The Homoerratic Radio Show: Vicente Fernández

Artist: Vicente Fernández

LP: Ni En Defensa Propia

Song: "Ni En Defensa Propia"

If someone on the street had offered to sell me a color photo of Vicente Fernández, Mexico's "King of Ranchera," in which the handsome singer shows off his hairy chest and torso, I would have readily forked over $5—maybe even $6. So it was my good fortune to find just such a picture for only a buck down in Portland during a little getaway with friends last weekend. There were more photos of Fernández on the back cover (I'm developing a unibrow fetish) and when I got home I discovered that there was even a record inside! "Ni En Defensa Propia" was Vicente Fernández's third LP, released in 1970—just one year before he made his big-screen debut in GRILLED TACOS. Once told that he'd be better off selling peanuts than trying to have a professional singing career, Vicente was signed by CBS Mexico in 1966 after the country's most popular singer died from gall bladder surgery and the label needed to find a new star. Fernández has recorded over 50 albums, and he's still going strong. You can read more about his life and career and find his complete discography on Wikipedia here, and there's a brilliant Vicente Fernández video clip included here:

Vicente Fernández on YouTube:

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May 11, 2012 — Sony just sent me a letter saying that they were NOT happy to find me letting you listen to my copy of "Ni En Defensa Propia" for free. On the news this morning I heard that Sony posted a $5.7 billion loss for 2011, the worst in their 66-year history, with company stocks falling to their lowest point in 30 years. I feel partly to blame. Please help Sony recover by purchasing Vicente Fernández's "Ni En Defensa Propia" CD or its individual mp3s at Amazon.com here.