The first look at my new film, "American Homeboy," which draws from rare archival footage to explore the evolution of cholo culture against the backdrop of two wars and the Chicano Movement.
Please share!
#AmericanHomeboyMovie
Come the 2024 election, my prediction is that whatever political party stops calling Latinos “Latinx” first will win the majority of the Latino vote because it will prove they are actually listening to regular Latinos.
I made an independent
#film
about Mexican American history with no distributor, no production company, and no marketing team.
Despite this, the trailer has since done 3 million views across social media, and the full movie has been picked up by 10 cities.
Wow! 🎥
The Tax Collector is set to become the
#1
movie at the U.S. box office tomorrow among all movies, besting Disney.
Movie critics who think this wasn’t driven by Latinos, and a demand for similar films, should reevaluate the bubble they live in.
Props to Conejo who killed it!
I was back in L.A. for less than 30 minutes before passing a 1963 lowrider Impala on the freeway. Greatest city in the world, made possible by Chicanos.👇🏽
My essay on the history of Mexican American street gangs, the evolution of cholo culture, and how institutional discrimination and American nationalism played a role in fueling them.
“For most of us, flying the Mexican flag has less to do with an endorsement of the policies of Mexico than it does a rejection of the policies of the United States.”
My column today on the Chicano identity and the Woke Industrial Complex.
I have been completely overwhelmed by the response to my film.
Dozens of theaters, brands, and universities have contacted me. Thousands more have liked, shared, commented.
Thank you everyone for your interest.
I will post first theater dates and city locations soon. 🙏🏽
The first look at my new film, "American Homeboy," which draws from rare archival footage to explore the evolution of cholo culture against the backdrop of two wars and the Chicano Movement.
Please share!
#AmericanHomeboyMovie
I hate to break it to these young kids, but there is only ONE remake of Eazy-E’s “Boyz-n-the-Hood” that was ever approved by Eazy-E himself, and that was “Vatos In The Varrio” by Brownside.
I came out of jail 14 years ago with NOTHING. No car. No job. No home. No education. A convicted felon. A former gang member. A recovering addict.
Today I'm a published writer, a prize winning essayist, and the founder of a VC backed media company.
It has been a wild ride.
I know the person who legally owns the entire LAPD crime photo archive from between 1925-1975. I’ve been looking through some of the pictures, and it’s an amazing glimpse into crime history.
I have a special podcast coming out next week about pachucas and Mexican American women during WW2.
My guest is a historian and author who specializes in pachuca history.
Don't miss it!
Movie fact of the day: Pat Morita of Karate Kid was married to Evelyn Guerrero of Cheech & Chong and Blood In Blood Out.
Mr. Miyagi was down for the brown!
Tomorrow at 10am I am co-hosting the cast reunion of Stand and Deliver, featuring Edward James Olmos and Lou Diamond Phillips.
We are helping to raise money for the Latino Theatre Company.
Be there or be a trapezoid!
The fact that anyone thinks “Hispanics invaded” Texas—a state that was once a part of Mexico—speaks to a serious lack of basic American history. And it’s exactly why Chicano studies deserves a place in the education system.
In my humble former cholo opinion, the most accurate movie depiction of cholos was never Blood In Blood Out, American Me, or Mi Vida Loca.
It was 187, Training Day, and Napoleon Dynamite.
Mexican Americans accounted for 20 percent of Vietnam deaths, despite only making up 10 percent of the population.
With Veterans Day coming up, I take a quick look back at the war that fueled the Chicano movement.
My essay this evening on the history of Mexican American street gangs, the evolution of cholo culture, and how institutional discrimination and American nationalism played a big role.
ONLY 30 DAYS away until the world premiere of "American Homeboy" in Los Angeles next month.
The film draws from over 100 hours of rare interviews & never before seen footage.
I have 15 seats left. If you are a journalist or critic who wants to attend & review the movie, DM me.
The first look at my new film, "American Homeboy," which draws from rare archival footage to explore the evolution of cholo culture against the backdrop of two wars and the Chicano Movement.
Please share!
#AmericanHomeboyMovie
The crowds that "American Homeboy" is turning out across the country is crazy.
