEMS INTO A PARODY, YOU KNOW, KIND OF CHICANOIZE THEM.

I SAID, "YEAH, LET'S DO IT."

♪ ...DOES THAT STAR-SPANGLED BANNER YET WAVE ♪ AND IT WAS THE LAST DOO-WOP RECORD BY LATINOS EVER RECORDED IN L.A.

FORGET ABOUT THAT.

MEN: ♪ AND THE HOME OF THE... ♪ ♪ DEBO BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM BOM, BA-BA-BA-BER BER-BER, BER-BER-BER... ♪ SECOND MAN: ♪ WHOA, SAY DOES THAT STAR-SPANGLED BANNER... ♪ [FIREWORKS EXPLODING] [MARIN SINGING INDISTINCTLY] WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BAD BAND.

WE HAD 'EM EATING RIGHT OUT OF THEIR HANDS.

AH, WE'RE GONNA BE BIG, MAN.

REALLY BIG.

BE BIGGER THAN RUBEN AND THE JETS, MAN, I BETCHA.

SHOOT.

GUEVARA: SO, AROUND THIS TIME, CHEECH AND CHONG ARE THE HOTTEST COMIC DUO AROUND.

AND SOMEHOW, "THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER" RECORD GOT INTO THE HANDS OF LOU ADLER, THEIR MANAGER.

AND I'M SET UP FOR AN AUDITION FOR HIS NEW MOVIE "UP IN SMOKE."

["LOW RIDER" BY WAR PLAYING] MARIN: RUBEN WAS, SINCE I MET HIM, WE WERE KIND OF BUDDIES, YOU KNOW, WE HUNG AROUND.

WE HAD THE SAME KIND OF BACKGROUND AND MUSIC AND L.A. WE UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE CHICANO THING, SO, WE STARTED HANGING.

VALADEZ: I WOULD LAUGH WHEN I WOULD SEE HIM IN SOME OF THE EARLY CHEECH AND CHONG FILM.

YOU CAN HARDLY RECOGNIZE HIM.

MAN: HERE'S [INDISTINCT].

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE] GUEVARA: BUT FOR THE AUDITION, I'M IN THE BACK SEAT OF A CAR WITH TOMMY AND CHEECH AND HAD TO IMPROVISE WITH THEM.

THE HARDEST PART WAS NOT CRACKING UP, MAN, I'LL BE TELLING YOU, BUT I GOT THE GIG, AS A BACKUP MUSICIAN IN THEIR BAND.

[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING] MAN: ♪ MY DADDY, HE DISOWNED ME 'CAUSE I WEAR MY SISTER'S CLOTHES HE CAUGHT ME IN THE BATHROOM WITH A PAIR OF PANTYHOSE ♪ GUEVARA: IT WAS A BALL, AND TO SEE A CHICANO AND A CHINESE COLLABORATING AND MAKING IT WORK, YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT CHICANO ISSUES, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, ALL THE COMEDY AROUND THAT, NOBODY WAS DOING THAT.

MARIN: ♪ MEXICAN-AMERICANS LOVE THEIR NA-NAS AND THEIR NO-NOS AND THEIR NEE-NAS AND THEIR NEE-NOS NA-NU-NA-NU-NEE-NA-NO-NO ♪ BOJORQUEZ: WE JUST SAW THE HUMOR IN IT.

YOU HAVE TO SEE, REALIZE, MEXICANS HAVE A LOT OF HUMOR IN THEIR PAIN AND EVERYTHING ELSE.

THEY'LL FLIP IT INTO SOMETHING FUNNY.

GUEVARA: MAN, WORKING ON THAT FILM, IT WAS TOUGH NOT CRACKING UP DURING TAKES.

JUST HAD TO REALLY BE QUIET.

BUT MAN, THEY WERE FUNNY.

FUNNY.

CRAZY LOCOS, MAN.

CRAZY LOCOS.

