Celebrating Selena Quintanilla | Suzette Quintanilla | Talks at Google

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[MUSIC PLAYING] [APPLAUSE] PERLA CAMPOS: Thanks, guys, for coming, and thank you to everyone on Livestream. I can't see you, but you look great. My name is Perla Campos, and I am the PM for Google Doodles here at Google. And we're here-- hopefully, everyone is in the room and everyone on Livestream are here for one reason, a very good reason, a really awesome reason, and dear to my heart. We will be launching a Google Doodle for Selena Quintanilla on October 17. We're super excited. This has been a huge labor of love, and it has also been a really great collaboration with her family, the Quintanillas, specifically, Suzette Quintanilla, who will be joining us here in one moment. Suzette is a sister, older sister, of Selena. She was also a bandmate in Selena y Los Dinos, a pretty cool drummer, if I do say so myself. And we're going to sit down and have an awesome chat about the life and the legacy of Selena, as well as how they felt about the process of the Doodle. So Suzette, welcome in. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Hi. [APPLAUSE] PERLA CAMPOS: Thank you so much for coming. I'm not texting anyone. Don't worry. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: OK. PERLA CAMPOS: I'm Just going to pull up the questions here. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Hi, everyone. PERLA CAMPOS: Yeah, then there's also a lot of people that you can't see, but if you, I don't even know where we wave to, like maybe-- I don't know. They're cool, all those people on TV land. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Hi, everybody. PERLA CAMPOS: Yeah, so we're just going to talking about like life in the band, and I'm just going to be asking questions just so everybody knows. We'll do about 30 minutes of just my questions. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Whoa! PERLA CAMPOS: I know. I know. I know. You're probably like, I don't know if we can talk that long, Perla. I don't know if you're able to. But after those 30 minutes, I'll open it up for questions. I don't know if we're able to take from the Livestream. Yes, OK, no that's fine. But if anybody in the room has any questions, feel free so I won't hog up all the time. Cool. So Suzette, we're going to start off with-- "Tell us about that early days. How did you guys first respond to the idea of forming a family band?" And you also are really, really young, so what did your friends at school think? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Don't you remember that part of the movie that's like girls don't play drums? PERLA CAMPOS: Yeah. Yeah. I remember every part of the movie. It's yes, yes. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: You know, a lot of people I get asked that quite often. This kind of just happened by chance. I mean, my father had worked for Dow Chemical for over 13 years. His dream was also-- at one point, he didn't want that 9 to 5 job anymore, so him and a friend decided to open up a Mexican restaurant. And it was around in the '80s, I don't know, some of y'all might not have been born around in the '80s. But it was around the '80s. And long story short, it was when the oil boom happened and all that. And it was open for not even six months, so we lost it. At around that time, Abe-- my dad was teaching Abe how to play the bass. And then Selena, of course, she was the youngest, and you know, the young ones always feel the need for attention. So she just started humming something, and my father picked up on it, And he was like, wait a minute. And so that's kind of how it started. It's a little bit of everything of how it just kind of flowed into, how we actually started performing at different parties and things like that. Once he realized that Selena had the capability of holding a tune at such an early age, she was, I think, like around six, my cousin had been living with this from my mother's side. And he ended up-- he was supposed to play the drums. And so he ended up going back upstate to stay with his father. And lord behold, there's a pair of brand-new drums. I'm the only kid that's not doing anything. So, yeah, you're going to play drums. I was like, wait a minute. And I really said that. Girls don't play drums, because at the time, the only female drummer that was really well known was Sheila E. I am sure a lot of y'all know who Sheila E is. And you know, she was the only one, and I remember thinking, well, Sheila E plays drums. I am like, well, who is that? You know what I mean? So that's how we started playing, and then shortly after that, after we started performing as a family band, just like for little parties and things like that whenever my dad I would have friends, over some of our friends over, he'd ask for us to play, and we'd play like three or four songs. It seemed forever for us. And then the restaurant ended up closing, and we actually used to perform at the restaurant. Yeah, like on Fridays and Saturdays. PERLA CAMPOS: What was that like? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: It was cool, but it wasn't cool. You are playing, and then you can see people that you go to school with. You're embarrassed-- that type of thing. But it really was a blessing in disguise, because when my father-- when we lost the restaurant, we literally lost everything, like everything, the house. My parents really invested everything into that restaurant. So the only thing that we really knew was music. And so we started playing little gigs here and there. We'd make $300, $400, $500. And woo hoo! And next thing you know-- PERLA CAMPOS: Yeah, well we'll get to that part. We're definitely-- I'm about to ask your for that. Don't worry. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: That's really how it started. PERLA CAMPOS: That's incredible. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: And it was just kind of like also a labor of love from all of us, you know, we were struggling as a family. And so what do families do? We come together and do we got to do. PERLA CAMPOS: Right. That's so true. So actually-- so you're talking about how it is incredible a thing to come together as a family, and to produce this amazing thing, and just so happens that all of you are super talented, so that's definitely a plus. But what were like the pros and cons of being in it, because this idea of being in a band, and maybe you can get your friends together, that's one thing, but like being in a band with your family I think is another. So what do you say were like the pros of that or also the cons of that? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: We're also a Latino family. PERLA CAMPOS: That's true. That's true. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: [INAUDIBLE].. PERLA CAMPOS: I wasn't going to say it, but you said it for me. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: We're a little feisty. So, yeah, they were butting heads and everything. But I think one thing that really helped keep us united is that my father and my mother always treated each of us equally. There was none of this like, oh, Selena is in the front, she gets this, or I play drums, I do keep a beat the whole song. And my brother produces. You know, nobody had an ego trip, and I think that's one of the things that really kept the unity of our family. And we also knew-- each one of us knew our role model. And I kind of always like to explain it like a-- kind of like a football team. The quarterback knows what he's got to do, the receiver, the coach. My dad was a coach. My dad was our manager. We let him take care of that part, and we did our part, and I think that's one of the reasons why our band was very successful. PERLA CAMPOS: Right, right. Well, to keep the metaphor going, you were probably the best team that's ever existed in the history of the Earth. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Thanks. Very fortunate. PERLA CAMPOS: IMO, IMO. OK, next is you talk about the early beginnings, but what is the one moment, if you remember a moment, or when did you actually know that you guys made it, like this feeling of, oh, my gosh this is actually, like we did it? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: To be honest with you, Perla, like I don't even think-- the day that even when my sister passed, you know, you don't really realize what you're doing when you're doing it. You know, yeah, clearly you see here your concerts are being sold out. You're like, oh, you know, even to that point where we were at in your career right before Selena passed, it was kind of like, oh, my god, I hope we have people. And I hope people show up, because you know, as an artist, you never really know. You do your thing. You serve it up, basically, and if people like it. They like it. And if they don't, they don't. So I think that one scene in the movie where everybody freaks out, because you hear your music on the radio. You know, we thought, oh, my god, we hit it. Yeah. Our music is playing on the radio, but guess what? It's not like that. Just because your music is being played on the radio doesn't mean that the ching ching is coming in. It's the fact that it takes-- it's a process. And this process took about four, five, six years before we actually started getting known. So it's not a quick process. A lot of artists think that it is, and it's not. We definitely did our time playing in small little venues for like-- I remember, Perla, we used to play for like-- we'd go for the door, you know, percentage of the door, or whatever. And maybe like 25 would show up, and we'd be like, OK, so we're not-- we're just going to pack it, right? We're going to leave, right? And then my dad was like, nope. What? What do you mean no? He was like, well, you have to take this like it's practice, but just go play. These 25 people, they're going to go-- they are going to have a great time. They're going to turn around and bring more people next time we come. And that was literally really the god-honest truth how it happened, because every time we'd come back to a town, more people would come, and then more people and more people. And in regards to seeing the actual success, even now that she's been gone for 22 years, I'm still baffled at the fact that, hey, I am here at Google, you know, and we're fixing to release something amazing. And it's just still being talked about. PERLA CAMPOS: Right. Awesome. So I think part of your story, obviously, there's so much amazing positivity to it. But there's also kind of like the part about hardships that you guys definitely face a lot. And I think that's part of the power of your story is like overcoming that. So we know that given the fact that you were Mexican-Americans in the US, but then also that you were this female lead Tejano group, which Tejano was like a male-dominated genre at the time. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: It still is. PERLA CAMPOS: Yeah, and it still is, and you guys definitely did face those things. So what was it like when you were in the thick of everything dealing with that, both because, you know, you're a [INAUDIBLE] individual in this country. But then also in this genre that's so male dominated, what was that like? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Definitely, it was a very difficult one, because Selena was so young. When we started performing, she started singing when she was 6 and 1/2 professionally when she was like 9, 9 1/2. And so that made me, we're about 14-- we're four years apart, so maybe about 13, 14. And then my brother is four years older than I am. And you know, I guess we didn't-- when we first started, we really didn't see it see it, because we were so young, and my father kind of shielded us from that. And we grew up in Jackson, Texas, which was-- you know, I didn't know what a low rider was until my ninth grade year. You know what I mean? So it was predominately Anglo people, some black people, but very not too much Hispanics going on. So I really didn't understand a lot of that until we started growing. And then I could understand more about, OK, this promoter doesn't think that we can draw, because Selena is a girl, or we're kids, you know? We were kids back then. You got to admit that. But that shouldn't be a factor, because our music still sounds good, whether-- you know, it doesn't matter how old we are or what, you know, if Selena was a female or not. I think my father dealt more with that aspect of it, and saw more, and felt it more. But as we grew, I will tell you that I did feel it more, and you know, and it's surprising to me that it's still like that, and we're at 22 years later. I still see it, and I still vibe it, because you know, I see what goes on in the world. And I see what goes on with other artists and their difficulties and struggles. And definitely it is, no matter what people want to say, you know, it is just more of a struggle for a woman, for a female, to make it in a male-dominated business than it is for a male. PERLA CAMPOS: Right, right, well, I will say that you guys, I think, we can all agree are like an inspiration for a lot of those people who are dealing with that. No matter where you are, I mean, it applies to the music industry. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: To everything. PERLA CAMPOS: It applies to pretty much every industry, right? So I think that's something that definitely a lot of people can say. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: But I will tell you one thing about all that. I think my father-- my father always told us-- because we would get very discouraged whenever promoters didn't want to book us, or have us at a venue, or things like that, or something didn't go right with our record company, or whatever. But my father always told us, you know, oh, so you're just going to quit? Just like that you're going to quit for everything you've worked hard for? And he would tell us all the time we need to just-- you need to stand up, brush off your knees where you've fallen, and try again. And that's always been our philocity-- not philocity-- phil- os- o? PERLA CAMPOS: Philosophy, yeah. That's incredible words. Well, going along those lines of male-dominated kind of like worlds that females definitely can hold their own in. Drumming, you mentioned this earlier in the talk. So drumming professionally is definitely-- still was, and still is very male dominated. What was it like? You mentioned kind of your first reaction to it when you were introduced to it? But what was like throughout your experience in the band, like, what was your experience in that role, especially also, like I said, given Tejano music, I mean, just the fact that you were a girl drummer, and Tejano music was also like a double whammy in a way. Did you ever consider changing instruments? Why or why not? So first, the experience, and then if you've ever thought like maybe actually changing. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Well, first of all, no, I cannot sing. I get that asked so much. Everybody is like, why don't you sing? I'm like, well, there is a reason why I don't sing, guys. No, I mean, I grew to love performing. I really did. It grew on me. Initially, I didn't like it. You know, you're talking about being put into a position where you're like, wait a minute, you know? I loved it. And I love the fact that I was traveling with my family. There's pros and cons to that. Yes, we did argue. Yes, there is that-- ah, you know, and certain things that we maybe disagreed with. But at the end, we always came together, and no matter if you disagreed or agreed, we always stuck to whatever, you know, whatever the final say, the united say was, on whatever we did. I really didn't find myself feeling any different, to be honest with you, performing as a-- I'm the only-- really was the only female drummer back then in our genre of music, and for those of you that don't understand what the Tejano music is-- like the magnitude of it. The magnitude is about this big. The magnitude of Tejano music and Latin music is about that big. It is basically a form of music that is performed in Texas and only in Texas, basically, unless you lived in Texas, and you moved to Chicago, now, it's in Chicago. But it's basically that big on a spectrum of this big in Latin music. So you know, I take pride in saying this that we, from having a genre of music this big, we took that music, and we crossed boundaries. And it's very difficult. And don't ask me how we did it. I don't know how we did it, but our music, it didn't matter whether you're from Puerto Rico, or from Cuba, or from Mexico. It don't matter what nationality you were, our music appealed to everyone. How? I don't know. I don't know. I think it was a combination of clearly our music. We're American Mexican, like third, fourth generation here. I grew up on English music. I didn't listen to Spanish music until we actually started performing. It was a music that my father introduced to us, and we're like, oh, oh, no, no. That's not call. That is not cool music. No, I'm being for real. We were like, we were all against it. And he's like, no, this is your roots. You have to understand where this is coming from you know, blah, blah, blah. And we grew to love it, you know? But, you know, it's just really, I think it was a combination of the fact that the fact that we were raised here in the United States and we listened to Men At Work, and I was all about Janet Jackson, you know, Madonna. And you grab this-- what we listen to, and then my brother, you know, fused what my father infused in us with our culture, and then that's how we created our sound. And then adding the fact that Selena was very soulful in her singing, and you can vibe that, and you can hear that. When she's singing a cumbia, you can really hear that soulful vibe. That comes from the music that we grew up on. So it kind of spills over. And so it creates this mixture. PERLA CAMPOS: Just a hybrid being. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Yeah, hybrid type of music that we created. PERLA CAMPOS: Right. Well, it was definitely the right mix of everything. So I mean, you talk about, we talk about you created your own thing, you faced a lot of obstacles, and you persevered. Specifically with Selena, what do you feel like-- you know, obviously her sister and very close to her. When you guys were kind of out and doing it, was there-- was there something that you felt like for her just meant so much, like one obstacle that she kind of-- that she-- that she fought through and was like, wow, I'm really proud of myself for that in my career? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: That's an easy one. That would be the English crossover that she was working on before she passed. I mean, that was something that-- you know, if you're on this side of music and mainstream is like a huge-- who doesn't want to go mainstream. And so that was a thing that from the get go she wanted to be able to do. We wanted to be able to go mainstream and to be able to have a crossover album. And even though that complete album wasn't completed because she was murdered, you know, she's still got to experience that. And she cried. When she found out that she was actually-- because it's really a lengthy process about picking up the correct song. I remember they sent us to LA to-- she had recorded and English song. I can't think of the name of it right now, but she recorded it, and they felt that her breathing technique wasn't correct. Mind you, my sisters has never had any type of vocal lessons whatsoever. So they felt that her breathing wasn't right on the song. So they sent her to LA. I remember going with her-- I had a blast, by the way. Yeah, so we had a great time. Anyway, so she went to go with a coach that did Michael Jackson, all these famous singers. She stayed with him a whole week. He coached her. She comes back. She re-recorded the song. And then the executives heard it, and they're like, oh, we like the original version better. So they ended up keeping it the way it was. It was-- oh, my god, I'll think about it, and I'll just blurt it in a minute. But I don't remember the name of it, but it's just really lengthy process. And I think that that was her main goal was to be able to do the English crossover in which she actually was finally able to do it, and they said, yes, we're doing it, finally doing it, because she had been telling her fans for like over three years, it's coming, it's coming. And then it never did, and she literally cried to Jose Behar, who was president at the time of EMI Records. She goes, I promised my fans this. I want this. I want it so bad, and it ended up happening, but unfortunately, she didn't get to finish doing it, but she got at least to do some of it. PERLA CAMPOS: Yeah, that's awesome. Talking a little bit more specifically about Selena, before we kind of get into her legacy, what would you say was your favorite thing about Selena or something that you really, really feel like-- SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Come on, everything. PERLA CAMPOS: Well, I know. If you could pick one. I know there are so many, but like if you had to pick one thing-- or rather like-- SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: I could tell you the one thing. PERLA CAMPOS: Yeah, go ahead. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: One thing my sister, of course, all of y'all know she had this beautiful, hearty laugh. But she was extremely goofy and very-- she was one to always laugh at her own jokes. She would never say a joke like all the way through correct. And then she would laugh at herself. And then she'd be the only one really laughing after everybody stopped laughing. PERLA CAMPOS: That's all that mattered. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Yeah, and it was kind of like, I guess that was the part, because she was such a fun person to be around, and so easy going, and just laughed really about everything in life. Even when she was upset about something, she would just kind of blow it off and like, ah, and she would crack a joke about it. So I definitely say probably that was a thing that I missed most. PERLA CAMPOS: Right. That's awesome. So moving on to kind of like a little bit of Selena's legacy, obviously, it's very clear for fans, like even people, even like people very, very young today that, you know, obviously weren't alive whenever she was-- she's a beacon of hope and inspiration for bicultural people all over the world. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Well, thank you. PERLA CAMPOS: When, I guess-- did you really feel that when you guys were in the thick of everything, and did it feel-- did you feel a sense of pressure and like responsibility because of that? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Of? PERLA CAMPOS: Of like, oh, like we're actually like, people look up to us. We're like a source of inspiration for people, like, we kind of-- we feel like that's like a weight on our shoulders? Or did you just kind of feel like love, and it was like kind of-- SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: We just really felt all love. There was never this, like, we-- like for instance, when we played at the Houston Astrodome, there was-- like, our main goal was, god, I hope people show up. You know? And then we found out that it was sold out. Like it was like, what? We sold it out? It was never-- there was never this thinking about that. It was more about like our short-term goals, you know what I mean? And just kind of like taking it like that and never really thinking about what we were doing while we were doing it. So I know some people plan their life, and OK, by the time I'm this age, I want to do this. And they have certain goals that they want. Our goal was just like, dude, let's just survive, and get money, and have a house, and a car, and eat, and we're good, you know what I mean? That was our goal. It wasn't to be able to be this-- well, oh, my god, this phenomenal group or anything like that, or I hope we're inspiring people. It wasn't that mindset for us. It was more like, all right, let's go play. PERLA CAMPOS: Right. Many popular artists today-- obviously, I think you think of Selena as an inspiration to them, and you see them, like, sharing photos of her and like wearing her on their clothes, and things like that. So how does-- what does that mean to you and your family to see that? What kind of goes through your head? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Did y'all see the Drake when he was wearing a Selena shirt? Oh, so cool. Just recently, I saw Diplo wearing a Selena shirt too. It warms my heart. I mean, you know, it's pretty incredible, and it's very far in between like what is happening right now with her legacy and what's going on. I mean, we're in a different phase now. I mean, I've always seen it. I get asked like, how do you feel about this? And do you see it-- did you see this coming? I was like, well, yeah, I mean, I remember when my sister passed away. One of my father's goals was to-- he made it very clear. He wanted to make sure that nobody forgot about Selena. And we worked very hard behind the scenes, and we're very selective of things that we do associate Selena's name to. And there's a reason for that. You know, we've been offered to do so many crazy things. And we just say, no, that's not what we want to do. And no, there's a reason for it. I think also just having her presence, you know, and people knowing about who she was and what she represented, not just as a person, but for our culture. She is definitely a role model for us Latinos. She inspires the youth. She was very much about not doing drugs. She was all about speaking out about-- I don't know if a lot of people know this, but she was a spokesperson for battered women. She was about giving back to her community that way. She was very loving, and she wanted just like everybody to kind of like understand where she was coming from as a person. And I think that everybody gets that that's ever heard her. And then not only that, but I think that how can you not be captivated by her 22 years later? You look at her now, she still looks very current. Selena was what you would consider an artist that's timeless, you know? You know, her look was very simple, but sheik, and kind of like cool, but not over the top. PERLA CAMPOS: Yeah, people still like copy her to this day. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Yeah, yeah, and even at that, like, even if you sit down and just block all that out and just listen to her vocals, you know, if you listen to her voice, it captivates you. If you just listen to it, it just captivates you. And you know, then on top of that, just add the fact that she had this amazing body, hello. And she had this amazing personality to go along with it. So I hope that in another 20 years, we're still talking about her. PERLA CAMPOS: Right. I'm sure that will be the case. I will certainly do my part. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: She was definitely one of the greats. I will say that, and I can say that. PERLA CAMPOS: I agree. I agree. So actually, you just started to mention this a little bit. "Among many other things, Selena was and is known for her style and being a trendsetter." This is my note. Frankly, her performance wardrobe, everything she wore was fierce and on point. But what was her style behind the scenes? Was it different? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Very different. PERLA CAMPOS: From what people would see? And what did that entail? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: T-shirt, baggy jeans, a belt, her hair slicked back in a low bun, and very, very little bit of makeup. She always wore makeup, just very little, and a little bit of lip gloss, and that was her, very stripped down and very like-- she used to also like to grab Chris's shirts, and she used to just like-- like the "Amor Prohibido" video. Are you familiar with her? She's wearing the red-- it's tied? That's Chris's shirt. She had a big old suitcase full of stuff, and what did she pull out? Chris's shirt. She just tied it, and let's go. There's also another outfit she is wearing. She's wearing all white. And it's one of Chris's shirts she just like tied it, tucked it under, and just made it hers. When she wasn't performing, she was opening up her boutiques, and she was actually working on her makeup line. She was wanting to do a makeup line. She was also looking into perfumes. She had already picked out the tones of a perfume that she wanted to do. So she also was attending a business university here in LA via correspondence for business, because she wanted to educate herself more on the business side for her business, her businesses. I have her on tape actually on a thesis. Nobody's ever heard it. PERLA CAMPOS: Really? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Yeah, it kind of sounds crazy, because she's talking all like smart. PERLA CAMPOS: Well, I actually didn't know that. That's incredible. I mean, obviously, she was, I mean, in the time, like an entrepreneur for sure and had that mindset. So it was really cool that was something that behind the scenes, she was really pursuing kind of on a more traditional level. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: That and the fact that she wanted to be a mother. She was-- her and Chris wanted to have children. She wanted to have an army, but Chris was like, whoa, calm down. And she loved, of course, animals, and she wanted to have-- yeah, she didn't want to have a farm. Crazy girl. PERLA CAMPOS: The sky's the limit, right? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Yeah. PERLA CAMPOS: So we talk about how Selena was-- I mean, and you guys were just an inspiration to people and a hero. A lot of people consider her like a hero, their heroine. But who was hers, do you feel like? Did she ever talk about someone who she really just looked up to? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: That's easy. My father-- my father and my mother. I mean, my father played a huge role in guiding us. He still guides us. I mean, he still manages us. He manages my brother. He's a force that we've always looked up to. My mother has been always also somebody that my sister has always looked up to. I would definitely say those two people were the ones, and I still-- if you asked me that question, my answer is the same too, my parents. PERLA CAMPOS: Right. I agree. My mom is also mine. So it's funny how that works, right? I think the last one before we kind of go into the Doodle, and we can open it up for questions for people. You mentioned a lot about the movie. You like the anecdotes from the movie. So how was it working on that project? How accurate was it, because that's also something I've always wondered. What was it like to see yourself and your family being portrayed by actors? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Well, when we first talked-- when we first-- kind of crazy how the movie came about. When she passed away, our lawyers in LA found out-- our entertainment lawyers had found out that, you know, somebody there is already companies wanting to make a movie, because we live-- this freedom of speech, anybody can basically do everything without getting the consent of the family. So that's the only reason-- that was one of the main reasons why the movie came out two years after she passed, because if anything was going to be done, we wanted to make sure that it was done correctly, and it was done the right way and portrayed Selena in the right light and not any other light just to sell movie tickets. And so the whole process was-- it's pretty insane, like what-- you know, the whole process of trying to pick a Selena, you know, that they narrowed it down out of like, I don't know how many girls, like 70-something girls, to like five, and Jennifer Lopez was one of them. And actually, the girl who played Constance Marie, the one who played my mom, she actually auditioned for the Selena part. And so you know, they narrowed it down. And this one girl, she wasn't a professional actress, and I wasn't on the set, but they all did taping, like a live taping type of thing, like filming, and this girl looked like my sister so much. It was crazy. They dressed her up, and I was, like, whoa, but she could not act. And after like the 30-something take, you could hear all the-- like my dad said you could here everybody working, you know, like, ohhh. You know what I mean? So that right there is an indication that-- making a movie, it wouldn't be good to make a movie. So then Jennifer came in, and they just thought that they all agreed, the director, the executives, and everybody agreed alongside with our family that Jennifer was a perfect part for Selena, you know? But the crazy thing was, what surprised us, is that a lot of the-- like, once they announced that Jennifer was going to do it, there was a lot of backlash from Selena, from the fans, because they were like, oh, my god, how can a Puerto Rican portray a Mexican? You know, blah, blah. That freaked me out, because you know, we're all the same here, you know what I mean? I am like, it doesn't matter. She's Latina. You know? And that's the important thing and the fact that she physically looks like my sister, I mean, like body-wise, the fact that she has dance you know, Jennifer has a dance background, I mean, I thought it was perfect. Like we were-- we were super happy. Once everybody calmed down, I think everybody was, but the whole process, Jennifer worked her butt off. She stayed with me for about a month at my house. I will share a story with y'all. She totally freaked me out. She came in like-- you know, after a while when you're hanging out at somebody's house, you get comfortable? Well, she came downstairs, and we were in the kitchen, and we're going to eat, and we're preparing food or whatever, and then she comes, and I have a sectional. And my sister, Jennifer came in, and she sat right in the middle where my sister would sit, and she brought her feet up, and she grabbed-- I have a little wrap thing like when you get cold, you know? I call it a throw, and she covered herself, and I'll never forget this. I looked at my husband, and he looked at me, and I'm like, what? My sister did the same exact thing. PERLA CAMPOS: Wow! SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Freaked me out. It freaked me out. And then we're cooking, and I'm like, do you think she's still acting? PERLA CAMPOS: She's really getting into character right now. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: And then my husband was like, do you think, but how would she know? You know? Like stuff like that. She was so cool to work with. Constance, Eddie Olmos, all of them, it's a lot of work to do a movie. I just want to let y'all know. I think the sets at the house, you know, where I'm cutting Chris's hair and all that, that was all they created. They went in. They took pictures of our house, and they reconstructed it. And the scene in the movie with the bus where, you know, I'm pissed off, because of the Doritos situation? PERLA CAMPOS: Right. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: That was pretty interesting, because they created a bus, and it wasn't really a bus. It was like in a big, old studio area, and it had big, old air tire things to get it that movement it was like on a bus. PERLA CAMPOS: Oh, wow! SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: It was super cool. Little things like, it was really cool. And it was very difficult too. There were some times that I clearly I went there every day. It was also very difficult, especially the scene where, you know, the hospital scene at the end, I completely-- I showed up all like, hey! And then they told me what scene. I was like, OK, bye, guys. And I left, and I just heard that it just everybody was in tears, you know? And Jennifer, and Jackie, and the whole-- PERLA CAMPOS: Crew and everyone. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: The whole crew and everybody just said that it was probably the most difficult thing that they've ever had to do, you know? Because it felt so real. But I will share on a good note. We'll end this section on a good note. Jennifer, when she came out of the trailer with the white dress where they are recreating the scene where Selena won the Grammy, I ain't going to lie, that was probably the only time that I truly freaked out. Like I got chills all over my body, because when she stepped out, she kind of scooted her little dress down, and she looked up, and for a split second, I thought it was my sister. Like, I like-- and she goes, what do you think? And I was like, oh, wow, you look amazing. And then we would just kind of sit back, and I just sat back with my father and go-- we were just like freaking out. PERLA CAMPOS: Right. Well, it sounds like you said, it was a lot of work, but I know if anyone out there-- I have seen it many, many times. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: I know it's always on, right? PERLA CAMPOS: It's a family favorite. It's a family favorite. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: I know, yeah. PERLA CAMPOS: And I will definitely see it more times. And so you can tell that it was a labor of love. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: It definitely was the right [INAUDIBLE]. PERLA CAMPOS: And I love that it's there, because it's something that, not only for people who loved her, but it's just like a great way. I'm so glad you guys had a hand in it so you could tell the story the way you wanted to tell it. And it's just a great way for a lot of people to learn about her story. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: And I think that it helps us keep Selena's memory alive. That's how a lot of-- I feel like a lot of millennials can identify or understand who she was, because the movie is always on. They hear the music. They start seeing what's going on. PERLA CAMPOS: Right. Well, that's a perfect segue into another thing that I hope we'll do a similar thing, the Google Doodle that we'll be launching next week on October 17. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Yeah. PERLA CAMPOS: My last final question before I open it up for people is kind of what-- kind of with your head, whatever, because I, full disclosure, gave Suzette a call. I was like, hey, we want to do this. What was kind of the first thing that went through your mind? