Los Tigres del Norte Cross Into Springfield
- Ralph Villanueva
- 2 days ago
- 10 min read
Ay, Ay, Hay
After some morning reading, I like to jump on YouTube and see what the algorithms suggest. If nothing catches my interest, I go back to my book. But on this particular Sunday afternoon, I spotted two very recognizable yellow cartoon characters—one wearing a sombrero de charro and the other in a Chapulín Colorado-inspired outfit—alongside an announcement about a band appearing on the show. I grabbed my phone to check if this was real or just another AI-generated concept trailer someone had dreamed up. It didn't take long to realize that later that Sunday, something historic was about to take place on TV.
I must say before continuing that it has been a considerable time—maybe 20 años?—since I've watched The Simpsons. The structure remains intact and the punchlines still land from what I recall, even if the animation has evolved. This show began roughly 30-odd years ago, under another president who also alleged that the US would be "great" once more, airing on a network that in the late '80s was barely getting off the ground. FOX took a gamble on this cartoon sitcom showcasing a family residing in one of the many Springfields found within the US—a family that quickly made viewers realize this group was anything but 'Main Street.'
Still, this family has managed to "grow" into one of the most beloved and influential sitcom families in TV history, seen by millions across the globe since it first aired on The Tracy Ullman Show. Curiously enough, it was on December 25, 1990, when Los Simpson entered Mexican casas—a precursor to NAFTA? ¡No mames! And this past Sunday, the legendary norteño band Los Tigres del Norte, having broken yet another 'border,' appeared on The Simpsons, performing an original song titled 'El Corrido de Pablo y Homero.'
I sat as patiently as I could waiting for this episode (Episode 12 from Season 37) to air, wondering what los Jefes de Jefes and Los Simpson were going to get into, and what exactly this corrido was about. Depending on the subject matter, Los Tigres can either wield a saxophone-laden sympathetic ballad celebrating the best of humanity or an accordion-cutting critical corrido denouncing the worst of it. The episode was nothing if not a celebration of the shared pains, struggles, and commitments that both the Latinx and Anglo communities—lopsided as that relationship is—have and depend upon, but which at the same time must continue to be strengthened and fortified against... pues ya saben.
Below I offer three brief, humilde pensamientos on this historic episode—which, before I forget, also included another grande Mexicano, Alejandro G. Iñárritu; an aging Johnny Knoxville; un recorrido through Mexican history featuring Villa y Zapata on horseback, the Pyramid of the Sun, and the Mexica Sun Stone; plus una rola by Pedro Vargas. All of this aired to millions within the current context of hyper-antibrownness and (im)migration, not to mention the abuse of rights and authority against our communities near and far. There are moments in the episode I would prefer to forego discussing in order to focus on what I think is the importance of the message Los Tigres left for everyone at the end.
El Macho y El Hombre
Some of the discussions these days between gente center on aspects of "masculinity"—its presence or absence—where some highlight a supposed 'crisis' that should be investigated and addressed so these hombres can feel 're-assured' and regain some sense of 'value'"or "self-worth." That this Simpsons episode should begin with Bart asking himself whether Homer is a "badass" (who can fight and take on other parents or figures of authority) or a "dumbass"—in Martin's summation—provides not only the setup through which we will seek the answer, but links it to an old stereotype long associated with esos Mexicanos: machismo o machistas. We are then taken into an arena where 'masculinity' is on full display in the form of an MMA pelea. Bart and Homer attend, and among the celebrities present is our famous compatriot: Bumblebee Man, shown holding a bottle of his own brand of mezcal.
Bumblebee Man was first introduced (according to the internet) in Season 4, from the start hablando that "FO(E)-reign" lengua—something I will come back to later—Spanish, but making the Simpson family laugh out loud even if only Lisa was capable of understanding what Bumblebee Man was saying after being hilariously adolorido. Watching and listening to this character who would make random appearances and could switch from Spanish to English at the time—this would be around '93, when the show was crushing ratings and its popularity was beyond doubt, especially to the execs at FOX, plus there weren't too many characters speaking Spanish on mainstream Anglo shows—was "badass."
The comparisons between Bumblebee Man and El Chapulín Colorado were apparent to those who grew up watching El Chavo del Ocho. That the creators and writers of The Simpsons had knowledge of that really popular Mexican show and could 'cross over' la cultura Mexicana is something they deserve credit for, along with their political satire and commentary throughout the show's run.
Bumblebee Man is not a 'macho'; he is an actor who, as he explains repeatedly in this episode, performs by taking the hits, 'suffering for his fans,' and accepting whatever life throws at him—but getting back up each time to keep going "just like the people who watch" his show. His career isn't what it used to be, and like any actor, he's looking for a comeback. Bart, who recognizes that Bumblebee Man is a 'legend just like Krusty the Clown or Duffman,' offers up Homer so that he can: 1) show that he is in fact the toughest dad among all the other dads in Springfield; and 2) help this leyenda 'win' back his audience and keep everyone laughing with his comedic antics.
From what I recall—again, I haven't kept up with the show, pero—Homer isn't a 'macho' either, even if he once stepped into the ring with Tatum, or fell down the gorge on Bart's skateboard, or climbed the nastiest, most dangerous mountain in Springfield with "help" from Wolfcastle's newspaper-apple bars. His relationship with Marge isn't all romance and good times, but we have seen how loving he can be; similarly with his kids (the choking of Bart notwithstanding!). Homer, as some of those moments remind us, usually does things for other people, to prove he can accomplish something, or sometimes just because Homer is "being Homer." Still, Homer and Bumblebee Man are two hombres trying to deal with the cards they've been given and survive in that US town as best they can, with all their strengths and weaknesses.
Homer and Bumblebee Man are two hombres trying to deal with the cards they've been given and survive in that US town as best they can, with all their strengths and weaknesses.
Popurrí Mexicano
There is a scene in the Simpson kitchen that crucially accentuates a significant issue taking place in the various 'Springfields' of the US: the ICE raids. Lisa, Marge, and Homer are discussing a 'problematic' point regarding 'brownface,' which then switches to Homer stating the following: 'With all the ICE going on these days, isn't it better to have a white guy suffer instead of a Mexican guy?' Whether the writers were responding to certain deleterious remarks recently given by a figure of authority about 'apologizing,' or criticizing the network that carries their cartoon (known to be fans of the raids and deportations), or making a statement of solidarity for their brown hermanas/os—who can really say? But the fact remains that it was said. What are you, or I, or anyone else to make of it?
Hopefully many see it for what it was: a political statement from the writers calling out the situation and, to a degree, seeing it for what it is. Again, this cartoon has brought current events into discussion before, has addressed some of its views or representations of characters (I'm thinking here of Apu), inspired the likes of Family Guy (and its brand of commentary on many things), and—for better or worse—predicted events that we are all now dealing with. In keeping with the overall message and theme of this episode—the way Homer and Pedro get along (Homer mentions there's a 'bromance element' as one reason he agreed to be a stunt double for Bumblebee Man), their eventual journey into Mexico, and the fact that they invited one of the most important and accomplished music bands for an international collaboration—I gotta say: esos gringos are down with our gente!
If you are not in the know, kind reader, Los Tigres del Norte are close to entering their sixth decade of making music, and I would strongly encourage you to check out their extensive catalogue very soon. Not only have they won awards in the US and Mexico, but they are respected and adored across the globe. What makes their appearance on The Simpsons so unique and special is the fact that Los Tigres know firsthand the struggles, pains, and dreams of la comunidad. Many of their songs are about how difficult it is to leave one's home in search of a better life, the impact on family, what it is to come to a place that doesn't really want or accept you. Some songs are about relationships; others are political allegories; still others deal with drogas y los narcos, or with love and heartbreak.
They also understand the political, economic, and historical relationship between Mexico and the US, as well as how dangerous things have been—and have gotten—for la gente. They have been able to 'cross over' culturally with songs sung in a mixture of Spanish and English, have even refashioned a Johnny Cash song (going so far as to hold a concert for inmates at Folsom a few years ago), and have collaborated with musical artists from different genres. For Los Tigres, the legacy they have built has always, and will always, be tied to la gente they sing for and about—so joining Los Simpson only adds to it.