♪ MAN: ♪ AND TAKE A LITTLE TRIP WITH CHEECH AND CHONG ♪ WOMAN: ♪ AHH ♪ MAN: ♪ WE'LL TAKE YOU ON A MAGIC RIDE ♪ WOMAN: ♪ AHH ♪ GUEVARA: WE GOT A CHANCE TO WORK ON THE FILM "NICE DREAMS."

I WROTE THE TITLE SONG FOR IT.

♪ HEY, BABY, WON'T YOU COME ALONG AND TAKE A TRIP WITH CHEECH AND CHONG?

♪ THAT WAS A GAS, MAN.

THAT WAS A TRIP.

AND FINALLY, THESE GUYS ARE GIVING ME A CHANCE TO WRITE MUSIC FOR FILM.

FANTASTIC.

BUT THEN, HAH, CHEECH AND CHONG BREAK UP.

THAT'S HOLLYWOOD.

OH, WELL.

BACK TO MAKING ART.

THE SECOND ACT OF SUBJUGATION, OF AN ILLUSION.

100 YEARS LATER, ZAPATA AND VILLA FOUGHT FOR LAND FOR US.

AND FOR A SHORT WHILE, WE HAD IT.

AGAIN, AN ILLUSION.

I ESCAPED MY OWN SACRIFICE.

WE DIDN'T ALL SANCTION IT.

AND BESIDES, IT'S A GREAT EXAGGERATION.

NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF WILD ART PROJECTS I'D GET INVOLVED WITH, I'D ALWAYS COME BACK TO MUSIC.

I WANTED TO START A LABEL FEATURING CHICANO ROCK-- PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE.

SO, I PUT TOGETHER A BILL CALLED THE EASTSIDE REVUE THAT INCLUDED UP-AND-COMING LOS LOBOS, SIXTIES LEGENDS CANNIBAL AND THE HEADHUNTERS, AND A COUPLE MEMBERS OF RUBEN AND THE JETS.

I WAS BACKED UP BY MY BAND CON SAFOS.

PEREZ: IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE EVENING.

YOU KNOW, I WENT OUT THERE.

I KNEW THE MUSICIANS THAT HE HAD PUT TOGETHER.

AND, OF COURSE, RUBEN IN HIS OWN UNIQUE WAY WAS ABLE TO PUT ALL THOSE MUSICIANS TOGETHER AND PLAY THIS MUSIC THAT WAS JUST KIND OF UNIQUELY HIS OWN.

GUEVARA: WE SOLD OUT 2 SHOWS, AND THERE WAS A BUZZ GOING AROUND.

I DECIDED TO TALK TO RICHARD ABOUT STARTING UP A LABEL.

FOOS: I THINK AT THAT POINT, THERE REALLY WEREN'T ANY LATINO MUSIC-FOCUSED RECORD LABELS, SO, WE WERE HOPING TO BE ONE AND REALLY DO BOTH--BOTH LOOK BACKWARDS IN THE PAST AND DO COMPILATIONS.

AND THEN, YOU KNOW, NEW ARTISTS AND EVEN SIGN SOME NEW ARTISTS.

GUEVARA: SO, WE FORMED A LABEL CALLED ZYANYA AND WE PUT TOGETHER 3 COMPILATIONS.

"LOS ANGELINOS," "THE EAST SIDE RENAISSANCE," "BEST OF THEE MIDNITERS," AND A COMPILATION THAT INCLUDED AN ARRAY OF ARTISTS FROM THE SIXTIES AND FIFTIES.

IT'S CALLED "HISTORY OF LATINO ROCK."

KUN: FOR ME AS A RESEARCHER AND WRITER AND FAN, THOSE COMPILATIONS WERE WINDOWS INTO HISTORIES THAT I PERSONALLY HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF.

