Canto CDLXI: William Nericcio, Spicy Solon of San Diego!

Gentle cabrones:

Nericcio is never nervous.

The thought echoed in my mind this January as I saw San Diego St. English professor William Nericcio frantically prepare for the debut of Movimiento en la Sangre, a collection of never-before-published photos of the Chicano movement in San Diego published by Nericcio’s San Diego State University Press and shot by Nick Inzunza, the patriarch of the Chicano Kennedys of San Diego.

Nericcio is never nervous.

I’ve known Nericcio for nearly 20 years at this point, ever since he sent me a fan email complete with a PDF of a page from his then-new Tex[t]-Mex Seductive Hallucinations of the "Mexican" in America. It was a reproduction of an old New Yorker cartoon that showed a Mexican sleeping — the sleeping Mexican of stereotype infamy — until a bell alarm clock woke him up, upon which he turned it off and went back to sleep. In the excerpt, Nericcio confessed how he laughed at the hackneyed cartoon — and so did I.

Nericcio ended up sending me a copy of Tex[t]-Mex and a beautiful friendship formed. He became an easy quote from me when I needed some academic pizzazz and frequent guest on my late, great KPFK show. A sparring partner at universities across Southern California. I consistently plugged his book, perhaps the funniest academic read ever, something that was as comfortable discussing Derrida as it was praising Speedy Gonzales.

The Anglophile knows he’s brilliant — but Nericcio’s Laredo roots never let that knowledge get to his head. The type of bon vivant who you want to call by his last name instead of first — because Nericcio is so much more debonair than William, Bill or Memo, you know?

If he wasn’t so far away, we’d be even closer compas than we are. So I only get to see him twice a year or so — so when he asked if I could not only give some opening remarks for the debut of Movimiento en la Sangre but also join him in conversation with the photobook’s authors, Nicolás Jorge (Nick’s son) and Ralph Inzunza (Nick’s nephew), I happily accepted.

The location: the Museum of Photographic Arts at the San Diego Museum of Art at Balboa Park in January. It was 5 o’clock in the afternoon when I got there. A reception would start in half an hour. People were already waiting outside.

“You sound ronco,” I told Nericcio after we hugged. He seemed to reverberate with his usual rascally profe vibes: grey turtleneck, black pants and shoes, massive green jacket with a diamond fabric that looked like a bed mattress adorned a pin of a particularly beatific Virgen de Guadalupe. Salt and pepper goatee and thick head of hair tapered down into a mini-Mohawk.

Where was the cocksure smile?

“It’s the Santa Anas — they just get in my voice,” Nericcio said, wielding a glass of crisp Atrium Pinot Grigio. Stacks of Movimiento en la Sangre were on a table. He instructed graduate students on which stack was which. Those were already bought. Those were comps. Those were for sale.

“I’m a little nervous,” he continued. “We’ve never had a launch like this.”

He looked around the massive gallery then invited me to the theater where our conversation would happen. Small but gorgeous, with twinkling lights on the ceiling mimicking the heavens.

“This is beautiful,” I exclaimed.

“This is where Chicanos belongs,” Nericcio said. The smile flashed — then quickly disappeared.

“I’m going to fret,” Nericcio confessed as he went back to the lobby to make sure the night would be a success.

Nericcio is nervous.

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It’s always awesome to track people in their element from before something starts to the aftermath. Some people have rituals, some people plan meticulously. Some rehearse. You see the real person, for better and worse.

I do it all the time as part of my job — but I had never seen it with Nericcio.

The guy is a goddamn genius — studied under Carlos Fuentes, had Henry Louis Gates Jr. (whom Nericcio calls “Skip”) read his dissertation — and hilarious. Created the influential Master of Arts and Liberal Sciences to mentor the next generation of scholars, and also so he could say he was creating a bunch of MALAS. Tex[t]-Mex remains a masterpiece, as we who know the man await Nericcio’s second book — don’t get all Joseph Mitchell on us, loco.

