Wiser With Age

Tag: Los Angeles

  • Danny Trejo busier than ever, but why helping others is most important

    Danny Trejo busier than ever, but why helping others is most important

    Danny Trejo at Trejo’s Tacos (Courtesy @officialdannytrejo)

    When you think of Danny Trejo, probably his legendary “tough guy” image immediately comes to mind – with a fiery explosion taking place behind him – like in the “Machete Kills” movie poster.

    He is one of America’s most hard-working actors, averaging four films a year (usually of the action genre) since the 1990’s. Lately, however, he’s been picking up the pace and expanding his repertoire (which now includes more than 370 credits) with some “softer” roles. Most recently, he plays Eduardo, a former attorney and grandfather, who saves the day by using his legal expertise in the film,  “Grand-Daddy Daycare.”

    “I am a worker, I’ll do whatever you got,” says the five foot five actor, with tattoos, and a very kind, deep, voice that makes you feel like he’s got your back no matter if you just met. “I am blessed.”

    Trejo still lives near where he grew up in Pacoima, California, with his six dogs. He says he usually starts his day early, because his life has only gotten busier now that he’s 74.

    Danny Trejo at home with his dogs. (Courtesy @officialdannytrejo)

    “I get up in the morning, say my prayers, and find out what I got to do,” says the man on various missions. “Seventy is the new 50. I started owning restaurants at 70. I am now 74 and have eight restaurants.”

    In addition to appearing in more than a dozen films this year alone (including “The Prey,” and “Remnants of the Fallen”), Trejo is owner of various food establishments in the LA-area, including Trejo’s Tacos, Trejo’s Cantina and Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts. He also produces music through his DT Music label, volunteers as a drug rehab counselor, and is an overall good Samaritan whenever he can.

    A typical day for him when he’s not acting, he says, is waking up at 5am, visiting his donut shop, then going to auto mechanic shop to work on his cars, which is one of his favorite hobbies. At around 3:30, he might go check in at Trejo’s Cantina – which he tries to do often because food quality is important to him, and he makes sure all leftovers are given to the homeless. Perhaps, he also wants his mom to be proud.

    “My mom always wanted to open a restaurant, but my dad was like the Mexican Archie Bunker and he didn’t like the idea,” says Trejo, explaining that his dad wanted his wife to stay at home, because otherwise it made it look like the ‘man of the house” couldn’t provide.

    “Right now, she’s in heaven with my dad. She’s telling him, ‘You see! We should’ve opened a restaurant!,” Trejo says laughing.

    “I’m having so much fun right now. I have all my dream cars. I just started a record label. And we have a new album, Chicano Soul Shop Volume 1, will be dropping this month,” says Trejo, sounding like he’s just reached a peak in his life. “I am the narrator, like a radio DJ style.”

    Trejo’s beginnings were far from glamorous, however.

    His role model was his uncle Gilbert – a drug addict and armed robber. Trejo started using drugs at 8-years-old and was addicted to heroin by 12. He spent many years in juvenile halls and prisons, when he was released for good at 25. The reason: he prayed while in solitary confinement (because of a fight in Soledad prison) that if God would let him die with dignity, he’d devote his life to doing God’s work and helping others.

    Much to his surprise, Trejo was released the following year, in 1969, and he’s been keeping his vow ever since.

    “Every friend I have carries extra underwear and socks in their car,” he says, explaining that in case they see a homeless person, they have something to give them. “God intended us to live by helping our fellow man.”

    Trejo became a drug rehab counselor when he left prison and did that full-time for 17 years, before he got his first acting gig by chance. Today, he still helps heroin addicts at Western Pacific Med Corp. drug rehabilitation facilities.

    “Everything good that happened to me was a direct result of helping someone else,” he explains.

    That, and maybe one of the traits he seems to have inherited from his father also helped – being a hard worker.

    The most important piece of advice he says he gives his three adult children is, “The key to success is perseverance. You gotta keep going to be a hit.”

  • From L.A. Gangs at 11 To Poet Laureate at 60

    From L.A. Gangs at 11 To Poet Laureate at 60

    Poet Laureate of Los Angeles Luis J. Rodriguez (Photo/ Arlene Mejorado)
    Poet Laureate of Los Angeles Luis J. Rodriguez (Photo/ Arlene Mejorado)

    Growing up in poverty in South Central and East Los Angeles, Luis J. Rodriguez says he found himself so emotionally empty that he joined a gang at age 11. He started abusing heroin by 12, and by 15, he was put in juvenile hall and later prison. It was his love for books, however, which turned his life around.

    At 60, Rodriguez is now an award-winning poet, author, and founder of a cultural arts center which helps youth in the San Fernando Valley stay away from gangs. This month, he was chosen by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to be the city’s second Poet Laureate, succeeding Eloise Klein Healy.

    “I thought they’re probably not going to pick me,” says Rodriguez, who was one of approximately 30 applicants. “I was quite amazed. I also understand the responsibility. I want kids to recite poetry. I’ll do anything to get poetry exploding in Los Angeles.”

    Rodriguez will be getting an office in the same Central Library where he had once found refuge from the gang world four decades ago. The same peaceful place where he’d escape gunshots, and spend hours upon hours reading, will now be where he writes poems for his city.

    “In the end books saved my life,” says the man who has written 15 of his own, including his most recent memoir, “It Calls You Back: An Odyssey Through Love, Addiction, Revolutions, and Healing,” a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.

