"Ladies and gentlemen, it has come to my attention that some of you don't know the story of Luis Valdez. Luis Valdez is the Shakespeare of Chicano theater. He's a director, writer, but I think of him as a brutal witch man. Luis Valdez could be described as a social arsonist, getting people motivated and getting He has this voice goes right into you. It's like Moses bringing the tablet down from the mountain. My parents were farm workers. Being on the road, being virtually homeless, I felt this hole opening up in my chest. It could have destroyed me. It became the hungry mouth of my creativity. This was heavy political theater told with a sense of humor. Luis Valdez attracted a whole audience with the success of Zoot Suit. He directed La Bamba, which still is the most successful Latino film ever made. Never happened to a Chicano on this level before. That's never been anybody like him."