SO, I SEE HIS COMPILATION WORK REALLY AS--IN A KIND OF CURATORIAL SPIRIT, BUT REALLY IN AN ARCHIVAL SPIRIT, THAT HE WAS DOCUMENTING LAYERS OF LOS ANGELES MUSIC HISTORY THAT BEFORE THEN--I WOULDN'T SAY HAD BEEN ERASED, BUT THEY HAD BEEN IGNORED OR CERTAINLY MARGINALIZED.

MAN: FOR ME, THE STORY OF RUBEN IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE CAN LEARN FROM THAT EXPERIENCE AND WE CAN TAKE THAT EXPERIENCE AND UTILIZE IT TO CONTINUE TO GROW, CONTINUE TO HEAL.

MARIN: HEY, ARE YOU ONE OF THOSE DUDES THAT DO HOROSCOPES, MAN?

HEY, I'M A CANCER WITH A BAD MOON RISING.

MAN: LOOK HERE, EL VAGO, WATCH MY LIPS.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

MARIN: ♪ I WAS BORN IN EAST L.A., MAN, I WAS BORN IN EAST L.A. ♪ GUEVARA: SO AROUND THE MID- TO LATE EIGHTIES, CHEECH MAKES HIS OWN MOVIE-- "BORN IN EAST L.A." MARIN: WAAS SAPPENING?

YEAH.

ALL: WAAS SAPPENING?

THAT'S IT!

YOU GOT IT!

[ALL TALKING AT ONCE] MARIN: ALL RIGHT, [INDISTINCT], WAAS SAPPENING?

[ALL TALKING AT ONCE] GUEVARA: I'M BROUGHT ON AS A CULTURAL CONSULTANT.

AND MY SCREEN CREDIT IS "EAST L.A.

CULTURAL ATTACHE."

I HELPED THEM FIND LOCATIONS IN EAST L.A. AND I PRODUCED SOME MUSIC FOR THE SOUNDTRACK, AND I HAD A SMALL PART IN THE MOVIE.

MAN: HEY, MIGUEL, PUERTA, HUH?

THIS TIME, WHY DON'T YOU TRY SOME ENGLISH OUT THERE.

MIGUEL: HEY, TRY SOME SPANISH.

[INDISTINCT] SAY, WHAT'S HAPPENING, BRO?

YEAH, COME ON IN, YEAH!

COME ON IN.

ALL RIGHT... MARIN: YEAH.

YEAH, THAT'S WHO YOU ARE.

YOU'RE A EAST L.A.

CULTURAL ATTACHE.

AND HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THAT MEANT AND EVERYBODY THAT HEARD IT KNEW EXACTLY WHAT IT MEANT.

OH, YEAH, THEY HAVE-- I WANT TO BE A CULTURAL ATTACHE.

YOU KNOW, WHAT SCHOOL DO YOU GO TO FOR THAT, YOU KNOW?

THE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS, HOMES.

HA HA!

YOU KNOW?

AND--BUT IT REALLY DESCRIBES HIM BECAUSE HE INFORMS THAT POSITION WITH A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT AREAS, BOTH STREETWISE AND INSTITUTIONALWISE.

BUT HE IS A EAST L.A.

CULTURAL ATTACHE.

AND EAST L.A. HAS A LARGER SENSE, A LARGER UNDERSTANDING NOW THAN WHEN HE SAID IT IN THOSE DAYS.

GUEVARA: WHEN I FIRST SAW THE FILM AND THERE'S THAT--THAT SCENE WHERE THE MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS ARE RUSHING THE BORDER, WHEW.

REMIND ME OF CECIL B. DeMILLE OR SOMETHING, YOU KNOW?

[ALL SCREAMING] NEIL DIAMOND: ♪ EVERY TIME THAT FLAG'S UNFURLED THEY COMIN' TO... ♪ MAN: [INDISTINCT] WAKE UP!

DIAMOND: ♪ GOT A DREAM TO... ♪ GUEVARA: IT REALLY HIT HOME.

I THOUGHT OF MY OWN FAMILY COMING UP HERE...

CROSSING THAT BORDER... MAKING IT TO THE U.S. YEAH, I BROKE DOWN WHEN I SAW THAT SCENE.

