When it comes to art, especially of the more unusual variety, Sam Lopez just can’t bring himself to say, “no.” With his Stay Strange music collective, he doesn’t have to.

As founder and curator, he organizes noise music and arts events in San Diego, running a record label, book publishing, a YouTube channel, and even a bicycle club with artists and musicians.

“The purpose of Stay Strange is to give noise music artists a safe place to perform,” he says. “Noise music is an acquired taste and, early on, we were met with hostility. With Stay Strange, you know exactly what you are getting yourself into.”

Part of creating these spaces that feed his “passion for all things strange,” includes the first Stay Strange Short Film Festival from 3 to 6 p.m. today at the College-Rolando Library, featuring eclectic animation, documentaries, and home movies for an audience from younger to older adults. Lopez, 53, has also used his group to organize arts shows for children, provide noise instruments for performances at Chicano Park, and hosted a book fair at The Che Cafe at UC San Diego. He took some time to talk about noise art, carving out a space for himself and like-minded artists in San Diego, and why his grandfather told him to always shine his shoes.

Q: Tell us about Stay Strange. Why was this something you wanted to create?

A: I started organizing shows with my friends under the name SD Noise in 2006. I was then asked to join Trummerflora Collective, which was another music organization that was doing something very similar to what SD Noise was doing. After Trummerflora Collective dissolved, I decided to strike out on my own.

Myspace helped bring all of the San Diego musical miscreants together, and we flourished under this relationship. We were like-minded weirdos who wanted to play our weird music, and it was an instant scene. Everybody was invited to participate. We were knuckle-dragging noise savages and would play anywhere we could. We met new friends and started having music shows at a place called The Smog Shop. Loose and haphazard, this was like our version of the “no wave” scene [an avant-garde music and visual arts scene that emerged as counter to “new wave”] that happened in New York City in the late ‘70s. With SD Noise, there were no rules—doom music bands would play along with noise artists, free jazz improvisers would share the same bill with a power violence band.

San Diego was not known as a noise or experimental music haven, and I wanted to change that. Artists would tell me that they would skip San Diego because it wasn’t as hip as other cities. That disappointed me and compelled me to curate better shows. To say that San Diego is on equal terms with bigger cities like Los Angeles or New York, in terms of noise music and outsider arts, is huge. I love San Diego, so Stay Strange is an extension of the music and arts scene that is already present, only making it a lot stranger.

What I love about San Diego…

I’ve lived in San Diego almost my whole life. To pick just one neighborhood would be a disservice to a city that holds a variety of culture and color and diversity. You’ll find me zipping all through San Diego proper loving every street, alley, garage sale and tree.

Q: What is noise music, and what is it that initially appealed to you about the form?

A: To me, noise music is about freedom. I have always been into extremes. I used to be in a solo noise music project called “Zsa Zsa Gabor.” My first show was at an Irish bar, opening for a surf band. Although I practiced in my bedroom, this would be the first time running my set through an actual PA [public-address system]. My set up at the time was all electronic: sequencers and samples. As soon as the bartender turned off the jukebox, I hit the faders full blast and cranked out the most hellish din anybody in that bar had ever heard. It was as if the earth cracked open and what emitted from the rubble was my set. After a few minutes, the bartender furiously jumped over the bar and screamed at me to stop, beads of sweat running down his face. I was exhilarated and knew immediately that this was the path I wanted to take musically. I think the idea that there are no rules makes this music so appealing, and that I can use my imagination to create interesting music and scenarios.

Q: You also have “a passion for all things strange”? What does that mean?

A: I’ve always been into strange things, even as a child. I jokingly blame my parents. My mom would tell me that she read horror novels while pregnant with me, and my dad got me into rock music and comic books. I had a great childhood. Also, I was an avid reader of “Mad Magazine,” which probably shaped my warped personality to what it is today. I was the only child in my elementary school who knew what lycanthropy meant [a delusion that one has become a wolf, according to Merriam-Webster]. The cliché is that some people find beauty in ugliness. I guess that’s true. I think an abandoned hotel has more character than a newly constructed apartment building. I find it more interesting. We were on vacation recently and came across a derelict building full of graffiti and burned-out cars in the front, tall green grass overtaking the stairways, and I felt very comfortable there. I guess there isn’t any pretense with abandoned buildings, you take it for what it is.

Q: Tell us about the Stay Strange Short Film Festival today? How did this event come together?

A: I’ve had a great relationship with the San Diego Public Library for years now. They have hosted many of my noise music shows. That’s unheard of, noise music shows at the library, but they like what we do and have always graciously given us a place to have our events. I had a filmmaker who asked if they could show their film at the next Stay Strange event. I was given the opportunity to utilize the community room of the College-Rolando Library and created the Stay Strange Short Film Festival instead. This is something that we have always wanted to do. I reached out via social media and was able to procure a two-hour event from all of the submissions. The subject matter ranges from bizarre performance art to full on storied features with actors and dialogue.

While the videos are vetted for inappropriate subject matter, I would agree with the library’s suggested age group of emerging adults, adults, and older adults. Because Stay Strange is known for music, there is a heavy emphasis on sound. There are some comedic elements to the short films, with a heavy presence on the abstract and absurd. Our shortest film is eight seconds, and our longest film is 11 minutes. We had to make sure that the videos were appropriate for a library setting. Thankfully, all of them were. Some are funny, some scary, and some downright strange. They all had to have the strange factor.

Q: What do you hope people get out of attending this festival?

A: Like with a Stay Strange music event, I hope that people who attend the festival say to themselves, “Hey, I can do this, too!” and contact me so we can get their film in for the next festival. Sometimes, you need a gentle push, and I hope this festival will be the impetus for them to participate in the future.

Q: Why is it important for artists in this community to have a safe space “that accepts and fosters challenging and adventurous arts”? What kind of difference does this make?

A: In the beginning, when we played noise music shows, not everyone was open-minded. In some cases, we would get someone who would confront us with the potential for physical violence or somebody who would try to unplug our equipment while we were playing. So, with Stay Strange shows, you know that you are going to be challenged. These are in no way mainstream artists. I don’t want to play a show where someone is going to mess with my set, so I make sure that this will never happen to any of my artists.

Q: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

A: My grandfather always told me to make sure to shine my shoes. I don’t usually wear shoes that need to be shined, but his point was that people will look for the little things in life. If someone can’t take care of the small things, what makes you think they will take care of the larger things?

Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?

A: That I listen to smooth jazz.