So you wanna be a rock-n-roll star

1970s pop stars show up in Mexico regularly, to mixed receptions. With almost no mention in the Mexican press — and about the same amount of interest — comes word that Elton John will be doing a concert at Chichen Itza in April.  Considering tickets to the concert easier to buy in Europe and the United States than in Mexico (although you can buy them at a few tourist agencies in the Yucatan serving foreign clients), don’t expect the fans to be much different than those at his last concert here: in other words, not many Mexicans.

EJ, before he lost it in the wind

John’s  November 2001 appearance at Chapultepec Castle was at a fund-raiser for Marta Sahagún (Mrs. Vicente Fox)’s “charity”, Vamos Mexico.  Having political ambitions of her own, the right-wing Sahagún tried to project herself as a Mexican version of Eva Peron, whose Fundacion Eva Peron shook down the rich and spent the loot on social services for the poor.  Sahagún’s “Vamos Mexico” shook down the rich, the middle class and tried, when it could, to get the poor to pony up … so that the loot could be spent (what auditors were able to trace of the loot) on supporting right wing politicans and propping up some of Sahagún’s two sons more dubious business enterprises.

John’s appearance at Chapultepec was met with student and worker protests — not so much that they couldn’t afford the tickets — but that they saw John as a suck-up to the rich and powerful– and politically naive. Given that the guy is better known in Mexico for hanging out with rich wives with their own agendas (like Mrs. Charles Prince-of-Wales) than anything else, it’s not so much that Mexicans don’t care for his music (although the Village People are much more popular, and lyrics about Confederates and dead princesses are kinda hard to sell in Mexico, especially in English), but they don’t care for his amigas.

Evo: I'm with the band

Compare that to another pop star of the 1970s, who visited Mexico City last week and received a huge, enthusiastic and warm welcome. Michael Collins at Americas MexicoBlog writes on the frenzied fans who gathered by the thousands to greet the former trumpet player that top of the Bolivian pops favorite, the Royal Imperial Band:

It was a hot afternoon in central Coyoacán and the sun beat down heavily on the crowd as they awaited the appearance of charismatic Bolivian leader, Evo Morales. The public queued patiently and edged slowly into the Jardín Hidalgo, following mandatory security checks that are the norm at events of this nature. As the area filled, the more eager of the spectators began to climb onto the bandstand, trees and fences, to get a glimpse of their hero. The smaller members of the audience stood on their tiptoes in preparation for the Bolivian leader’s arrival. A scuffle broke out in the crowd, and the two perpetrators were comically berated by onlookers who reminded them that, “We are socialists, not neocons! Keep the peace.” To warm up the crowd, an M.C. read out some of Evo’s achievements since he began his presidency in 2006. Evo Morales has made Bolivia a literate nation. In 2008, during the financial crisis, Bolivia’s GDP increased by 6%. Evo has successfully nationalized the nation’s gas reserves. He also intermittently entered the stage to give updates on Evo’s whereabouts. “He’s leaving the airport now!” Cheers from the crowd. “His car’s just arrived!” Cheers again. “He’s making his way through the crowd! Yet more cheers.

…

He told the cheering crowd that “basic services are public services and must not be privatized.” The crowd responded by chanting “Calderón out!” recalling their own president’s recent decision to dismiss over 40,000 employees of the state electricity company for the purposes of privatization. Morales’ attack on the upper class continued as he told the crowd that, “There are more of us than these modern millionaires. They have all the wealth but are small in number, whereas we are poor but are the majority.” He told the crowd that these gold-diggers were only interested in exploiting natural resources for their personal financial gain. The crowd listened as Morales spoke of the importance of getting middle-class citizens and intellectuals on side, to fight the oligarchs.

When to start fighting the oligarchs? … ummmm….

Saturday night’s alright for fighting. Get a little action in.