DIAMOND: ♪ THEY'RE COMING TO AMERICA ♪ GUEVARA: CHEECH ASKED ME TO JOIN HIM ON A PROMOTIONAL TOUR FOR THE MOVIE IN MEXICO.

MAN, I WASN'T SURE HOW A MOVIE MADE BY A POCHO WOULD GO OVER THERE.

THE NIGHT BEFORE THE PRESS CONFERENCE AND SCREENING, I WANTED TO MAKE A STATEMENT.

I STAYED UP ALL NIGHT WRITING IT AND THAT GUY ON THE STREET CORNER IN GUADALAJARA, IN A FUNNY WAY, HE HELPED ME WRITE IT.

SO, ME AND CHEECH ARE SITTING AT THIS PRESS CONFERENCE TABLE, AND I HAVE NO IDEA IF PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO HEAR WHAT I HAVE TO SAY, BUT I START TO READ MY STATEMENT.

[SPEAKING SPANISH], I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE RENAISSANCE OF CHICANO CULTURE.

CHICANO, NOT HISPANIC, NOT LATINO, NOT POCHO, AS WE ARE KNOWN TO SOME OF YOU.

WE ARE MESTIZOS, A POWERFUL MIX OF DIFFERENT BLOODLINES, FROM SPANISH TO ARABIC TO AFRICAN TO ASIAN TO INDIGENOUS.

NOW, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, THERE'S BEEN A LONG MISUNDERSTANDING AND LACK OF RESPECT FOR CHICANOS, YOUR CHILDREN TO THE NORTH.

WE'VE BEEN CALLED MONGRELS WITHOUT A CULTURE, TRAITORS BECAUSE WE LEFT MEXICO.

BUT IT WAS THE REVOLUTION THAT FORCED MY GRANDPARENTS TO THE U.S., AND WE HAVE NEVER CUT OUR ROOTS WITH YOU.

AND AS FOR NOT HAVING A CULTURE, WELL, I HAVE NEWS FOR YOU.

WE'VE BEEN BUSY.

WE NOW HAVE INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED ARTISTS, INCLUDING PAINTERS LIKE MARGARET GARCIA, BARBARA CARRASCO, WAYNE HEALY, AND JUDITHE HERNANDEZ.

WRITERS AND POETS LIKE CHERRIE MORAGA, RUDOLFO ANAYA, GLORIA ANZALDUA.

WE HAVE MUSICIANS, AMONG THEM LALO GUERRERO, CARLOS SANTANA, AND LOS LOBOS.

THEATER AND FILM ARTISTS LIKE LUIS VALDEZ, EVELINA FERNANDEZ, EDWARD JAMES OLMOS, AND NOW CHEECH MARIN WITH HIS NEW MOVIE "BORN IN EAST L.A." THE FACT IS, CHICANOS HAVE CREATED A MAGNIFICENT AND VITAL CULTURE.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] WHEN I FINISHED, THE WHOLE ROOM ERUPTED IN APPLAUSE.

PEOPLE EVEN STOOD UP.

I GUESS THEY HEARD ME.

VALDEZ: RUBEN FUNKAHUATL GUEVARA, HE FOLLOWS IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF OTHER GREAT MEXICAN ARTISTS.

WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR THIS COUNTRY WITH THIS CULTURE, BY OPENING IT UP, MAKING PEOPLE AWARE OF THE MUSIC THAT HAS COME OUT OF THIS CULTURE, HE ABSOLUTELY OPENED DOORS, OPENED PATHWAYS, OPENED OPPORTUNITIES.

MARIN: RUBEN WILL BE NOTED AS-- REMEMBERED AS A PIONEER BECAUSE HE KEPT PUSHING THE LINE, YOU KNOW, FROM HOW DOES AN R&B SINGER GET TO BE A CULTURAL AVATAR, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S WHAT HE HAS DONE, YOU KNOW, THROUGH A PROCESS OF REDEFINING HOW TO SAY THAT MESSAGE AND WHAT THAT MESSAGE IS AND HOW THAT MESSAGE KEEPS TRANSFORMING.

