He's considered one of the most prominent creative forces behind independent, D.I.Y filmmaking, and an inspiration to aspiring filmmakers everywhere. But Robert Rodriguez also plays a mean "Malagueña Salerosa."
"For years, I wanted to record it," Rodriguez said before performing his version of the Mexican folk song with his band, Chingon, at the Kill Bill: Vol. 2 premiere in 2004. "Quentin [Tarantino] loved it so much, he designed a whole end-credit sequence to Kill Bill 2."
For Art Basel Miami Beach week, Rodriguez is teaming up with designer, activist, and philanthropic visionary Henry Muñoz for "Mestizo City," the artist's playfully "interactive 6,700-square-foot public site-specific installation," where Chingon will play a free concert on Saturday, December 8.
See also:
-Art Basel Miami Beach 2012 Music Guide
-Daniel Johnston Announces Grand Central Concert and Art Installation During Basel Week
-Thurston Moore Headlining KURT, a Multi-Discipline Exhibition, During Art Basel
We think that the idea of Chingon playing "Mestizo City" is brilliant.
Located in the Design District, Muñoz created it "to represent the vibrant and varied Latino culture and its growing influence in the United States."
Fittingly, Rodriguez is a truly vibrant Latino, influencing not just fellow Hispanics, but scores of creative individuals from every corner of the globe.
On just a $7,000 budget, Rodriguez wrote, directed, and shot his debut, El Mariachi, in the early 1990s. Critics loved it, and the film won the prestigious Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival in '93.
Two years later, Rodriguez wrote Rebel Without a Crew, a book about his craft that has become almost sacred scripture among aspiring filmmakers.
Here's to the arts!
Robert Rodriguez's Chingon. Saturday, December 8. "Mestizo City," 81 NE 40th St., Miami. The event is free and open to the public.
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