This is not a big budget superhero movie. This is an independent documentary about Mexican Americans.
Chicanos have a 100+ year history of fighting for their identity. They have endured wars, protests, arrests, and imprisonment — only to blossom and forge one of the most beautiful, iconic, and influential cultures in the world.
We aren’t going to submit or go away anytime soon.
Mexican American history runs deep. Chicanos are proud of this history. They are proud of this heritage. As a result, many are defensive and protective of it, particularly when it comes to anything that might erase or gloss over it.
My column on "Latinx":
Fun news! Next week, the
@DailyChela
and
@latino_slant
will be sponsoring a Stand and Deliver cast reunion with Edward James Olmos and Lou Diamond Phillips!
I will be one of the co-hosts of the event.
We are raising money for The Latino Theatre Company.
Don't miss it!
Little known fact: The Irish community and the Mexican/Chicano community have a relationship that dates back long before sharing barrios in the early 1900s. As far back as 1846, Irish immigrants fought alongside Mexicans against the U.S. during the Mexican-American War.
Next week I will be giving away THREE limited edition, Hallmark certified, lowrider Santa Christmas tree ornaments to my readers.
Stay tuned for info on how to get one!
Fun fact. The West Coast-based Japanese car clubs of the mid-20th Century (such as the Mikado Car Club) were primarily made up of Nisei and Sansei youth born in or around WW2 Japanese internment camps.
Mexican Americans and the Japanese have a long car club history together.
I got to hang out with legendary 70s/80s Los Angeles photographer Merrick Morton yesterday in Echo Park. Great guy.
I'm not sure anyone had a bigger influence on street photography, whether or not most people realize it.
So much I wish I could say, but 🤐
Immigrants as a percentage of the population across 10 major cities in 1920.
NYC - 76%
Cleveland - 72%
Boston - 72%
Chicago - 71%
Detroit - 65%
San Fran - 64%
Minneapolis - 63%
Pittsburg - 59%
Seattle - 55%
Los Angeles - 45%
We are a country of immigrants and always have been.
The first look at my new film, "American Homeboy," which draws from rare archival footage to explore the evolution of cholo culture against the backdrop of two wars and the Chicano Movement.
Please share!
#AmericanHomeboyMovie
There is no comparison between "Latinx" and "Chicano."
"Chicano was a widely embraced, working class social and political identity that spawned multiple influential subcultures.
"Latinx" is elitist media/academic jargon that 99% of people reject.
My blog today: “Nowhere have attacks on Chicanos been more prominent than in academia, where professors have seized on the moment to advance their own political agendas, creating rifts between Latinos over everything from complexion to indigenous origin.”
I'm hearing that Chicano rap pioneer Mr. Knightowl, who was one of San Diego's biggest Chicano rappers next to Lil Rob, Lil One, and Mr. Shadow, has died of COVID.
I was overwhelmed and humbled by the standing ovation to "American Homeboy" last night.
I made this film for the culture. To celebrate the beauty. To preserve the past. To elevate the future. Through good and bad. Because there will never be another culture like it.
Thank you!
Converting old city buses into enormous decked out lowriders is one of the hottest trends in Mexico and the U.S. west right now. Keep your eyes peeled. 👀
A breakdown of the Russia situation in "Blood In Blood Out" terms...
Miklo below is Montana's most useful idiot. He is eager and fearless.
As a result, Miklo has also become Montana's most potent force when it comes to preserving La Onda's power within the prison system.
"Criticisms of Chicano/a culture are almost always rooted in ignorance, not logic. After all, I can’t think of anything more illogical than letting the height of a bike or car determine how 'negative' something is perceived."
My column at
@DailyChela
:
The song "La Raza" was more than a cliché saying from the barrio. It was a declaration of war and unison at a time when Chicanos were fighting for respect and status in society. Frost just happened to go on record and express it.
Yep. Most people who try to make everything about race know very little about barrio history.
The founder of the Chicano mag “Teen Angels” was white. An early high ranking member of the Mexican Mafia was white. A member of 38st in Sleepy Lagoon was white.