GUEVARA: I'VE ALWAYS HAD A LOT TO SAY AND I'VE TRIED TO SAY IT THROUGH DIFFERENT ART FORMS, WHETHER IT'S MUSIC, POETRY, THEATER OR VIDEO ART.

WHAT GREATER ATROCITY?

THE AZTEC PRIEST OFFERING A HEART FOR LIFE OR THE CONQUISTADOR MULTINATIONAL CORPORATION RIPPING OUT THE SOUL BUT LEAVING THE HEART SO THE INDIAN BEAST CAN WORK?

DISORIENT THE PSYCHE.

EMPOWERS THE WEAPON OF EMPIRE.

LANGUAGE.

YOUR NAME IS INDIAN BEAST.

YOU BELONG TO ME.

DRINK, NOT TOO MUCH.

EAT, NOT TOO MUCH.

[INDISTINCT] AS MUCH AS YOU WANT.

SLEEP, BUT NOT TOO MUCH.

REMEMBER, WORK EQUALS MANHOOD.

LIKE I SAID, I ALWAYS COME BACK TO MY ROOTS AS AN ARTIST, AND THAT'S IN MUSIC.

PEREZ: RUBEN IS A VERY VITAL LINK IN THE EVOLUTION OF CHICANO MUSIC.

YOU GO WAY BACK TO DON TOSTI.

YOU THINK OF LALO GUERRERO.

RUBEN CAN ADVANCE OUR CONVERSATION.

HE BROUGHT IN FUNK AND ROCK AND ROLL AND HIS OWN UNIQUE HYBRID OF THAT MIXTURE OF THE CHICANO EXPERIENCE AND RHYTHM AND BLUES.

♪ FOOS: SO, WITH RHINO AND MY LABEL ZYANYA, WE PUT OUT AN ALBUM, CD COMPILATION, CALLED "RECONQUISTA!

THE LATIN ROCK INVASION."

AND IT FEATURED BANDS FROM MEXICO, SOUTH AMERICA, SPAIN, AND PAIS VASCO.

I THINK THE KIDS IN MEXICO WERE EMBRACING CHICANO CULTURE.

I KNOW ROCCO, THE LEAD SINGER, WAS.

♪ [ROCCO SINGING IN SPANISH] [CROWD CHEERING] KUN: "RECONQUISTA."

THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST, IF NOT THE FIRST, COMPILATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES OF SPANISH-LANGUAGE ROCK MUSIC.

THIS ISN'T, YOU KNOW, A PRETTY VAST MUSICAL LANDSCAPE, AND "RECONQUISTA!"

IS A, YOU KNOW, IT'S A SINGLE-DISC COMPILATION THAT KIND OF CHERRY-PICKED KEY ARTISTS AND KEY SONGS, BUT THE WAY THAT RUBEN CHERRY-PICKED WAS TO FIGURE OUT, LIKE, WHAT'S THIS THREAD OF KIND OF REVOLUTION, LIBERATION, PROTEST, STRUGGLE, AND A RECONQUEST OF THE AMERICAS WITHOUT CALLING ITSELF THAT.

IT WAS A DECOLONIZING RECORD.

MARTINEZ: THEN THE NINETIES ARRIVE, AND THERE'S THAT INDIGENOUS UPRISING IN CHIAPAS, AND SOMETHING HAPPENS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER.

THE CHICANOS--AND CHICANOS ARE LOOKING SOUTH AGAIN.

THEY'RE LOOKING FOR INDIGENOUS, YOU KNOW, AUTHENTICITY, AND PEOPLE IN MEXICO CITY IN PARTICULAR ARE LOOKING NORTH FOR CHICANO AUTHENTICITY.

