Rancho Alegre Interview with Nick Villarreal

Nick Villarreal passed away in July 2017. This interview was recorded in September 2011 at El Torreón Restaurant in San Antonio.

Conjunto legend Nick Villarreal, or “Nicky Snick,” if you prefer, was a character larger than life itself. He was a man with charisma so strong, it’s almost radioactive. From his jokes to his laugh, to that big booming voice, he was just FUN.

A member of the Zimmerle family of San Antonio, Nick specialized in composing songs about everything from Kool-Aid to Viagra to Tiger Woods and former San Antonio mayor Henry Cisneros. His unmistakable, easy-going goofy cumbias were his trademark, along with his catch phrase, “Ah Nyi Nyi!”

In his later years, his health declined considerably, a subject that he discusses in the interview. While he struggled with the same problems as many of his fans, he continued to perform at festivals, still wrote his songs with the same humor, and could sometimes be found in the recording studio as well.

A man like him, with such a long career and such observational humor, had a lot of stories to tell. In fact, we had already wrapped up the interview when he remembered something that he wanted to say, so we turned the mics back on and let the legend speak his mind.

As you can imagine, we had a great time with this one. Piper normally stays quiet during interviews, but couldn’t help but laugh during this one.

Music played:

La Not to Worry

El Child Support

Recuerdo A Mi Madre

A Mis Hermanos Los Soldados (live on Johnny Canales)

Kool-Aid Con Hielo

Aun Se Acuerda De Mi (with Los Enmascarados)

Un Carrito Chiquito (with Los Enmascarados)

El Tiger Woods

La Sugar Free

El Parrandero

Dos Mariachas En La Tienda

La Pildorita Azul Viagra

Mi Guera Cumbiambera

Parranda De Oso Negro

El Soldado Razo

Nick's In the Mood Medley

El Mudo

Thinking of You

Cerezo Rosa

La Pass It Around

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