    Rodriguez remembers before he was aware of the power of books, the most eminent force in his life were the gang members who surrounded him.

    “They were tough. Everyone was scared of them. They had heavy tattoos,” recalls Rodriguez. “I wanted to be part of that. I thought being a part of that, people would respect me.”

    However, in the late 60’s and early 70’s, he says soldiers began returning from the Vietnam War wounded mentally, and there was heroin everywhere. That’s when he says what he thought about gangs began to erode.

    “You used to be able to trust your homies, but I realized you couldn’t trust an addict,” says Rodriguez. “I was becoming just like them. When guns come in to the picture, people start killing people. It wasn’t this homey and loving relationship. It wasn’t a place where people could relate and hang. By the time I was 19, I had lost 25 friends, I was addicted to heroin, my family threw me out.”

    Rodriguez spent time in county jail for some misdemeanors, where he started writing little stories, but once he was out, he decided he wasn’t going to go back. He opted to return to school instead and even went to night school to better his English.

    “I started doing gang intervention,” he says. “I tried helping my neighborhood, and I actually got shot at by one of the gang members because of my work.”

    However, Rodriguez remained steadfast, after equipping himself with the power of books. He went on a 35-year mission of gang intervention around the world, which he still makes time for, and founded Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural and Bookstore, with his wife, in 2001.

    “This has helped a lot of kids,” says Rodriguez. “Gang kids show up, and they’re welcome. They are young people that need a relationship to options. The option can’t be, ‘I’m going to prison,’ or ‘I’m going to be a heroin addict.’ They need to know they have gifts and callings. That’s what they need to tap into. That’s the work that I do – tap into their own capacities – build them up from there, so they don’t feel like they’re trapped in their crazy life.”

    On November 1, Rodriguez will be one of the award-winning authors to speak at the 15th  Annual Los Angeles Latino Book & Family Festival – along with three other poets from Tia Chucha. He says it’s very important for him to give back to his community, because it was the same community which helped get him back on his feet.

    What is the one piece of advice he would give his younger self with the wisdom he now has?

    “The one thing I had was my imagination,” says Rodriguez. “All young people are filled with imagination, but with all the trauma of life and on the streets you lose it. You’re stuck trapped. Don’t lose your imagination.”

  • Actor Tony Plana says, “Show your kids how important education is”

    Actor Tony Plana says, “Show your kids how important education is”

    Actor Tony Plana (Courtesy Twitter)
    Actor Tony Plana (Courtesy Twitter)

    Many might remember Tony Plana from his many acting roles from “Feo” in the film “Born in East L.A.” to playing America Ferrera’s dad in the sitcom “Ugly Betty,” but many might not know his other passion is sharing his wisdom with youth.

    The 62-year-old Cuban-American actor attributes all of his success to his education, and he says he wants to pay it forward.

    For nearly two decades, Plana has been working hard to create educational programming for schools in underserved middle and high schools in the greater Los Angeles area. His East L.A. Classic Theatre program, which integrates acting within school curriculums have proven successful, because it engages students to become avid learners – it connects them emotionally to the school experience. He says young immigrant children, who have trouble speaking because of fear, to troubled runaways, have found a purpose and have learned to thrive because of being exposed to theater.

    “Theater teaches you to collaborate and identify with a group – to create and realize something together,” says Plana. “The wonderful feeling of creating something together and sharing it – it’s very powerful…I started East L.A. Classic Theatre in 1995, because I wanted to become part of the solution…I want to take East L.A. nationally, because [education] is a national problem.”

    The experienced father of two and educator of many, says it’s all about connections when it comes to educating youth, and it starts in the home.

    “Latino children experience more regression than any other group, because it’s environmental – many are very poor and that’s not conducive to intellectual stimulation,” says Plana, who encourages role-playing with parents in school curriculums. “It’s important to educate the parents about this problem.”

    He says he’s also created a program through East L.A. called “Creciendo Juntos” to empower parents with information.

    “You have to get involved in finding out who your kids are and what they need,” says Plana, who home-schooled his own children – whether biological, educational, whatever those needs are. “We teach them not to do things for their children, but to make them learn, and parents to become learners themselves. You teach by modeling. Become more educated so you can make more money and raise standard of living. Show your kids how important education is.”

    Currently living with his wife in NYC, Plana also spends time advocating for other causes when he’s not acting. Most recently, he’s a spokesperson for a non-profit called TECHO, which brings volunteers and low-income families in Latin America together to combat poverty.

  • A cookbook author’s recipe for a good life – travel, salsa, and no fear

    A cookbook author’s recipe for a good life – travel, salsa, and no fear

    Kathy Diaz, co-host of "Canto Tropical" radio show in Los Angeles, Calif. (Courtesy
    Kathy Diaz, co-host of “Canto Tropical” radio show in Los Angeles, Calif. (Courtesy

    As a girl growing up in San Bernadino, California, Kathy Díaz, says she wasn’t one of those kids who knew what they wanted to be when they grew up. Instead, she says, too many subjects interested her and she had trouble focusing on just one.

    After majoring in Latin American studies at UCLA, she says she “stumbled into” journalism. She spent most of her career as an editor for national publications, including Hispanic and Mexico Events and Destinations magazines. Today, now 61, Díaz has been co-hosting a salsa radio show in Los Angeles, every Saturday since 1986, and recently, she co-authored her first cookbook called Sabores Yucatecos: A Culinary Tour of the Yucatan.

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