By David Lynch – KENS5.com – Video Capture: KENS 5.
Lou Diamond Phillips – who on Sunday was in San Antonio, Texas, to host a screening of the film at downtown’s Tobin Center – said that “Go, Johnny, Go” clip went a long way toward shaping how he would embody Valens on-screen.
The real-life story of Valens was over right as its second chapter was beginning. But its first has had such a profound impact on pop culture – specifically the timely infusion of Chicano influence into rock ‘n roll as the genre was beginning to blossom – that it’s easy to forget the California musician’s professional career lasted less than a full year. That brevity also made things a bit difficult for the young actor who would portray Valens 28 years after his death in the film named after his biggest hit, “La Bamba.”
