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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