IT'S A REALLY FASCINATING MOMENT WHERE WE'RE BOTH LOOKING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS AND MEETING ON THE BORDER BETWEEN US.

AND RUBEN, AS IS HIS WANT, HE KNEW SOMETHING WAS HAPPENING AND HE PUT HIS FINGER ON IT AND CAME UP WITH THE PROJECT THAT COULD REPRESENT IT.

SO, HE BROUGHT ALL THESE MUSICIANS TOGETHER, AND THOSE SESSIONS WERE A BLAST.

♪ WOMAN: I LOVE THE IDEA OF MEXAMERICA BECAUSE IT REALLY RECOGNIZED THE FACT THAT WE WERE DIFFERENT THAN MEXICANOS ON THAT SIDE OF THE BORDER, RIGHT?

THAT WE WERE CHICANOS AND THAT WE HAD OUR OWN SONIC EXPRESSION.

SO, THIS WAS KIND OF A MUSICAL EXTENSION OF WHAT SOME OF THE TRANSNATIONAL WORK THAT WE HAD ALREADY BEEN ENGAGING IN.

GUEVARA: THE WHOLE PURPOSE BEHIND "MEXAMERICA" WAS TO, FIRST OF ALL, TEAR DOWN THE GREAT POCHO WALL WHICH SEPARATES CHICANOS AND MEXICANOS.

I STRUGGLED WITH THAT OVER THE YEARS AND-- SO, IT WAS A VERY POSITIVE ALBUM.

WE TALKED ABOUT UNIFYING CHICANOS AND MEXICANOS.

KUN: SO, THAT PHYSICAL BORDER WALL BECAME ALSO METAPHORICAL FOR HIM.

IT BECAME SONIC.

IT BECAME CULTURAL.

AND SO, I DO THINK THERE IS THIS THREAD IN HIS WORK OF TRYING TO, LIKE, HOW DO I USE MUSIC TO, YOU KNOW, TO KIND OF BLOW A HOLE IN THAT WALL?

AND EVEN IF IT'S NOT LITERALLY TAKING THE WALL DOWN, HOW CAN WE USE MUSIC TO MOVE THROUGH IT, TO MOVE BEYOND IT, AND ASK THOSE QUESTIONS?

AND IF WE CAN KNOCK DOWN THESE BARRIERS FOR HIM PERSONALLY, MAYBE THAT'S A WAY INTO HIM UNDERSTANDING HIS OWN LIFE AND HIS OWN SENSE OF IDENTITY IN A NEW AND DIFFERENT WAY.

MARTINEZ: I THINK THE ALBUM HIT RIGHT AT THE MOMENT WHEN WE NEEDED TO MAKE THAT RECONNECTION ACROSS TIME AND HISTORY THAT HAD HAD THIS, YOU KNOW, TENDENCY TO SEPARATE LOS ANGELES FROM EVERYTHING SOUTH OF THE BORDER, INCLUDING TIJUANA.

IT WAS RESETTING SOMETHING, IT WAS RECOVERING SOMETHING, BECAUSE ONCE AGAIN, IT HAD TO DO WITH RESCUING A HISTORY THAT HAD BEEN STRIPPED AWAY FROM US BY PREJUDICE AND IGNORANCE.

♪ MAN: AS ONE GETS OLDER, ONE ALWAYS LOOKS AT OTHER MODELS, RIGHT, OF HOW PEOPLE AGE, AND WHAT I LOVE, I'M SO INSPIRED BY HIM, IS THAT HE'S SOMEONE WHO, AS HE GETS OLDER, HE'S CONSTANTLY WORKING AND CONSTANTLY CHANGING AND CONSTANTLY REFLECTING ON HIS OWN EXPERIENCE AND HIS RELATIONSHIPS AND TRYING TO, LIKE, STILL MAKE MUSIC.

BAG: I JUST THINK RUBEN GUEVARA IS EVERYWHERE WHERE YOU DON'T EXPECT HIM TO BE.

