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Al compás del mundo – programa #118 - Chulas fronteras

 


“Chulas fronteras” is the theme for this week’s Al compas del mundo radio show. Roughly translated as “beautiful borders”, it refers to the perception of the United States as the land of milk and honey. Singer/songwriter and comic genius, El Piporro, starts off his paean to el Norte tongue-in-cheek with “The beautiful border area: it’s been a year since I’ve seen it. How I miss it!” He goes on to describe the situation at a border crossing where a Mexican laborer is called out as a wetback and accused of carrying “generics” (that must be illegal.) “No sir, just food. I work here. I have papers. Try some of my tequila.” While the Mexican holds his own in this situation, his brothers and sisters often don’t fare as well as seen in many of the other songs.

At the top of the playlist “Mexico Americano”, speaks of an immigrant who ultimately “celebrates” two countries, two cultures, two languages – an optimistic model to follow for those who take up the difficult life of immigrant laborer. But ”El Corrido de Texas” begins to show the downside, with its protagonist leaving Texas to avoid picking cotton and jumping on a train that will take him to Indiana, likely for more stoop labor – not exactly the American dream. “Cabrestea o se ahorca” is a dialogue between La Bella Netty (who insists on speaking proper, educated Spanish) and Jesus Rodriguez, whose Tex-Mex “patois” has evolved with so many anglicisms as to be virtually unintelligible to a native Spanish speaker of Mexico. “Un mojado sin licencia” loses his car because he’s driving without a license, as well as his girlfriend – to the guy who administers the licensing bureau. “El corrido de Cesar Chavez” poses the problems undocumented workers face in the fields (“How much do the owners make…and how much do we earn?!”) while praising the efforts of Chavez to motivate change. “El mojado” is picked up by Immigration, handcuffed, jailed, humiliated, and deported. “Los rinches de Texas” goes beyond mere humiliation and describes getting mercilessly beaten by Texas rangers “to protect the melon fields owned by some rich conservative.” Two Mexican paisanos find themselves jailed in the U.S. together for dubious reasons in “El Pachuco y el Tarzan. “La discriminacion” delivers a message that is self-evident and ends with the world-weary declaration “In every continent there’s discrimination.” The final song is, at last, an upbeat message provided with great gusto by political activist and songwriter Rumel Fuentes, who loudly proclaims “I’m a Chicano! I’m brown and I’m proud, and I’ll make it in my own way.”  Fuentes, who was born in the States, also wrote the first song in this playlist “Mexico Americano”. Defending Mexican honor in the face of hatred and tragedy, regardless of which side of the border one called home, was his legacy. Scattered amongst the tales of woe and hardship are joyful polkas and a few classics of la musica Mexicana norteña. Like with American blues, every sad story needs its bright moments and heroes of defiance as an inspiration to keep on keeping on. -JH

Runlist for Al compás del mundo – programa #118,
First broadcast 3-7-24 – Chulas fronteras

01 Los Pingüinos del Norte - México Americano

02 Narciso Martínez – Luzita

03 Silvano Ramos y Daniel Ramírez - El Corrido de Texas

04 La Bella Netty Y Jesús Rodríguez - Cabrestea o se ahorca

05 Lydia Mendoza - Mal hombre

06 Flaco Jiménez - Un mojado sin licencia.

07 Ramiro Cavazos y el Conjunto Tamaulipas - Canción Mixteca

08 El Piporro - Chulas fronteras

09 Los Pingüinos del Norte - Corrido de Cesar Chávez

10 Santiago Jiménez – Cotula

11 Lydia Mendoza - Pero ay qué triste

12 Los Hermanos Barrón - El mojado

13 Narciso Martínez - Muchachos alegres

14 Dueto Reynosa - Los Rinches de Texas

15 Los Alegres de Terán - Volver, volver

16 El Trío Imperial - El Pachuco y el Tarzán

17 Flaco Jiménez - La nueva Zenaida

18 Gaytán y Cantú - La discriminación

19 Rumel Fuentes con Los Pingüinos del Norte - Chicano

Los Pinguinos del Norte


 

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