Thursday, April 01, 2010

15

Where were you when Selena died?
Me? Odds are I was doing something band or newspaper related. Yeah, I was kind of a nerd in high school. But who is Selena, you may ask?

A valid question if you aren't from around here, or you were never a fan of Tejano music. But in Corpus Christi, Selena is still the queen. There's a bayfront statue dedicated in her honor. Her clothing boutique was in business for years after her death, and fans still can't seem to get enough of her. She has such a strong following around here that if Selena could some how endorse the destruction of the Memorial Coliseum, that building would be torn down by hand in a matter of days by a mob of cumbia-dancing fans dressed in sparkly hats and bustiers. Biddy Biddy bye bye, Coliseum.

Anyway, fans have been marking the anniversary of her death each year since she was killed by her fan club president 15 years ago. They used to gather each year behind a convenience store with this old, weathered mural of the singer on the wall. As a visual person I loved it. As a person who cared for his safety, it was a bit of a nightmare packing so many people near a wall so close to the street. This year it was held just down the road in the backyard of a restaurant/snack shack (I'm not making fun, it's actually called the Snack Shack). There was much more room, but unfortunately it seemed much more tame than last year.






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