Navarro encourages students to pursue the arts
CALEXICO — Fellow Bulldog and musician Dan Navarro on Friday told hundreds of Calexico High School students that pursuing their artistic passions may not make them rich or please their parents, but would indeed provide fulfillment for their lives — and quite possibly the lives of others.
During a pair of assemblies, Navarro shared how despite initial uncertainty, numerous obstacles, as well as his own mother warning him to grow up and stop making “stupid noises” with his mouth, he was able to carve out a successful career in the music, television and radio industry.
“Part of what I want to tell you is that you can,” Navarro said.
“The whole idea is to have a sense of yourself and what you want to do and keep going, going and going.”
Navarro also shared how his own identity was influenced by his upbringing in Calexico, a location rich in culture and tradition.
Similarly, Calexico students should not only be aware of how distinct their experiences are from others, but also want to share their unique perspectives, whether it be through music, theater, dance, writing or interior design.
“You exist in a way here that the rest of the world doesn’t understand,” said Navarro, adding that modern technology has made it easier to reach wider audiences and bigger markets. “The part that doesn’t change is the desire for meaningful stories.”
Despite the obvious generation gap, students appeared to easily relate to Navarro’s story, and at times displayed wide admiration for his body of work, most notably when he mentioned his voiceover work for a pair of popular video games as well as the “Book of Life” movie.
A common theme throughout Navarro’s narrative was the need to work tirelessly, have confidence in one’s self and never turn down an opportunity.
“There is no single way to accomplish a career in the arts,” the 64-year-old said. “It took me a long time to break in, but I’ve been really fortunate.”
Navarro’s body of work includes a successful 22year stretch with Eric Lowen in the acoustic duo Lowen & Navarro, with whom he co-wrote the song “We Belong,” made popular by Pat Benatar.
He has also written songs for The Bangles, Jackson Browne, Dave Edmunds, The Temptations, Dionne Warwick, Dutch superstar Marco Borsato, The Triplets, Rusty Weir, and played backup music on several of Luis Miguel’s albums.
Tonight, Navarro is performing a benefit concert at the Carmen Durazo Cultural Arts Center. Yet, Calexico high students on Friday were the first to ever hear Navarro perform live music in the city he grew up in and remains affectionate about.
Besides going through a few verses and chorus for his hit “We Belong,” in both English and Spanish, Navarro also treated students to music he created for an episode of “Family Guy” whose Spanish lyrics included references to a nogood cat, devil’s cheese and a mariachi by the name of Cilantro.
“I got paid for that,” he said. “That’s the crazy part.”
Navarro also spent a good amount of his presentation sprinting around the Carl Varner gymnasium, doing his best to answer students’ questions.
One such question asked about the inspiration behind his music, prompting Navarro to divulge his preference to write “dark songs” that touch upon fear, loss, change and uncertainty.
“My inspiration is understanding what it’s like to feel alienated and alone,” he said.
The close of Navarro’s presentations brought lines of students waiting to have their picture taken with him. Many of those present were students involved with the campus’ various arts, music and theater programs.
Seventeen-year-old Christian Maximilian Marquez went one step further, convincing Navarro to exchange contact information in the hopes the working professional can provide the graduating senior with advice to further help his would-be musical and acting career.
“He can point me in the right direction,” Christian said, “so I can get ahead of the curb.”
Already, Christian said he is grateful for Navarro having explained that there is guaranteed way to become a successful recording artist or actor.
“You have to basically create your own way to find yourself up there,” Christian said.