Mariachi bands have a bad rap as nothing more than "restaurant music." But there is a rich and long cultural tradition many people are missing and the music deserves our respect. Listen in today!
AI Summary
# Stuff You Should Know: Mariachi
Ever wonder why mariachi music gets respect as fancy concert hall entertainment in some places but is still pigeonholed as Mexican restaurant background music in others? This episode digs into the surprisingly rich history of mariachi, from its origins in rural colonial Mexico as a string ensemble played by peasant workers on haciendas, through its revolutionary transformation when it migrated to Mexico City in the 1920s where it added those iconic trumpets and flashy charro suits. Josh and Chuck explore how this music beautifully blends Spanish, African, and indigenous influences while examining the class and cultural biases that have long prevented mariachi from getting its due respect, even as it's become woven into everything from baptisms to funerals to political movements.
Coco
2017
PG
1h 45m
★ 8.2
"That was Coco. Did you ever see Coco? I did not. No. One of the best movies, animated films. — Josh mentions Coco as an example of a movie that accurately depicts mariachi tradition and culture, specifically showing a young boy as a mariachi groupie."
— Josh
Desperado
1995
R
1h 44m
★ 6.9
"I still never saw it. I've only seen Desperado. I've seen it like 50 times, but I never moved on to El Mariachi. — Josh mentions having seen Desperado many times but not the earlier film El Mariachi, which is Robert Rodriguez's spiritual predecessor/remake."
— Josh
"it can be, as in the case of the great Robert Rodriguez film, El Mariachi, it can be a single individual as a mariachi. — Chuck mentions Robert Rodriguez's film El Mariachi as an example of how the word mariachi can refer to a single individual performer, and notes it was made for about $8,000."
— Chuck
"Oh, Jackie Childs from Seinfeld? Yeah, yeah, totally. — Chuck references a Seinfeld character (Jackie Childs) while joking about detective work, though the reference is brief and contextual."
— Chuck
The Evil Dead
1981
1h 25m
★ 7.3
"Well, move back. El Mariachi was the first one, and then Desperado was kind of a remake, but kind of not. Like Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2. — Chuck uses the Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 relationship as a comparison for how El Mariachi and Desperado relate to each other as films."
— Chuck
"which is why on the Mr. Plow episode of The Simpsons, when Barney is hanging out with Linda Ronstadt — Chuck references a Simpsons episode where Linda Ronstadt appears and adapts the Mr. Plow song into Spanish, which he only understood after learning about her Mexican heritage."
— Chuck
The Sound of Running in My Voice
2014
8m
"I can't recommend the documentary about her enough. It's called The Sound of My Voice. — Josh recommends the Linda Ronstadt documentary 'The Sound of My Voice' while discussing her album Canciones de mi Padre and her impact on mariachi music."
— Josh
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