YOU GO TO A CONCERT AND YOU DO EXPECT HIM TO BE THERE AND HE USUALLY IS THERE.

THEN YOU GO TO AN ART GALLERY AND HE'S THERE.

THEN YOU GO TO A PROTEST AND HE'S THERE.

AND YOU GO TO A RESTAURANT AND HE'S THERE.

I MEAN, HE'S JUST OMNIPRESENT.

GUEVARA: I KNEW THE TIME HAD COME TO DO MY OWN ALBUM WITH MY OWN MUSIC.

I'D BEEN JAY P. MOBEY.

I WAS RUBEN OF RUBEN AND THE JETS.

AND NOW I WANTED AN IDENTITY THAT WAS REALLY MINE.

SO, I CAME UP WITH A NEW ALTER EGO.

FUNKAHUATL, THE NEO-CHICANO AZTEC GOD OF FUNK.

IT KIND OF EMBODIES THE MUSICAL AND SPIRITUAL ROOTS OF MY CAREER AS WELL AS MY LIFE.

AND TO THIS DAY, THAT'S MY NAME.

SO, THIS TIME, THE CHICANO CULTURE BEING SCULPTED WAS ME.

♪ THE ALBUM WAS TITLED "THE TAO OF FUNKAHUATL."

AND I DECIDED TO DEDICATE IT TO MY FATHER WHO TAUGHT ME TO SING... BACK IN THE DAY.

MEXICAN BOLEROS.

♪ CACTUS FLOWER BLOOMIN' IN THE MOONLIGHT ♪ MARIN: RUBEN WORKED VERY HARD FOR A LOT OF YEARS TO FORMULATE THIS VIEW.

AND THAT'S THE ONLY THING THAT AN ARTIST REALLY HAS, HOW HE SEES THE WORLD.

I MEAN, THAT REALLY IS.

I MEAN, YOU HAVE A FACILITY IN SOME PAINTING OR SINGING OR DRAWING OR WRITING OR THE-- BUT THE ONLY THING THAT DISTINGUISHES AN ARTIST OF WHAT HE SEES.

KUN: RUBEN WAS THINKING ABOUT THIS STUFF NOT AS AN ACADEMIC, NOT AS A SCHOLAR.

HE WAS THINKING ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW, AS A CULTURAL WORKER, AS A MUSICIAN.

HE WAS APPROACHING IT, YOU KNOW, LARGELY FROM HIS OWN PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE, BUT THEN ALWAYS HAD THAT VISION AND THAT WISDOM TO SAY, LIKE, "WELL, MAYBE MY PERSONAL BIOGRAPHY IS AN AVENUE INTO THINKING ABOUT LARGER CULTURAL STRUGGLES AND LARGER POLITICAL TOPICS," AND HE'S DONE THAT HIS WHOLE CAREER.

GUEVARA: ♪ THE FUTURE IS NOW SO, GET ON TRACK OH, SHE'S A PURE SPIRIT I'M A ROLLING STONE SHE'S BORN A SWEET CHILD OF GOD I'M BORN OF FLESH AND BLOOD... ♪ MAN: IT IS MY DEEP HONOR AND PLEASURE ON THIS NIGHT, WHEN THIS BOOK ENTERS THE WORLD, TO TURN THE STAGE OVER TO--TO MY HERO, TO SOMEONE I LOVE DEEPLY-- RUBEN GUEVARA.

[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE] GUEVARA: I'M PAST 70 NOW.

I MIGHT ONLY HAVE A COUPLE HUNDRED BUCKS IN THE BANK AND I MIGHT NOT KNOW WHEN THE NEXT GIG WILL COME ALONG AND PAY THE RENT.

BUT MY LIFE WAS NEVER ABOUT PLAYING IT SAFE IN THE COOL SHADE.

AND IT WASN'T ABOUT BECOMING RICH AND FAMOUS.

IT'S BEEN ABOUT MAKING MUSIC AND MAKING LOVE, ROCKING AND ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES, AND THEN IN LIFE, KEEP THE BEAT.

