Multi-Grammy-winning guitar legend Jose Feliciano says he understands why so many Americans are in an uproar over "Nuestro Himno," the Spanish language version of "The Star Spangled Banner."
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| Come to America and learn the language |
The song, featuring such artists as Wyclef Jean, hip-hop star Pitbull and Puerto Rican singers Carlos Ponce and Olga Tanon, has sparked nationwide protests on both sides of the issue.
Such controversy is familiar ground for Feliciano. He sang the exact lyrics of the National Anthem in 1968 at the World Series, but dared to change the musical arrangement. That created such a furor, radio stations stopped playing his music for several years.
"I love my country and I've always been a patriot," he says. "When I did the National Anthem in '68, it was to show my appreciation to have come from so far and be able to do something in this country." He continues, "If they had translated the (new Spanish) anthem word for word, OK, but they changed it and put some other stuff to it and I didn't agree with it.
I came here from Puerto Rico when I was 5 years old. I didn't know a bit of English. I feel that if you work hard, there is opportunity in this country, but learn the language. I've traveled to Latin countries and you never see a sign that says 'We Speak English Here.' But here in America we see tons of signs that say 'Se Habla Espanol.' I know Mexico would be p-----d off if we took the Mexican national anthem and did it in English."
Meanwhile, the singer/guitarist, who's playing at L.A.'s House of Blues this Saturday, May 6, is celebrating 50 years in the business and has just released his first instrumental CD, entitled "Six-String Lady." The album features "a piece in three movements I wrote to (classical guitarist) Andre Segovia, who was my hero." The CD can be downloaded on josefeliciano.com.
TAKING TO THE ROAD:
Rob Thomas, who is embarking on a North American tour May 23 in Florida, has Jewel opening up for him along the way. He's been friendly with the songstress for a while. Jewel performed on the same bill as Rob in a 2004 event for his and wife Marisol's Sidewalk Angels Foundation, which aids the homeless, among other causes -- and both music talents have experienced living in a car. Recalls Rob, "Around 15 or 16 I left home for a while. Me and my mom didn't get along very well, and it seemed like the thing I needed to do. I was still going to school regularly. I would stay in my friend's car, and when his parents would leave for work, I would get up and shower at his place and then go to school. I was being pretty good, right up until my sophomore year, when one of the bands that I was in got a gig at the Vero Beach Sheridan and I said, 'Well, that's rock stardom right there!! So I quit school.'"
Rob later got his GED, but admits that both he and Jewel are probably each still affected by their lean times.
As he told us, "I think it serves to make us really more cautious. In the back of your mind you think it could all go away someday."
FROM THE INSIDE LOOKING OUT:
Luke Perry and the rest of the cast of NBC's "Windfall" -- about a group of lottery winners -- have been waiting for months for the premiere of their summer series, which finally debuts next month. But the former "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Jeremiah" series star tells us that's OK with him. "I firmly believe that any time is a good time. I just take it episode by episode, and I make 'em as good as I can. It's not unlike the show. You step up, you take your chance. If your numbers are good, you hit the lottery. If not, you don't." Is there an advantage in shooting episodes ahead of a show's debut, without the pressure of critical reviews and weekly ratings? Perry's philosophical about that, too. "Ma'am, I don't feel the pressure. That's somebody else's department. I say them lines, and they figure out when to put it on."
TO KNOW OR NOT TO KNOW:
That usually silent prestidigitator Teller -- as in Penn & -- is vocally opinionated when it comes to opinions. "I don't think all opinions are equally valuable," says Teller, currently in the fourth season of the no-holds-barred Showtime series "Penn & Teller: Bull----!" "When two people are arguing about something major like creationism and one person says to another, 'Well, it's so nice you have your point of view.' I can't stomach that. If you know better than someone else about something and you really genuinely know, I think you owe it to that person to explain to the best of your ability where that person is going wrong in a respectful way." he notes. "I think people find our show liberating because they're so sick of being so polite in conversation." Actually, people are less polite these days than they used to be, and the ones who watch "P&T:B" are less likely to be overly polite than even average viewers. But that's just an opinion.
(With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster)
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