The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #51723   Message #3830013
Posted By: GUEST,Benjamin V. sr
02-Jan-17 - 11:38 AM
Thread Name: William Clauson - where is he now?
Subject: RE: William Clauson - where is he now?
I befriended Willy at his coffee house in the alley of Foreign Club in Tijuana. I visited him there once and even twice a month for 5 years ending around 2004.    I always saw him early in the day and would find him sipping coffee and smoking a cigar on a bus bench at the entrance of the callejon of the Foreign Club.   I sat an conversed with him. What a pleasant and interesting man he was.   We got along as I was a good listener to his many stories and travels.
During those years, I had the privilege of acquiring many of his photographs of him and his friends during his life. A small porfolio of them at a time.         One of the most important images is a poloroid snapshot of David Alfaro Siqueros and himself.   Many pic's were of him through out his early and later life. Most were of him with other mainstream musicians, artist and politicians.
I contributed what I could to the Foreign Club because I saw it as a daily evening meeting place for other artist and musicians to meet and share their talents.   Willy was 100% a promoter of the arts.
The what I saw as a coffee house had no wall space due to the hundreds of pictures and art displayed on exhibit.
The club seldom had the electricity on. Yet, the energy was illuminating enough and sufficient sunlight came through to see everything.   
He sold me things right off the walls and managed to replace inventory with new collectables.   Most interest to me were the old metal filing cabinets full of his photo's and documents.   I found it an exciting place to visit and couldn't wait to make my monthly visits.
Toward the end of my visitations, Willy was recording one cd a week.   Composing lyrics and music for each.    He also colaborated with local artist on their cd's with a large amount of success.
Locally he was known as 'Willy' as anyone would agree and as he introduced himself to me, simply 'Willy'.   

Sombreros off to my esteemed distant buddy. El Amigo del pueblo.

Benjamin V. sr - chicanorelics @aol.com