But even the best of us let doubt creep in before big moments — and the best of us aren’t afraid to show it. What matters is how the big moment ends.

Smooth Chicano classics swirled on the speakers as a capacity crowd walked in — “Suavecito,” “Together,” and the most Chicano song of all time, “Crystal Blue Persuasion.” He paced around as the people streamed in like an expectant first-time father.

Nericcio is nervous.

Nericcio is a people person so the more folks streamed in, the more his lines began to snap with wit and care. By the time he introduced the evening at the starlit theater from a podium on the stage, he was Tony Gwynn ready to lay out the hits.

His prepared remarks were on legal-sized paper — but of course! He started by proclaiming himself a “word nut” as he rhapsodized on the etymology of “movement” and said of Movimiento en la Sangre, “It reminds us to be brave to be fearless also to carry a camera to document.”

Every time Nericcio finished a page, he would toss it behind him. Showoff.

Hell of an origin story for the book. The photos in the book were shot in the 1970s by Nick Inzunza then left undeveloped until he passed away a decade ago. His eye was impeccable, his timing perfect better: Inzunza captured the Chicano movement in San Diego during the 1970s, from a fresh-faced Pete Wilson to the birth of Chicano Park to fucking with la migra and so much more.

Ralph, a former San Diego councilmember turned author turned political consultant introduced the many Chicano pioneers and elected officials in the crowd. Then it was my turn.

I hailed Nericcio and brought out the good-natured boos to rile up the crowd by noting no one cares about Chicanos in San Diego in the bigger Chicano story outside a few precious names and places. That’s why, I argued, Movimiento en la Sangre was so important.

Then the conclusion: “If you don’t buy them out,” I said, pointing to Nericcio and the Inzunza primos, “shame on you.”

Laughter and roars.

“And that,” I proclaimed as I sat down on stage, “is how you sell books, dear Nericcio,”

The subsequent talk was awesome, as was the reception. Not only did Nericcio sell out of Movimiento en la Sangre that night, he sold out of the entire run, necessitating a second edition and the delay of this canto by too many months to count at this point. That NEVER happens with an academic release. He got the latest copies, so go buy one and laugh at Nericcio’s GeoCities-era conception of what a website should look like.

Meanwhile, expect another San Diego St. University Press collaboration between myself and Nericcio by the end of the year.

“You were sweet,” Nericcio said at the reception as people hailed him as the rightful hero he was. An after party loomed. He could finally relax.

“I was truthful,” I responded.

Nericcio was nervous — and he was better than ever.

**

Enough rambling. This was the semana that was:

IMAGE OF THE WEEK: Terrible photo of GREAT al pastor tacos and Huatulco cocktail at Anepalco’s in Orange kitty korner from UCI Medical Center — ever-delicious, forever heroic portions, always overlooked.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I'd be glad to be the batboy for such a team as this." — Baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Collins, in his remarks on being part of the inaugural Hall of Fame class which included, oh, you know, Babe Ruth, Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Ty Cobb and others — George Sisler!

LISTENING: “Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” La Marisoul and Los Texmaniacs. The lead singer of the Texmaniacs has one of the great voices of both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border — as I’ve written before, her a cappella version “Gracias a La Vida” at Gloria Molina’s funeral will always be one of the greatest musical performances I saw in person (even typing this sentence out right now gets me emotional, so powerful her performance was). So how the hell did I not previously hear her version of Freddy Fender’s remake of the country classic? As lovelorn a song as you’ll ever hear, here accentuated by backing music just slightly less morose than the original. Hence included in Gustavo Arellano’s Weekly Radiola of Randomness YouTube songlist, where I’ve included every song I’ve ever featured in a canto — give it a spin!