For Los Tigres, the legacy they have built has always, and will always, be tied to la gente they sing for and about.
The corrido they composed for this episode calls to mind one of their most famous songs from a long-ago record, "Pedro y Pablo,'"which is about friendship between brothers—but also about betrayal. I couldn't help but think of that corrido when I read the name of the Simpson song, "El Corrido de Pedro y Homero."Thinking about betrayal and the comment made in the kitchen by Homer, we can see that there is one going down right before our eyes: how those brown bodies are being tied up, thrown around and beaten, and sent anywhere that will take them in for some dollars—regrettably, too often by unos de nuestros conocidos.
All the while, some gringos out there are taking advantage of what's going on, misreading the writing on the wall, mishearing the rhetorical tricks, and misjudging the consequences of these acts. Is this the way to treat a neighbor? Or a friend? Homer, however, decides to accompany his amigo Pedro all the way to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun and not betray that friendship. Hay algo allí.
Amigo Querido
After listening to this corrido, sung primarily by Hernán (the bassist), these lines stick out to me:
Pedro contrató un doble
con la cabeza de hierro,
Y una panza bien grandota,
un calvón de nombre Homer,
Al reunirse, se volvieron
buenos amigos y compañeros...
Some may recall that program started by FDR, the 'Good Neighbor Policy,' which aimed—highly optimistically at best—at a non-interventionist, mutually respected relationship between los gringos and Latin America. What has since happened in the decades between cannot, I believe, be called a 'neighborly' relationship, much less 'good'—unless you are part of the capitalist-imperial class. This uneasy relationship actually goes back to the 'founding' (if not 'discovery'), carrying on its back issues of language, color, religion, body/mind, and the concept of 'nation.' This is why it is interesting that Pedro comments on the 'broken' body of Homer (his right arm falls out of its socket) when they are standing atop the Pyramid of the Sun.
I read this exchange as a kind of final political comment on how Homer's body being 'broken' stands in for the broken body-politic of the US in 2025—this episode airing just a week before the start (¡ay güey!) of another year bajo ya saben quién. Pedro, ever the optimist (como todo Mexicano, how could it be otherwise con el pueblo?), affirms his care and recognition for his gringo amigo, saying, 'I have broken the body of my best non-Mexican amigo. I love you man!' Homer responds in kind.
As the quote from the corrido states, Pedro and Homer became good friends and companions on their journey together, which began in Springfield and ended in Mexico—or actually, no, I won't spoil the Coco reference. Thinking about another highly influential figure in las Américas, Miguel de Cervantes, watching this episode also brought to mind the duo he made famous: Don Quijote y Sancho Panza.
At one point, Pedro tells Homer that the bumblebee suit is 'the armor of hope, a beacon of light, a symbol of truth, justice, and the Mexican-American way.' Homer wears the armor and goes to work alongside el valiente Bumblebee Man, gaining not only his trust but, more importantly, his love. Imagine how things might change for the better in this society si el zapato estuviera en el otro pie.
The bumblebee suit is "the armor of hope, a beacon of light, a symbol of truth, justice, and the Mexican-American way."
Recall that I mentioned at the start I would return to the issue of "yo hablo Español." Once more, Cervantes provides enlightenment on this issue, as does the language in which he wrote. It is highly curious—but not really surprising—that people forget someone like Jefferson read Cervantes and studied Spanish; that Spanish has been here for a long time. Hearing Pedro lament 'la vida es irónica y cruel' or 'ay, la policía' early on as The Simpsons got going didn't make it strange—since Spanish was everywhere—it made it funny and comforting. A recent 'uproar' came about because the Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny said a few things in Spanish on SNL.
Spanish has been here for a long time. Hearing Pedro lament 'la vida es irónica y cruel' early on as The Simpsons got going didn't make it strange—it made it funny and comforting.
He also gave an homage to El Chavo del Ocho dressed up as Quico. He will be performing en Español in a few weeks at one of the biggest US sports events—and we know ICE will be there. If this last episode of the year from The Simpsons has anything to teach, it is that community is made stronger by forging friendships and turning strangers into neighbors.
If this last episode of the year from The Simpsons has anything to teach, it is that community is made stronger by forging friendships and turning strangers into neighbors.