Culture Clash: Life, Death and Revolutionary Comedy

by Culture Clash

"Culture Clash is a national treasure." - Philip Kan Gotanda

"These guys are funny daredevils of performance, totally fearless as they skewer convention and lazy thinking. Cool." - Eric Bogosian

"Important social satire for these urgent times." - Dolores Huerta, Vice President, United Farm Workers of america, AFL-C10

"Keep kicking them in the cojones." - George Carlin

You are holding Culture Clash - the book! After fourteen years of inspired comic genius we have finally managed to squeeze the best of Culture Clash between two covers! From its founding in San Francisco's Mission District on Cinco de Mayo in 1984, this three-person troupe of writers/performers - Richard Montoya, Ricardo Salinas and Herbert Siguenza - has surveyed contemporary Latino/Chicano culture in America from its own outrageous and unique perspective. Inspired by the clashing cultures of society in transition, Culture Clash physicalizes comedy and satire, blending the best traditions of Charlie Chaplin, Lenny Bruce, the Marx Brothers and Cantinflas, while transforming vaudeville into a political weapon.

Inside you'll find The Mission , in which three out-of-work performers living in San Francisco's Mission District kidnap Julio Iglesias in a desperate attempt to gain national recognition; A bowl of Beings , which features the tale of the world's first Chicano - Christopher Columbus's illegitimate son - and "The Return of Che," the story of a Berkeley radical who brings back Che Guevara for a hilarious political update; and Radio Mambo , wherein Culture Clash invades Miami, uncovering a stewing pot of ethnicity and creating "a work as shrewd, vibrant and outrageous as Miami itself," according to Time Out New York .

Genres: Banned Books, Plays

260 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1997

Reviews

[Karen Jean Martinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was banned under the Arizona Ethnic Studies restrictions. Why? Because Culture Clash has the audacity to suggest that Chicanos/Latinos have a vibrant culture that is funny and irreverent and they aren't afraid to say that colonization of the Americas kind of sucked for the indigenous folks, just like racism and exoticization sucks for people of color. But they do all their smart commentary through jokes about Taqueria Serra: Heavenly Tacos and Giant Boomboxes mixed with some very poignant monologues. Reminds me of my favorite Elvis Impersonator.

This was so much fun to read - I couldn't put it down on the plane from LAX to MSP, even though I really wanted to take a nap. I love their comedy and I see a lot of parallels between CC and El Vez - they share a similar sensibility (and I hope to be able to write on this in my current article revision).

[Janet]

This book is the scripts of the Culture Clash plays "The Mission", "A Bowl of Beings", and "Radio Mambo". I saw their play "American Nights" at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and loved it so much that I bought tickets to see it a second time. I picked up this book to try and get more of the magic, but of course reading a script is a long way from seeing a performance. If you get a chance to see Culture Clash -- go. OSF commissioned the play as part of their American History Cycle.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as preparation for doing pre-show talks about the Richard Montoya play American Night. The book contains the scripts for three Culture Clash plays, with intros by each core member of the troupe. I learned a bunch about their history, and history of Latino performers in the 80's and 90's, and the arts in the Mission in SF. But mostly I learned how much I missed by not learning about them earlier in my life. I wish I'd seen some of their earlier groundbreaking work. Awesome.