'He influenced everything': Austin musicians react to Vicente Fernández's death

Vicente Fernández endeared himself to generations of fans with his enchanting voice and songs of love, loss and life in rural Mexico. He made his name across the border, but the legend's death on Sunday saddened admirers across Texas, including in the Austin music community. 

"Fernández was 'El Rey de Canción de Mariachi,'" said singer-songwriter Patricia Vonne, 51, a San Antonio native and fixture on the Austin music scene. 

"He was the voice of Mexico that will never be forgotten," she added. "He was Elvis, Sinatra and Tony Bennett rolled into one. He will be sorely missed."

Fernández was called the "King of Rancheras." Before he died at 81, Chente, as he was known to fans, recorded more than 100 albums, sold over 70 million copies, starred in 34 films in Mexican cinema and recorded more than 300 songs. Those songs, like "Por Tu Maldito Amor" and "Volver, Volver," made him royalty in the Latin music world. 

He died in Guadalajara in his native state of Jalisco, four months after being hospitalized and diagnosed with Guillen-Barré syndrome, according to a family statement. News of the singer's death was announced in a post on his official Instagram account.

"Fue un honor y un gran orgullo compartir con todos una gran trayectoria de música y darlo todo por su público. Gracias por seguir aplaudiendo, gracias por seguir cantando,“ the caption read. (Translated from Spanish to English: "It was an honor and a great pride to share with everyone a great musical career and to give everything for his audience. Thank you for continuing to applaud, thank you for continuing to sing.")

With his signature charro outfit and embroidered sombrero, Fernández brought ranchera music to the international stage. 

Having grown up listening to songs like "El Rey" at family cookouts, weddings and quinceañeras, Austin musician Stephanie Bergara said the loss of Fernández is devastating, especially for those who grew up in and around mariachi culture. 

"He influenced everything," said Bergara, a 35-year-old local performer who also fronts the Selena tribute band Bidi Bidi Banda. "Everyone and everything about Mexican culture can be traced back to (him)."

On the day Fernández died, Bidi Bidi Banda posted a picture of him and Selena to their social media accounts, with the image highlighting the impact the two beloved  musicians shared, Bergara said. 

"I think they're having an epic concert up in heaven — drinking tequila and singing for everybody up there," she said. 

Although he grew up outside the mariachi culture, Bradley Jaye Williams, 60, of Austin band Conjunto Los Pinkys said Fernández transcended musical and cultural borders. 

"The songs are really what it's all about," the Saginaw, Michigan, native said. "His music is a part of the fabric of all Mexican music, but also a part of a lot of people's lives in Mexico and the world at this point. It's a worldwide thing."

Another iconic king of pop culture, George Strait, offered words of praise for Fernández.

"Sad news today. We lost (the) amazing legendary Vicente Fernández this morning," country music legend Strait tweeted on Sunday. "One of my heroes. May he Rest In Peace and may God bless and comfort his family. Hasta la Cruz Chente!!"

While Fernández has died, his voice and legacy will remain present, said Beto Martinez, co-founder of the Austin-based, Grammy-winning, Latin-funk band Grupo Fantasma.

"We sang his songs on birthdays, at funerals, weddings and big celebrations. The music will forever be associated with those (magnificent) events, whether happy or sad," Martinez, 44, said. "That legacy will never die down.

"He's an icon and a titan."

– Austin American-Statesman

'It's been pretty awesome,' Chelsea Handler says of returning to live performances

Chelsea Handler has never shied away from a call for transparency.

Whether her social or political stance has been deemed unconventional, controversial, or, more often than not, self-deprecating, she's owned it — standing firm in her beliefs. 

That mindset was at center when she was developing her new standup tour, Vaccinated and Horny, a title reflective of Handler's brand and material, she says, that will be a return to her comedic roots. 

After kicking off her national tour in Cincinnati this fall, the legendary comedian and six-time bestselling author will take center stage on Nov. 13 in the Palace Theatre. 

Calling in from New York City as she prepared for her show in Rochester, New York, Handler, 46, spoke with The Dispatch recently about the inspiration behind her new comedy tour and the healing power comedy has had during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her comments have been edited for space and clarity.

Question: What inspired the name of your new comedy tour?

Handler: I mean, I was home for a very long time, so there wasn’t a ton of sex happening. There was a lot of sexual repression.

So, as soon as I was vaccinated, I decide that I was going to move forward in this world with those two roles — vaccinated and horny.

Q: Your last special really dove further into the personal things you've endured — your personal therapy journey, confronting your brother's death, and others. Have you taken a similar route with this comedy tour?

Handler: This is more like OG Chelsea. This is me sounding off on all the idiotic behavior we all participated in during (COVID-19), like Windex-ing our takeout food.

My sister invaded my house with her three adult children for four months, which is something that I worked hard in my life to avoid. I never really wanted to have children or have them living in my house, but somehow I ended up in that situation anyway.

So, that put me in a really tricky situation. I probably sold my house as soon as they moved out to avoid that ever happening again. I just bought a new house that has four bedrooms, and I’m converting all four of them into a workout room, podcast studio — anything besides a bedroom, because that’s not happening to me again. I’m making the first time the last time because the entire reason I didn’t have a child is because of the off-chance we might go through a global pandemic and I’d be stuck at home with one.

I also bought (COVID-19) health tests at home for potential penetrators. I’d interview them in the backyard, run the diagnostics on the test — which took about 30 minutes. I’d give each candidate a nasal swab, and then I would talk to them within the 30 minutes it took to run the test, and, if during that time they said anything really annoying or I saw a pinky ring, I would just tell them they had (COVID-19) and were positive.

Q: I know you've been to several cities since kicking off the tour in Cincinnati, so how has that been being in front of more traditional audiences for a full-fledged  stand-up tour? 

Handler: It's been pretty awesome. It’s pretty good timing for people and a great time being a comedian because people are so excited to be out and back together in large crowds. And for many people, this is the first big event that they’re attending and I love being the reason for that.

It’s a great reminder about humanity and togetherness. Laughing together in large groups heals the soul, and I just want everyone leaving with their sides hurting, I want to provoke your thinking and be laughing so hard it hurts.

I want people to have accidents at my shows, I want people to know it's like a party. It’s not like a party where it’s an interactive party with people, you know, in the audience screaming and yelling. I definitely don’t want to encourage that, but I want them feeling like (they) went to a party.

Q: Do you feel this tour and the world of comedy have been needed during this time? From my perspective, comedy is already a sense of healing. And at a time when it's most needed, do you feel it's played its part well?

Handler: Yes, I think it's really needed and there’s a lot of conversations about how people aren't able to be funny in this climate which is (expletive). 

It’s easy to be funny without making fun of brown and Black people. It’s easy to be funny without making fun of trans people. Like there’s plenty of (expletive) to talk about, so everyone can get a little more clever and a little more creative, but start with yourself.

– The Columbus Dispatch