Podcasting on Passions Personified
What does music, acting, art, comic books, toys, skateboarding and podcasting have in common?
Passions Personified.
Passions Personified is a (perhaps yet) little-known podcast, created and hosted by El Centro’s own former pro-skater, local comics shop owner and Archie Comics published author, Ruben Najera Jr., where Najera interviews and speaks with interesting actors, authors, artists, composers and more, about their “passions” e.g. what they love doing in life. These are people that have “had success pursuing their passions.”
Perhaps one of the greatest best kept secrets on the local web-sphere, Najera’s podcast highlights the stories of these interesting characters and allows them to share what got them into their various passions. There is an eclectic mix of interviewees, from actors and movie industry composing, to comic artists, podcasters, and YouTubers.
Truth be told, while I (tend to think, at least, that I) usually have a longer attention span than most of your average 30-something and younger people these days, podcasts have been something where only a few have been able to hold my ear. (How that is possible when I consider myself an audiophile? I really don’t know.)
Yet Najera – not just because I know him, but more so, I’d say, because he’s a local – is pulling in guests who worked on our favorite childhood movies (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters), animated series, or even Marvel and DC Comics. In addition, some of the actors have also worked alongside big names like Nicolas Cage, Tommy Lee Jones, Brittany Murphy and directors like Robert Rodriguez and the Coen Brothers ... and that’s just one of his guests.
In listening to a few of Najera’s “Passions Personified” episodes myself, my interests got piqued when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie scorer/composer John Du Prez – who scored the first TMNT movie (1990) –, and actress Paige Turco – who played “April O’Neil” in the subsequent original Turtles’ movies “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III” (1991, 1993) –, both hit me with nostalgia chems to the brain, yet they also aroused my music and theater penchant, and generally, the fulfilled my interest in “what is an actor(ess) really like behind the scenes.”
And interviewing a “Toy Hunter” from the Travel Channel for his Christmas episode? Genius.
In addition to some of the niché guests from my and Ruben’s era of childhood, Najera also interviews locals, or people with ties to the Imperial Valley.
Who knew that artist Dave Garcia – who has worked on The Tick (animated series), Paul the Samurai and TMNT (animated) – was born in Brawley and raised in Holtville? I didn’t before listening to that podcast episode. And listening to him and his personality jump out of my speakers (or earbuds) was very entertaining.
Tapping into his love of skating, Najera also interviews Brawley’s I.V. SK8ER shop owner Anthony Vargas. Also interesting, I find, was the sur-reality of passionate podcaster from the Valley (Najera) interviewing a passionate podcaster from the Valley, “Que Pasa Calexico” ’s creator and podcast host Jose Alejos.
For those of you who know me and what I do on the weekends, I guess it’s no secret that music is a passion of my own. Because of this, I am honored to be featured on an upcoming episode with Najera and our old Southwest High School Marching Band colleague, Guillermo “Willie” Acuña, of Mariachi Sol de México harp playing fame.
Acuña and I are slated to talk about the upcoming Mariachi Sol de México concert, which will be taking place at the Jimmie Cannon Theater for Performing Arts at Southwest High School on Saturday, March 25.
Our upcoming episode will be the first time Najera has had two guests on the same Passions Personified podcast episode. In addition, the concert will be the first the mariachi of which I am a core member, Mariachi Aurora de Calexico, will be one of the opening acts for Mariachi Sol de México’s “Leyendas” concert. It’s an exciting time!
On Passions Personified, we’ll be talking about our love for mariachi, how we got into the “mariachi life,” and music in general. Admittedly, Acuña is the seasoned professional and I’m just the wannabe, so I plan on taking a backseat, but it will be nice to re-connect with old high school pals and let people know how it was actually being friends with Willie that got me into mariachi.
In addition, it will be nice to prop up Sol de México’s upcoming concert, where I must admit, I had in making happen as the aforementioned “connector” (reference to my OpEd from last week).
I think it is amazing that Sol will be giving back to our Imperial Valley community in the upcoming workshops they will be hosting at Southwest for mariachi students in our local high schools, junior highs and possibly elementary schools as well. All that is still getting put together as you read this, but I am confident there will be coverage in IVP about it in the future ... I mean, “I know a guy.”