[APPLAUSE] MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY WAS FINALLY PUBLISHED IN 2018.

AND I GO ON A TOUR.

TURNS OUT THAT THE BOOK IS REQUIRED READING IN MANY CHICANO STUDIES CLASSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

AND AT ONE OF THE LECTURES, AN ASIAN-AMERICAN STUDENT CAME UP TO ME AND SAID, "I AM CHICANO."

HA!

SAY WHAT?

HE SAYS, "STUDYING THE POLITICS OF CHICANISMO INSPIRED ME TO BECOME ONE."

HA.

WELL, THAT KIND OF MAKES IT ALL WORTH IT, YOU KNOW?

CHICANO IDENTITY IS ALWAYS EVOLVING, BUT AS LONG AS WE'RE HONORING OUR ROOTS AND CONTRIBUTING TO OUR CULTURE, THE CHICANO SPIRIT WILL ALWAYS ENDURE THROUGH THE WORK OF ARTISTS AND ACTIVISTS.

MARIN: AND WHEN I FIRST HEARD "CHICANO," YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I AM.

I'M NOT MEXICAN.

I'VE NEVER BEEN TO MEXICO, DON'T SPEAK SPANISH.

MEXICAN-AMERICAN--I HATED HYPHENATED TERMS.

I JUST WOULDN'T DO IT.

AND WHEN I FIRST HEARD "CHICANO," THAT'S WHAT I AM.

THAT DESCRIBES ME.

BOJORQUEZ: TO BE A CHICANO, YOU HAD TO BE MORE THAN JUST MEXICAN-AMERICAN.

YOU GOTTA BE MULTI-TALENTED.

I THINK YOU HAVE TO QUALIFY TO BE A CHICANO BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO FIGHT FOR IT, AND RUBEN IS STILL FIGHTING FOR IT, HIS PLACE AND HIS MUSIC.

GONZALEZ: IT'S KIND OF HARD TO NOT RECOGNIZE WHAT RUBEN HAS DONE, EVEN IN PRESENT.

ALL THE WORK THAT HE CONTINUES TO DO AND BE A PART OF IS SIGNIFICANT, AND I ALWAYS LOVED LISTENING TO HIM BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE HIS PASSION IS CONTAGIOUS, WHERE YOU CAN'T HELP BUT BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF CHICANO MUSIC.

MIYAMOTO: HE DOESN'T FIT INTO THE CATEGORY OF NORMAL ARTISTS OR NORMAL PEOPLE.

HE IS A MISFIT IN MANY WAYS, AND WE NEED MISFITS RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE WHY SHOULD WE FIT INTO THIS SYSTEM?

BAG: I THINK HE'S BECOME KIND OF LIKE THE CHICANO GODFATHER.

I MEAN, I FEEL LIKE HE CONSTANTLY IS MAKING CONNECTIONS, INTERGENERATIONAL AS WELL AS WITH OTHER COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.

FLORES: I SEE YOUNG PEOPLE FROM MY COMMUNITY, WHETHER THEY CALL THEMSELVES CHICANOS OR NOT, I SEE THEM MOVING.

I SEE THEM ORGANIZING.

I SEE THEM BUILDING.

AND THE ETHIC THAT THEY'RE STANDING ON IS PART OF WHAT RUBEN BUILT, AND NOW IT'S THEIR TURN.

GUEVARA: I WISH I COULD FIND THAT DUDE IN GUADALAJARA AND SHOW HIM ALL THIS.

IS THAT CULTURE ENOUGH FOR YOU, ESE?

[SPEAKING SPANISH] CON SAFOS.

[SNAP] ♪ VIVA LOS ANGELES!

VIVA MI TIERRA!

HEY, LONG LIVE L.A. [SNAPS FINGERS] ANNOUNCER: THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY CITY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ARTS & CULTURE, NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS, AND THE FRIEDA BERLINSKI FOUNDATION.