El Vez, aka Robert Lopez, is a proud Chicano known as the Mexican Elvis. He has been in the music scene for 25 years, and before he was El Vez, he played a big part in the punk rock movement.
El Vez, aka Robert Lopez, is a proud Chicano known as the Mexican Elvis. He has been in the music scene for 25 years, and before he was El Vez, he played a big part in the punk rock movement. Beginning his career in 1976 as the guitarist for first-wave American punk band The Zeros, El Vez reinvented himself in his current Latin-American rock n’ roll guise back in the early 90s, and has not stopped since. His music mixes his ethnic Elvis tribute flavor with revolutionary politics delivered through a satirical lens. He has changed the boundaries of the punk, gospel, and Mexican sound, and his ability to captivate a crowd is nothing short of amazing. We spoke about his past in the music industry and the reasoning behind his El Vez persona.
Where are you from?
I was born in East LA, I’m a Chicano. I was born in Chula Vista, which is the border of Mexico, but I lived most of my life in East LA, I moved around a lot.
Have you played in Richmond before?
I have played in Richmond before. I think we used to come here a lot in the 90s. The railroad station was a place called the Scarlet back in 96. We have done things with the museum of art, we played at a place called Moondance, we played outside the art museum for the finance center once a long time ago, so we’ve been coming to Richmond for a while. We have a history with Richmond.
How did you end up playing here at Sound City?
Our good friend Andrew put the event together. This is the first time they’ve done the brews and beers and bands. I met him in Washington DC, we did a show at the Black Cat, and he liked us so much he goes, “I have to have you for my event.” And I’m glad he did, it’s always nice to come back to Richmond.
The Zeros on San Diego television, 1977
What originally made you get into music and showmanship?
I’ve been doing music since I was 16, I was in a band called The Zeros. You can google us and see videos of me on TV when I was 16 years old. In 1976 we played the beginning of Punk Rock LA, so bands like X, the Germs. We played at the Germs first show they ever did, and all that kind of stuff. I was part of the 77 Punk Rock movement in Los Angeles. We lived in San Diego at that time, so I’ve been doing music. I was in a band called Catholic Discipline, we were in that film The Decline of Western Civilization that Penelope Spheeris did. I have a nice history of rock n roll since I was a child.
Who are your inspirations?
Of course Elvis Presley and David Bowie, who just happen to have the same birthday, January 8th. Those are my two influences music-wise for this show, El Vez. Of course I love all the punk rock stuff, the classics, Pistols, The Buzzcocks. In my show you hear a bunch of stuff from Oasis, The Rolling Stones, Bowie, all kinds of stuff. I throw in all of my influences onto an El Vez show, it’s like a mix and match, like a jukebox exploding in front of your face. But I would say Bowie and Elvis are my inspirations. I like bands like the New York Dolls, Kiss, and theatrical stuff like that. I have an appreciation of Mexican music too, and classic pop. I grew up with lots of music in my household.
Were you infatuated with Elvis from the beginning of your life?
I’d say yes. I know a lot of Elvis impersonators, and they say, “Oh, I remember the first time I heard Elvis,” but I don’t because he’s just always been there. When I was a child, there was always music at my house. I was listening to Vicente Fernandez and the Beatles and everything, so it’s no revelation the first time I heard Elvis because he’s always been there. I must have heard him when I was a baby.
I know all of Elvis’s history, I’ve been to Graceland many times, I played in front of the Lisa Marie jet, I worked with Graceland Company. This next Friday will be the 25th anniversary of my very first show I did, which was in Memphis, Tennessee. Every year there is a big music festival for Elvis on the Dia de los Muertos, it’s the anniversary of death.
Did you pick your stage name because of your love of Elvis?
And it sounds good, it’s the Mexican version of Elvis. There’s an El Vez restaurant in Philadelphia, we work together. They have a licensing deal, so it’s named after me.
Two years ago one of my jumpsuits, my gold mariachi suit was displayed in the Smithsonian Institute, it was a whole show called Sabor USA and was about Mexican pop music in America. My jumpsuit was next to Linda Ronstadt and next to Ritchie Valens and Tito Cuevas so it was a really nice honor to be mentioned in the same breath as those people and I’m just a guy under the radar. But the Smithsonian said, “He’s part of American culture.” I was very honored.
Where else have you played?
We’ve played all over United States, Australia, we played in Spain. I just came back from a tour in Spain and Italy. We’ve played all over Germany and Austria and Switzerland, Norway, England, a lot of places. In 25 years, you get around.
Have you had the same Elvettes?
The band changes every once in a while. I’m the same and everyone else changes. Current ones, they’ve been with us for a good chunk of time. I live in Seattle now, I’m slowly moving North to Canada. I met them in Los Angeles when I lived in Los Angeles, but I work with different bands all the time, so it’s nice to shift gears. If you go to elvez.net you can look at my history of records. I put out over a dozen records.
What was your favorite part of this festival?
The audience. I love playing my version of Dixie at a Civil War memorial site. That is like my version of the South. That made me happy to have the kids hooting and hollering. Maybe they were drunk, but maybe they felt the spirit of a new south rising! They were enthusiastic and I liked it. It was very fun, except that it was so amazingly hot and humid. Vinyl doesn’t let you breathe. I was dripping wet. It was a very good crowd and we had a good time. And I’m glad to be here with the Breeders, I love the Breeders, it was a very nice honor to play with them.
Are you emulating Andy Kaufman?
Andy Kaufman used to do an Elvis impersonation. But Andy Kaufman was a pretty straightforward Elvis impersonator. I’m an Elvis interpretation, I interpret him into the Spanish idiom, Chicano. Andy Kaufman was doing strict to-the-rules Elvis. I like to break the rules.
I start off with Elvis, and I put a mustache on it, like Marcel Duchamp put a mustache on the Mona Lisa. From there is your point of reference. I’ve done many shows, I’ve run for president four years different times, and so that’s a very political show, but it’s an El Vez show. I have a rockin’ revolution show. Phil Ochs had a great quote, “If there’s any hope for America, it lies in a revolution. And if there’s hope for a revolution it lies in Elvis Presley to become Che Guevara.” I took that idea and became the Mexican Che, which is a very militant show [that] wears a lot of camouflage.
I’ve had a gospel show, so it’s like a Judeo-Christian, Zen Buddhist, Christian Aztec sacrifice gospel show, so incorporating all different types of religions. The only Grammys that Elvis won were for his gospel records. Elvis loved gospel, so it was nice to get to his roots.
I’ve had a show called the Black and White show, it was a parallel of Elvis Presley and David Bowie’s Station to Station album, and they both have the same birthday, so it was a mix of that.
So I have very many shows. I have a wonderful Christmas show, Mexmas. I go very different ways. It starts with Elvis, and then it goes into many different directions, all touching on Elvis themes, but touching on Latino themes from the history.
It’s a very entertaining show because we keep on changing ideas and giving you more information. We cut some [costumes] out because we were running over our time. We cut two of them because we didn’t have time. We had to makeshift dressing rooms. It was a fun show with a really good audience, and we had a good time. I have a nice history. I’m very proud of the history of El Vez, 25 years is a good thing.
Anything else you would like to add?
I’m very glad to be back in Richmond. Have us back!