READING: “Living in Tracy Chapman’s House”: How did I not share this one when it came out in February? Same reason why I’m just writing about Nericcio haha. Jill Lepore is one of our best public historians and definitely one of the better writers, especially because she’s not afraid to write about herself. I never did the college roommate scene — I would never live with strangers insha’Allah because I’m That Guy — but the camaraderie and wistfulness Lepore paints here is masterful. Still can’t believe I was on a panel with her, fellow Macarthur genius Annette Gordon-Reed AND Sean Wilentz (Canto CXXXI)

Gustavo Events  

June 17, 6 p.m.: I will be co-emcee along with my compa Kedric Francis at the OC Press Club Awards’ annual gala at the Anaheim Hills Golf Course, 6501 Nohl Ranch Rd., Anaheim. Tickets are $75 BUT support scholarships for the next generation of OC reporters, so go support!

June 27, 12:30 p.m.: I will be part of "The Untold Stories of Latinos in the IE" with the Inlandia Institute at the Culver Center Theater Room, 3834 Main St, Riverside. Lecture, FREE.

July 18, 1 p.m.: I’ll be in conversation with legendary reporter Sam Quinones about his new tone poem/photo essay about L.A. murals featuring the Virgen of Guadalupe, for which I wrote the forward! At the Edendale branch of the L.A. Public Library, 2011 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. Event is FREE; books, BARATO! Make your reservation here!

Gustavo in the News

Confidential To: The two Los Angeles city council candidates who recorded Instagram videos trashing me during the primaries in an attempt to win over voters. How’d that work out for ustedes? See you in Irvine!

“The homophobic chant that hangs over World Cup hosts Mexico and its soccer team”: The Athletic quotes me at length about the chant that never disappears, although I’ve never heard it referred to as el grito — that already exists.

“Where's the line between Tex-Mex and Mexican food? Depends on who you ask”: In which the Houston Chronicle butchers my last name in a way I’ve never seen!

Gustavo Stories 

“Grítale a Guti”: Latest edition of my Tuesday night IG Live free-for-all.

“Will O.C. Supervisors lean red or blue in Novemeber?”: My latest KCRW “Orange County Line” commentary talks about the headline at hand.

"ESPN LA”: I appear on Beto Durán’s show to talk about why it’s ok to root for both the Mexico and U.S. soccer teams but also make sure to ridicule his love of Maná #sehace

“The Best Bars in America in 2026”: Had the honor of contributing to Esquire’s annual roundup with a paean to Kelly’s Korner Tavern in Placentia. KEY QUOTE: “Yeah, we’re lucky if we get to Kelly’s four times a year, but it will forever remain our Avalon.”

“This race shows L.A. is changing forever. And it’s not the mayoral contest”: My latest L.A. Times Essential California newsletter talks about the L.A. city council race shaping up in District 9. KEY QUOTE: “The top two vote getters right now in that race are Jose Ugarte and Estuardo Mazariegos, and most of the coverage focused on how District 9 will have its first non-Black council member in 63 years, which will also mean it’ll be the first time since 1963 that L.A. won’t have three Black council members.”

“Spencer Pratt could have been a real contender. His greatest enemy was himself”: My latest L.A. Times columna talks about the failed L.A. mayoral candidate. KEY QUOTE: “Angelenos can spot a phony from far away — and Spencer, you’re turning out to be phonier than the fake drama on any of the television shows you ever appeared in.”

“In Orange County, a progressive Latina pol beats back well-funded haters — again”: My next latest L.A. Times columna talks about SanTana council member and 68th assembly district candidate Jessie Lopez. KEY QUOTE: “As of Wednesday evening, the latest Orange County Registrar of Voters election results had her in second place — less than 1,000 votes away from Penaloza.”

“A Santa Ana city council hopeful learns a SoCal political trick: host a soccer watch party”: My latest L.A. Times co-blog profiles SanTana council candidate Isuri Ramos. KEY QUOTE: ““You always hear in community organizing that you gotta to meet the community where they’re at,” said Ramos, who wore a replica of Mexico’s solid-green 1986 jersey. She reached into her pockets to give arcade tokens to any children she saw.”

You made it this far down? Gracias! Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram while you’re down here by clicking on their logos down below. Don’t forget to forward this newsletter to your compadres y comadres! You can’t get me tacos anymore, but you sure as hell can give them — and more — to the O.C. Catholic Worker!