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Are you really Google? PERLA CAMPOS: Oh, yes. Yes, also like, yeah, you're [INAUDIBLE] Latina. Like, this is great. But yeah, so kind of what was your-- what was your thought when we first approached you, and how has the process been for you? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: I was pleasantly surprised, you know, that I got a call from you, Perla. I initially you know that when you and I started talking on the phone, I instantly found this connection with you. I could hear the passion that you had in presenting what you guys wanted to do, and it's always-- it's been that from day one. You know, there's definitely passion in this creation that you guys are fixing to see. I sat down with [INAUDIBLE]. I got to meet you and Kevin, talked about details of certain things and what your idea was, and we kind of twerked it here and there. And I think that Google wraps up Selena completely, even though it's very short in the sense of-- it doesn't tell-- it's not like a whole hour long really, but it's perfect, because it sends a huge message that, you know, you can do anything you really want. Selena started when she was really young, and she became this amazing artist, and she's still being remembered, and you know, I will end it with this. Selena's favorite saying is the impossible is always possible, and it is, and I think that this Google-- there is that form of that totally in that, because it shows the passion that you guys put into it and the whole creativity of having her young into-- PERLA CAMPOS: Showing the story throughout to the-- yeah, and we hope that everyone, like I said, both fans and people who don't know about Selena, will be able to learn about it. And along with it, we're also going to be launching-- sorry, launching a digital exhibit of select items from the Selena museum, so that's another amazing collaboration we have with the Quintanilla family. And we're excited for people to see a lot of the things there, a lot of great-- a lot of great, iconic items. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Yes, definitely. But I think the hardest thing for me is, you know, you already know, Latinos are really hard to keep secrets. I'm like, come on. Come on. Hurry up. I haven't told anybody in a month. They're like why are you going to San Francisco. I'm like business. Well, what are you doing? I'm like, I'll tell you later. PERLA CAMPOS: What are you doing on the 17th at 12:01, because I'll give you a call. Cool. AUDIENCE: Hi, thank you for being here. Yeah, I was just wondering if there were any things that you do for your sister just to honor her memory that are personal to you that you're open to sharing? I think when you lose someone like having these special things, it really makes a big difference. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: As a family, from the get go, from the first anniversary of her passing, we kind of just don't get together. We don't make it an event. Clearly, it's a day that she lost her life. We just kind of like call each other, hey, hi. Hey, just checking on you, seeing if you're OK. That's basically all we do. In regards to me, you know, remembering her or anything like that, I don't do anything special like that. I just keep her here and here, and I'm good. And I just try to keep her always-- and even when I'm shopping, it's crazy, because I'll be shopping, and I'll be with my mother, and we're like, oh, my god, that's Selena. Like, oh, my gosh, she would totally buy this-- you know, stuff like that. So I keep her alive like that in little things, you know, throughout my day. This right here is a total labor of love. This is one of the things that brings me great joy, coming here and speaking about her to you guys means a lot to me. You know, I do this, because I love her, because I know if the shoe was on the other foot, and I wasn't here, I know for a fact that she would be here doing this for me, you know? And so it's definitely a labor of love. And going back to your answer, no, I don't do anything in particular, none of us do, not even Chris. We just kind of check on each other and make sure we're good. And it's crazy, because it has been 22 years, and last year was really bad. You just want to stay in bed and cry your butt off, you know? And then the other days, I mean, some years, you just want to like, you're OK. And you want to talk about it, and you don't have no problem, and then you want to blast the music. There are some days that I don't even want to hear our music, because it hurts. It's just I remember when she passed away, this older man, a friend of my father's, told me, you know, with time, time will heal your heart, and I found out it doesn't heal your heart. There is a void there in your heart that will be there forever. You can never feel that. What time does, it helps you deal with what's been put in front of you, and you have a choice to either move forward or just stay where you are at, and you don't do any good in staying where you're at. I learned that, because I went-- you know, I took about 2 and 1/2 years before I figured out me again. That's how long it took me to figure out who I was again. PERLA CAMPOS: But you do a lot-- I think the things that you do-- I mean, just having gone and spent some time with you guys in Corpus Christi, which was like a really awesome thing for me to do, just seeing the museum and how you treat the people who come there that really want to learn about Selena and cherish her memory is just really awesome. And just watching you guys do the day to day, and all the calls, and answering questions and all of those things, I think, all of those in your day to day, I see you guys honoring her and making sure that people who love her and people who want to learn about her do that. And I think that yeah, in that way, it's a really awesome thing that I was able to see in person. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Thank you [INAUDIBLE].. PERLA CAMPOS: Yeah. AUDIENCE: So I had a-- PERLA CAMPOS: Oh, I didn't even see you. OK, go ahead. AUDIENCE: From the back. So working with Perla this Doodle, and the team has been amazing, and getting to meet you today is just fantastic. But I think what surprised me is I always knew that Selena was so popular, but seeing how devoted her fan base is, basically throughout this project. What is the fan interaction like with you now? Do you still get a lot of artwork or things that people are sharing with you and your family? What is that like? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: It's awesome. We have pretty creative people send some pretty amazing paintings on Selena. I love interacting with Selena's fans. I like to hear stories about what Selena means to them, how she inspires them, how they look up to her. I love hearing that. I mean, it's amazing, and it's a good feeling. It definitely leaves that good feeling. And you know, going back to like when you lose someone, people have died, people lose their loved ones all the time, and I'm super blessed. I try to look at life like that. I'm super blessed having to be able to hear my sister's voice. I'm able to see her on YouTube. I'm able to hear stories about how she inspires people, and that's part of the legacy. That is part of her legacy, and I feel that I'm doing my part to help that, you know, along with her fans, because clearly, we cannot do this without her fans. So I feel blessed. PERLA CAMPOS: Cool. AUDIENCE: Cool. Hey, thanks for coming. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Thank you. AUDIENCE: I have two questions. One is on behalf of my sisters. They want to know what was Selena's favorite shoe designer? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Ummm. AUDIENCE: I know. I looked-- PERLA CAMPOS: I like how specific this is. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: I don't think she had any. Selena was one to just really shop anywhere. She wasn't always like about designer stuff. She literally just-- if she found something. I remember one time we were shopping, and this lady goes, oh, I like your dress. She goes, thank you, I got it at Kmart. I was like, I knew she got it at Kmart, but I said, why did you tell that lady that? She was like, well, I got it at Kmart. So my sister loved shopping. If it was cool, and she liked it, she bought it. So she wasn't really into designer things back then. Mind you, she liked the good stuff, but what girl doesn't. She didn't have any favorite favorite. She wore a lot of boots too when she performed. So she would always look out for boots. AUDIENCE: Perfect. I'll tell them Kmart. So thank you. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Tell them to keep it simple. AUDIENCE: Keep it simple In the movie Edward James Olmos, who I think is a fantastic actor, played your father-- sort of a very dominant, machismo role. I think Latinos across the country could resonate that, whether it's the mother or the father. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Yes. AUDIENCE: How was that dynamic in a band group though when you know that's your father, but also your manager? And how much pushback did the kids give to make sure things got done at the end of the day? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: At the beginning, I mean, clearly, yes, it was at, first of all, pretty much all Latinos understand what you just said, because, yes, there's that male machismo, and it's just the way our culture is. At the beginning, I think that's what helped us, because it was pretty much, hey, we're going to do this this way. And as we started getting growing, we started having more say about what. And actually, that's how my brother started producing our music, because Abe was complaining about-- complaining to my father that the music that they were sending us was-- and they were treating AB kind of like, ah, you know, kid get away, you know? Other producers that were in our genre of music, they were like, oh, you know? And Abe was getting really frustrated, so my dad said, well, you don't like it, then do it yourself, you know? And that's how he became a producer. From him-- what I'm trying to say, that machisimo part of my father and that strict part of him pushing us, and pushing us, and pushing us, and one thing I think that was-- it didn't bother us, because clearly you were raised in that environment. So I was like, OK, it's dad being dad. You know? But now in hindsight, I look back, and I think, what a blessing, because if he wouldn't have pushed us and pushed us and never let us stop doing what we were doing, then this wouldn't have been, you know? You know, and so it's a blessing. And yes, was there arguments? Yeah. There was arguments. But we pretty much were OK with things the way that they were being handled, you know? There were a little bit of complaints, but nothing on a kaboom type of thing, like a situation. We pretty much were in agreement. We're always like, OK, if you feel that that's what we need to do. Perfect example, when we got signed to Capitol EMI, which is our first major album, which is what-- PERLA CAMPOS: The date of the Doodle is actually the day of this. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: October 17. PERLA CAMPOS: The first [INAUDIBLE].. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: October 17, the Doodle, day it's going to come out, it's actually celebrating our first album released with Capitol EMI, which is our record company. That was our first big record company, and when we were going to sign with EMI, Sony was also interested in us. And Sony was offering us way more money to sign versus EMI. But my father told-- my father was like, no, I don't think that's a good idea. I think we need to stay with EM-- let's go with EMI. We're all three going, what are you talking about? They are offering way more money. He's like, it's not about the money. It's the fact that EMI doesn't-- this is a new thing for them, a new venture into Tejano music. They don't have any artists right now signed. So that means that they're going to give full force in whatever they do to make sure that whoever is signed with them, they're going to back them and make sure that they go where they need to go. So it was more of a business decision that we took. And so we allowed. We stepped back, and we said, all right, you know, we'll let you do your thing. And thank goodness, because it was probably the best decision that we could have ever made. PERLA CAMPOS: Wow! Cool. AUDIENCE: Yeah, thank you, and your T-shirts are fresh, by the way. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Oh, thank you. Thank you. That's awesome. AUDIENCE: Hi, Suzette. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Hi. AUDIENCE: My name's Cynthia. It's nice to meet you. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Hi. AUDIENCE: First of all, I just want to say I love Selena, and anytime anybody ever ask me who my favorite artist of all time is, I always say Selena. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Oh, thank you. Thank you. AUDIENCE: Of course. My question is, what is your favorite Selena song, and do you know which one was Selena's favorite to perform. PERLA CAMPOS: Good question. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: She used to love performing Rocio Durcal songs. AUDIENCE: Which one? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Rocio Durcal cover tunes. I don't know. She used to-- her favorite English song-- whenever-- I don't know about performing. Off the top of my head, I really can't say as regards to what her favorite was. But her favorite song was by Extreme "More Than Words," that was her all-time favorite to the point we would tell her to shut up in the bus. She would sing it over, and over, and over. We told her to go to the back of the bus, because she wouldn't shut up about that stupid song. My all-time favorite is-- "Yo Fui Aquella," or a lot of the rancheras, "No Me Queda Mas" clearly, but more of the rancheras like "Que Creias." You know, stuff like that, now, to me, all of them are amazing. I never listened to our music back then, but I tell you what, when I lost her, that's all I listened to, and I actually carried our music and my car, because I didn't do that before. Like, people would be like, hey, give me one of your CDs. I am like, are you kidding? I don't have my music, you know what I mean? Or a cassette tape, I'm sorry, cassette tape. It wasn't CDs back then. So I don't know, that's a good question. I don't know what Selena's favorite song was. AUDIENCE: That's good. Thanks. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: I think-- what is the one that she's like telling the guy off, because she really got into it? "Que Creias." PERLA CAMPOS: That's a good one. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Remember when she's like singing to the guy, she gets down. She's grabbing him. She's like, she calls somebody out from the audience. There's a video of her. She calls somebody out, and she goes, she invites a guy up, when she tells them, you're going to be my boyfriend. And the guy gets all happy, and she starts telling him off in Spanish. PERLA CAMPOS: Now you're not going to be so happy about it. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: So yeah. Hi. AUDIENCE: Hey, yeah, thanks for coming. So, obviously, you spoke a little bit about how this was a family endeavor getting into the band and doing this together. But I was just wondering what were your own personal musical inspirations back then? And also, what are you listening to now? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Back then, I really-- back then, I was all about Janet Jackson, Madonna, Men at Work, you know? Pretty much what every other kid was into in like, what, the '80s? Oh, my, god, I sound old. But yeah, in regards to now, I mean, I pretty much listen to everything that's on the radio, Bruno Mars. I like all the-- I like Drake. I like, you know, Travis Scott. I mean, I listen to a little bit of everything. One thing I didn't listen to back then, which I was like, eh, was country music, which is weird, because I'm from Texas. But I really didn't listen to country music. But I find myself gravitating more towards it now, as I'm a little older. But I listen to everything. You name it. I'll listen to it. I have no set preference. In regards to like, you know, the whole musician aspect of it, you know, I think growing up and being self-taught, because I learned how to play the drums from my dad, which is weird. Because he is not a drummer and also a friend of mine that was a drummer, and my cousin as well, just getting the basics down. I never learned how to play as a musician. Are you a musician? AUDIENCE: Mhm. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Yeah. Are you a drummer? OK, well, drummers, they have to play with their rest. I tended to play-- I taught myself, because I was self-taught, I play more with my forearm than I do with my wrists. So my rolls aren't as fast as what they should be. But one thing I do say that, am I fancy drummer? No. But I tell you what, I am a solid drummer. That's what I've been told. To Everybody tells me I can keep a beat. And that's one thing I think that's really cool about our music too is that we never-- there was never a fight. When my brother produced our music, there was like, you know, sometimes you get a whole bunch of musicians together, and everybody wants to take the lead, and ahh, la, la, you know, and all that stuff. We kept it pretty much simple and clean, and I think that that also was another reason why our music still resonates 22 years later with a lot of people. It's the drummer. PERLA CAMPOS: Cool. I think we have-- Tracy, have time for one more question? AUDIENCE: Hi, thank you for being here. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Thank you. AUDIENCE: I just want to share too-- building on what Perla said, but I remember seeing, I was really little when Selena passed away. I think I was like 10. And I'd heard her music, but I didn't really understand her story until I saw the movie when I was in junior high, and it was the first time I saw a Latino woman in such a leading role, and it was really just incredible for me to see my culture, my mother's culture, being represented in such a positive way in like a stage that, you know, that the world sees. And it just it stuck with me forever to this day. I thank you guys for wanting to make sure that the world continued to know her story, even people who weren't obviously there at the time. It's like being able to have shared that and continuing to share it today is just so incredible for the entire world really. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Thank you. AUDIENCE: Bu t my question for you is, what is exciting you musically these days? Or do you have any personal music plans as a drummer yourself that is on the horizon or that you could share? SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Well, first of all, thank you for your words. I almost cried right now seriously. They are very, heartfelt, and I appreciate that. I don't have any plans. Right now, I stepped out of that. When Selena passed away, like I said, it took me about 2 and 1/2, 3 years to find myself again. And I didn't find the need to play anymore, to be honest with you. My brother continued with his band, you know, Kumbia Kings. He created a band that has been very successful. But I just didn't find myself being OK with playing with anyone. I didn't want to start my own band. I do feel like-- I don't know. It just didn't feel right. And then I just kind of gravitated into-- we have a production company. Our production company has three recording studios, and we have like-- we do-- we have an editing department, and we have a graphic designer now. So we do layouts for CDs and DVDs for other bands and things like that. So I just kind of found myself helping my father and just so many people calling and doing things, and I don't know, it just kind of felt right just to be there. And so now I'm CEO and president of our company, and I wear a lot of different hats. And will I ever play again? We have a yearly festival in Corpus Christi called Fiesta de la Flor in our city. I got up, and I jammed with my brother and Jackie Cruz with "Orange is the New Black." She was down visiting for that. We had her sing. We're like, get up there. And it wasn't planned. Literally, my brother is like, hey, you want to play with me tomorrow? I am like, what? I haven't played. I was so freaking nervous, you have no idea. Like, it was insane. It was probably the coolest insane. I felt panicky. I didn't remember the count of our song, like, I had a couple of drinks and turned out, not gonna lie. But it was crazy, because as soon as I-- as soon as that second or third beat came in, it was like riding a bike. It was like, oh, I got this. Oh, oh, yeah, I remember this song. It was "Como la Flor." And I don't know. I don't know what the future holds. I don't know. Will I ever play again? I don't know. I'm one of those that I'm very spontaneous, and I'm like, if I feel like it, maybe when I get a little older. Yeah, maybe, why not? I mean, not that-- I'm already old. But one thing I will say that was really cool about that night was that I have a son. He's 19, and he got to see me play. So how cool am I? PERLA CAMPOS: Yeah, that is cool. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: How cool am I to my son? So I don't know, maybe. Maybe one day. PERLA CAMPOS: Cool. Well, thank you, Tracy-- SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Thank you PERLA CAMPOS: --for your question. And thank you guys again for coming, and thank you to Suzette and your family. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Thank you. PERLA CAMPOS: I mean, this was like a dream project for me and obviously just super meaningful for a lot of people at Google. And on October 17, hopefully it will be extremely meaningful to a lot of people out in the world as well. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: I love it. I love it. I love it. This is just-- this is just another thing that just elevates Selena, and just kind of helps us. So thank you so much. And thank you to Google for coming to our family and wanting to do this to honor her. And I think that her fans, you guys are going to make so many people happy. PERLA CAMPOS: I think so too. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: It's going to crazy. Y'all just wait. PERLA CAMPOS: I know. I'm so ready to break the internet. I just want to do it. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: I just want to tell somebody right now. PERLA CAMPOS: That will come soon. But thanks so much. I really want to thank you, Suzette. SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Thank you. [APPLAUSE]
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Channel: Talks at Google
Views: 509,054
Rating: 4.8693242 out of 5
Keywords: talks at google, ted talks, inspirational talks, educational talks, Celebrating Selena Quintanilla, Suzette Quintanilla, selena, suzette quintanilla interview, suzette quintanilla talks about selena, about selena
Id: -uyxA6rfyKM
Channel Id: undefined
Length: 59min 44sec (3584 seconds)
Published: Mon Oct 16 2017
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