Confessions of a Radical Chicano Doo-Wop Singer

Contents

• Acknowledgments xi
• Introduction: The Fire and Flames of Funkahuatl, by Josh Kun and George Lipsitz 1
• Prologue 16
• La Veinte: A Santa Monica Barrio 17
• Ruben Ladron de Guevara Sr., 1914-2006 21
• Superman in Ese Eme 26
• Music and Movie Moments 32
• Miss Las Vegas 36
• La Gatita 38
• Las Vegas and the Breakup of Our Family 43
• Sue Dean 49
• Miss Hollywood 52
• Shindig! with Tina Turner and Bo Diddley 56
• The Sunset Strip Riots and My Second Marriage 62
• The Southern Belle 64
• LACC and the New Revelations Gospel Choir 68
• Miss Santa Barbara and the Summer of 1971 75
• Frank Zappa and Ruben and the Jets, 1972-1974 80
• Miss Pamela and the GTOs 85
• Miss Claremont 87
• Miss Chino 89
• The Mutiny 91
• The Movie Star and Miss Blue Eyes 94
• Opening for Zappa at San Francisco's Winterland 97
• Con Safos: The Album 99
• Pilgrimage to Mexico 105
• La Gypsy 114
• From "The Star Spangled Banner" to Punk 116
• The Whisky and a New Band: Con Safos 120
• Miss Aztlan 124
• Gotcha! 126
• Zyanya Records 128
• Cristina, Dia de Los Muertos, and Chicano Heaven 130
• Born in East L.A.: The Movie 138
• Caliente y Picante 147
• Performance Art 152
• To France with Aztlan, Babylon, Rhythm & Blues 154
• Validation Crisis 170
• Jammin' with John Valadez 174
• Arts 4 City Youth and Trying Again 180
• UCLA 182
• Journey to New Aztlan 187
• The Enchantress 196
• America Tropical 200
• Miss Mongolia 203
• Teaching Poetry 207
• Inner City Lessons 212
• Teaching at UCLA 217
• The Neo-Chicano Tantrik Funk Monk 220
• Lust to Art: Mexamerica and Performing at the Getty 223
• The Eastside Revue: 1932-2002, A Musical Homage to Boyle Heights 228
• L.A. Times Profile of Boyle Heights 231
• Funkahuatl's Absurd Chronicles 234
• The Iraq War 236
• Cross-cultural Friendships and Protests 238
• Manzanar Pilgrimage 246
• Yellow Pearl Remix 253
• Saving the Toypurina Monument 257
• Rock 'n' Rights for the Mentally Disabled 260
• Resistance and Respect: Los Angeles Muralism and Graff Art 262
• Miss Bogota and the X Festival Iberoamericano del Teatro 264
• Word Up! A Word, Performance, and Theater Summit 267
• Meeting My Brothers from the Westbank First Nation, British Columbia 270
• Epiphany at Joshua Tree 274
• Miss Altar in the Sky 276
• Ruben Guevara & The Eastside Luvers 289
• The Tao of Funkahuatl 292
• Release of the Tao of Funkahuatl CD in L.A. and Japan 294
• MEX/LA 296
• Rockin' the House of Dues and Grand Performances 299
• Fifty Years in Show Biz 303
• Miss Beijing 306
• Miss Monterey Park 309
• End of the Ten-Year Sex Drought 313
• Seventy and Still Running 315
• Platonic Homegirls 317
• Joseph Trotter 318
• A Boyle Heights Cultural Treasure 320
• Boyle Heights Por Vida 322
• !Angelin@s Presente! 325
• Sara Casillas-Gutierrez Guevara, 1923-2015 327
• Staged Confessions 329
• The Fall 332
• Take Me Higher, Mi Reina 334