The list goes on.
The Vietnam War “officially” began 44 years ago today.
In a brief blog this morning, I outline how the Vietnam War helped fuel the Chicano Civil Rights Movement.
Good progress. The trailer to my upcoming film did 150,000 views across social media within 24 hours of its release and appears to have been picked up by theaters in four states.
I will be posting theater locations and dates over the next few months as agreements are finalized.
The first look at my new film, "American Homeboy," which draws from rare archival footage to explore the evolution of cholo culture against the backdrop of two wars and the Chicano Movement.
Please share!
#AmericanHomeboyMovie
New updated schedule for "American Homeboy" with theater dates in Santa Ana, San Jose, and San Diego.
Theaters have also picked it up in Los Angeles, Tucson, San Francisco, Chicago, and Sacramento.
100% independent. No studio. No distributor.
Tickets:
Has anyone else noticed Twitter doesn’t verify many Latinos?
In my latest column at
@DailyChela
, I pose the question: Why doesn’t Twitter treat prominent Latinos the same as prominent non-Latinos?
#VerifyLatinos
The mural from Blood In Blood Out always resonates with me.
When we are young, we are crazy. As we get older, some of us settle down and become wiser, while others never change.
Yet regardless of the different paths we may take in life, those crazy years always link us.
HUGE news. My media startup
@DailyChela
has officially raised a pre-seed VC investment round, joining rare company in the digital media landscape.
Come 2023, my podcast will return live from a new studio, and Daily Chela TV will launch on Roku and IOS.
More details to come.
I'm obviously disappointed that the "Latinx" seminar had to be canceled due to anti-speech homophobes hijacking the conversation.
I sincerely hope
@UCSF
finds a way to have this conversation in a more professional setting next time. It is much needed.
Thanks
@DavidOBowles
.
I was interviewed last year for a new book coming out about Chicano rap. My commentary will appear alongside Kid Frost, the Baka Boyz, Conejo, and Sick Jacken, among others.
I don’t think the book comes out until next year, but I’ll post more info as I learn more. 🎤
I hate it when people say, “That’s it, that’s the Tweet,” at the end of a Tweet.
Of course it’s the Tweet. If you have to point that out, you should re-work your Tweet for clarity.
A picture of me as a teen juxtaposed with a box of writings from my teens.
Funny. I didn’t consider myself a writer at the time. I never had the luxury of a mentor.
I simply wrote to escape the pain.
Yet looking back, writing was clearly there all along.
Super excited to announce my directorial debate with the new documentary film "American Homeboy."
The film draws from rare interviews and never before seen archival footage to explore the history of cholo culture.
First trailer drops Jan/Feb 2023!
Mark your calendars. Next week I will be taking part in a lively and in-depth discussion about the label "Latinx" with
@DavidOBowles
at a seminar hosted by
@UCSF
.
Two Chicanos. Two strong, outspoken perspectives. One Zoom link. Don't miss it! Lol
In 11 days, we plan to start dropping clips and behind the scenes commentary for my upcoming movie American Homeboy. Full trailer drops mid next month.👇🏽🎥
The reason I'm so driven and optimistic and don't dwell on negative things in life is because I'm free.
I'm not in jail, addicted to drugs, or getting shot at from rival gang members.
I value the freedom and opportunity I have now that I didn't have when living that lifestyle.
I've been lowriding for almost 25 years, so I can't help but laugh when I see people get upset about it.
Below is a column about the beauty of lowriding that I wrote last year.
The mystique of cholos 70s-90s was bigger than fashion.
It was also how they carried themselves.
They weren't loud and flashy, they were quiet and confident.
They showed pride in everything from how they talked to how they stood.
That's what the new generation doesn't get.
This week marks the 78th anniversary of the Zoot Suit Riots.
Below is a podcast I did on pachucas during WW2 with historian and author Elizabeth Escobedo.
APPLE:
SPOTIFY:
"American Homeboy" has been picked up by the California Automobile museum in Sacramento.
Sept 30th the museum will hold a special 4 hour event that includes a social, a movie screening, a panel discussion, and a museum tour.
Tickets now available: