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SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER, Aug.
2002
BY GEORGE RIDGELY Special to the
Examiner
When he was 6, William Morin's father put a guitar in
his hand and told him to "learn the classics." Judging
from the beautiful way he now manipulates those strings,
the silken embrace of his voice and the universal appeal
of his lyrics, one could surmise that on that day, years
ago, a star was born. A reluctant star perhaps, but an
undeniable talent nonetheless.
On Saturday, Morin and an eclectic group of guest
performers will serve up a global blend of his original
work as well as international classics at The Charles M.
Holmes Campus of the LGBT Center in San Francisco.
Morin packed up his Miata and moved to The City about
five years ago, but his story definitely doesn't begin
here.
He was born on the Lower East Side of New York City.
His upbringing as the youngest son of devout Catholic,
Puerto Rican immigrants was strict.
Yet Morin's father also was a talent who often
entertained guests at the house until the sun crept over
the horizon. It's clear that his father's passion for
the guitar and endless appreciation for the beauty in
all cultures has passed fluidly to his youngest son.
By the time he was 16, William had his own choir at a
local church. Falling in love for the first time
inspired him to begin composing his own songs, too: "The
two just naturally went together," says Morin. His early
compositions were written in English, and it wasn't
until he was in early 20s that he began to learn
Spanish. Now he says he almost exclusively composes in
Spanish. But his range doesn't end there. Morin has
performed in seven different languages; recently he
added Vietnamese to his repertoire. After he had an "odd
encounter" with a Vietnamese man when he moved to San
Francisco, he discovered similarities between the two
cultures, and realized that their immigrant experiences
almost perfectly reflected each other.
Morin wanted to explore the similarities in his art.
He discovered that the song "Vinh Biet Saigon"
("Farewell Saigon"), which he will perform Saturday, was
strikingly similar to a classic Puerto Rican song "En Mi
Viejo San Juan" ("In My Old San Juan").
Both songs deal with the experience of exodus from
one's homeland and the subsequent desire to return some
day. Both songs lament the inability to do it.
By performing "Vinh Biet Saigon," Morin says he hopes
to "build a bridge between our two cultures." He
meticulously learned the song in Vietnamese, and also
will perform a verse in English, as well as a verse he
has written in Spanish.
Morin works to do each language and culture justice.
"I'm not trying to imitate anyone or anything," he says.
"I want to pay as much respect as I can to that
culture."
Through the use of multiple languages, Morin hopes to
showcase the common human experience in his performance.
Many of his original compositions deal with
relationships and human interaction -- something to
which we all can relate. He's been known to spark a few
tears. He admits, "I don't even pretend to know how I do
it. I don't mean to claim that it's a religious
experience or anything like that, it's just that life
has love and pain in it, and joy, and you can cry about
that, too."
For now, Morin is content being a local San Francisco
talent.
The trappings of being a commercial artist don't hold
much appeal for him. "All that nonsense just doesn't
attract me," he says. "I would love to sell my songs,
make millions, do some generous stuff with it, and live
in anonymity."
In the meantime, locals have the privilege of
enjoying this rare talent. In addition to the wealth of
local performers participating in Saturday's show --
including John Steiner and Jesus Guillen -- Morin's
brother and his mother will join him on stage. You can
bet there won't be a dry eye in the
house. | 
