This blog is the first of many that I'm planning on writing which are interviews of behind the scenes of the 3252. As I mentioned in a previous blog, the 3252 is the supporter group of LAFC, and within the 3252 there are a variety of LAFC supporter groups throughout southern California. As I mentioned as well, living in the Inland Empire I'm part of the Empire Boys. The first person I decided to interview was a founding member and one of the leaders of the Empire Boys Guillermo Melendez aka Willy, everyone who knows him, knows him as Willy. I chose Willy as the first to be interviewed because first he's part of the same SG I'm proudly part of, and he was one the first I met in the group and we hit it off right away, with our love for football and punk music, but as we sat down for the interview I found out we had more in common. Willy is also one of the supporters who was inspired to start the famous; "Call to Arms" chant that is done by pretty much the entire Banc of California Stadium, at LAFC matches. We decided to meet up at the Titled Kilt in Rancho Cucamonga (the sight of one of the best viewing parties I've ever attended last season), to grab a bite to eat and a cold beer. I hope you enjoy this. I really would like to interview someone from each support group, I really want to focus on supporter group culture in this blog.
LAFC Punk: How were you introduced to football?
Willy: My dad, he was a America (Club America) supporter, ever since he could remember he was a America supporter, football was in my blood.
Willy: It's weird because I sill work in Fullerton, it was at Cal State Fullerton, it was America practicing there, I don't think they played there but they practiced there.
LAFC Punk: What year was this?
LAFC Punk: What was first supporter group experience?
Willy: Club America, just going to watch them at the Rose Bowl against the Galaxy or some other Mexican League team and we would always go watch them, and just listening to the chants was just awesome. Personally that was the first thing, but seeing it at the stadium, that was the first time. My dad would always steal cable when we were kids, he had the black box so we would be able to watch English games and Italian games, and you could hear the chants and I was like what the hell is that, that's awesome, that was some of my first experiences with that.
LAFC Punk: To piggy back off the last question what drew you to SG culture?
Willy: Um the anarchy I think, it's very punk rock and grass roots, we don't want people to tell us how to do it, we just want to do it our own way, drink, party, be loud, just being drunk kids. We live our youth when we use to go to shows and s**t like that, just yell at the top of our f***in lungs and then go home and then do it again next week, for me that was it.
LAFC Punk: Yeah for me one thing I like about the 3252, is that we mix the English supporter culture along with the Latin America supporter culture as well, we are like family.
WIlly: Yes it is you turn around and you see tattooed guy and you cholo guys and goth people, skinheads (non racist skinheads), you see everybody and everybody respects everyone.
LAFC Punk: How and when did the Empire Boys get started?
Willy: We got started in 2016, I tried starting a SG in Orange County it was a one time thing we would talk about football, that never worked out. The OC group never really took off, and I was like f**k it, man. Then I don't how exactly I met Pepe I think it was online or something like that, then me and Pepe got together we had a couple of beers, and we said let's try to start a group out here in the Inland Empire, and we met Izzy and James and a couple other dudes. The first time we all got together it was around 6 guys, that would be James, Pepe, Izzy, and myself and a couple other guys. We met right here at Lamppost pizza in Corona, no there was a bar close by then we moved over to lamppost, and it kind of took off from there and we just said let's see what happens. We didn't take it too serious at first it was just kind of a hang out, drinking and watch football sord of thing.
LAFC Punk: Explain the Empire Boys...
Willy: So the logo has a lot to do with me and Pepe one of our favorite, not really club but ideology behind the the club is St. Pauli from Germany, where everyone is welcome no one is pushed away, it doesn't matter what; race, sex or nationality you are you are welcomed, and that's what we want to be. A lot people talk about but we want to be about it.
LAFC Punk: Why were you drawn to LAFC?
Willy: That's a good f***in question, um I just never, I just always wanted my own team to support, in MLS but I was never drawn to Chivas USA (being a Club America supporter) or the Galaxy. And when I saw LAFC come out, it had something to do with the name and the colors it had grass roots. They started emailing us I don't how I got on the list to get emails from them, bu they were asking us; what colors do you want, what name do you want, do you guys want a logo. I said you guys can be black white and red (side note I also received stuff like this from the team and I do remember something black and red). I told them it doesn't matter the colors as long as you keep Los Angeles Football Club that was one of my favorite things, that's what drew me to LAFC.
LAFC Punk: Going back to the EB, what is your role with the EB?
Willy: Head beer drinker (laughter), no I'm kidding. I'm the guy who goes to most of the 3252 meetings and deals with away tickets and just kind of knows a little bit of the history of the 3252 and how everything works, I'm kind of the link between the Empire Boys and the 3252.
LAFC Punk: What does being part of the Empire Boys and the 3252 mean to you?
Willy: It means everything, man! I never believed that something so elementary drinking, watching football and hanging out with buddies was going to turn into something so big, it just means a lot more I ever thought it would be.
LAFC Punk: I can completely relate, Empire Boys and the 3252 is like family. I enjoy the viewing parties so much, because I can't afford to go to that many games. I love going to the games especially the tailgates because I've made so many friends within the the 3252, the guys from Defenders of the Banc, Josef from Heart of LAFC, along with others from different SGs. But the viewing parties are cheaper to go to and we have that family atmosphere, I've even called in sick for viewing parties. And the manager that I called in sick to the first time now attends our viewing parties and is a big LAFC fan.
LAFC Punk: What was the inspiration behind the "Call to Arms" chant?
Willy: So I can't take any credit for it, it's a Ajax chant that we took from them, but I just saw something so powerful in that one it was so simple, and everyone could do it, you didn't know what the words are or nothing like that. It was instant man, we talked about, we were drunk at Rowdy's one day, I told the guys listen to this, I started playing it one the drums (by the way Willy is one of our drummers at watch parties), by myself and they caught on, it was a couple of guys who were plastered, and they started doing it.
LAFC Punk: I remember doing it at our first viewing party of the season. Then to the tailgate and finally to the stadium.
Willy: Yes you are correct. What's funny I wasn't there for the first time I was watching America, Izzy texts me; he was so excited, he was like did you hear the chant, did you hear the chant, I was no I'm watching America. And he was like the whole stadium is doing the chant!
LAFC Punk: How did you feel when you heard the entire Banc doing; "Call of Arms"?
Willy: Emotional man straight up emotional that's all I can say.
LAFC Punk: It's become one of the biggest chants! It's I was watching the KTLA morning news and Steven Beitashour was on, and they asked him about the 3252 and the chants and he mentioned him and the club love that chant, it's one of their favorites. I was blown away I was watching going I was there when it was born. And then it was happening at Dodger Stadium on LAFC night.
Willy: Yeah it's just simple and powerful that's what every chant needs to be, just super simple, catchy, powerful and repetitive and that's it.
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