monday music trip: in a big country [ BIG COUNTRY ]

For all the fashion faux-pas and too-painful-to-re-watch performances associated with the decade, there were a lot of gnarly things about the 1980s.  Such as Brit post-pop and intense concerts like this one.

Snippette from Wiki:

Big Country are a Scottish rock band born out of Dunfermline, Fife. They were most popular in the early to mid-1980s, but they still release material for a cult following. The band were notable for music infused with Scottish folk and martial music styles, as well as for playing and engineering their guitar driven sound to evoke the inspirational spirit of bagpipes, fiddles and other traditional folk instruments.

I'm not sure how big Big Country was here, but they apparently had - and still have - a following at some other part of the world.  I like the upbeat '80s new wave sound combined with bagpipey guitars.

About this single.  I guess I was too young to appreciate it when was released in 1983, and I suppose I hadn't heard of it until a few later after because I'm not Scottish. Still I have an attachment to it because it's linked to a memory I have of an inter-school cheering competition my high school participated in back in 1993, where we won gold and all went home ecstatic.
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monday music fix:eternal flameTHE BANGLES

August 1990. I was twelve years old and I auditioned for a children's theater group. I decided to join because I wanted to put myself on the track of becoming a theater actress - well, that and because I wanted a legitimate means of interacting with boys from the other school.

I had already passed the first audition, which meant I was already in the theater group. Those of us who made it were asked to memorize a 2-and-a-half page script and return three days later for the second audition. The second leg was where we tried out for roles - we showcased our talents one by one, while the directors and advisers privately evaluated us and assigned us roles that they thought we best fit.

Memorizing two-and-a-half pages of monologue was a cinch at age twelve (wow, I miss those days when my mind was like a sponge). I was quite confident that I could deliver my lines clearly and emotively; no problem.

What I worried most about was the singing part of the auditions.

Like most Filipinos, I had loved singing since I was a wee kid. The thing is I wasn't quite ... uh, let's just say I didn't receive enough praise for my singing (hee hee hee). Still I didn't think I was that bad - of course I could carry a tune, I just didn't sound very impressive - and tried my luck at children's theater. For all I knew, I might have been more talented than I thougt I was, right?

Having the script down pat, the next thing to do was to select a song. In those days, the whole nation was still drunk on Lea Salonga's success at London, so most girls at the screening thought it good to choose a solo from Miss Saigon. Others who were a bit more adventurous picked something out from Les Miserables.

I was rather in a pinch because, aside from the fact I wasn't confident about my vocals, I didn't know that many songs that were appropriate for a theater club audition. I desperately rifled through my mind and through every songhits I could find for something I could perform satisfactorily, and three days didn't seem enough time to prepare.

With a heavy heart, I finally decided on singing the Bangles hit, Eternal Flame. It was an easy song, a safe one, with words that were very easy to remember. There was hardly a chance of flubbing it, so off to the singing auditions I went with Eternal Flame.




But I still wrecked it! My nerves got the best of me and I looked like an idiot up there. Apparently those who auditioned before me were shorter than I was, because the mic was positioned too low. I didn't know how to adjust it so I decided to just leave it alone and avoid the risk of damaging the equipment. I said my name, school, grade and section, took a deep breath and commenced.

Close your eyes, I crooned, hunching over the midget mic stand with my knees slightly bent.
Give me your hand, Not knowing what to do with my hands, I folded them across my chest, awkwardly clutching my plastic purse.
Was I supposed to sing the darlin' part? I just skipped it altogether.
Do you feel my heart beating? Damn, my heart was an enormous taiko drum.
Do you understand? I just wanted it to be done as soon as possible.
Do you feel the same? Uh-oh. Flat.
Am I only dreeeeeeeeam-ing? I wasn't quite sure how to emote to a song I couldn't deliver properly; I knew it would just look like a pathetic attempt to look confident. Thus my face got frozen in a dead-pan expression.
Is this burnin' Saying burnen' instead of burning felt so pretentious.
An eternal flame ...
I believe, it was meant to be ... And right there I was asked to stop with a vague but firm Thank You from one of the judges advisers Miss Marasigan.

I didn't even make it to the bridge (Say my name, sun shines through the rain...) where I thought my voice sounded best. That wasn't good.

Since I wasn't able to exhibit my vocal prowess (and since there wasn't much to speak of anyway), I didn't land a role I wanted but was put in the generic supporting cast.
And Eternal Flame, which used to be one of my favorite pop songs, became one of my most hated. It had become a memento of frustration for me.

The good news was I didn't get cut. I enjoyed a whole schoolyear of children's theater, plus a matinee and gala performance at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. I felt like it was one of my greatest childhood achievements.

Though both my skill and my confidence improved through the years, I never did pursue my dream of becoming a theater actress. I've made my peace with Eternal Flame though.

back when he raised the horned hand

I just learned that Dio died a few days ago (May 30, 2010) of stomach cancer at age 67.

Image nicked from this blog.

Ronnie James Dio is a rock icon, one of the (grand)fathers of heavy metal. He was the guy who replaced Ozzy Osborne as frontman of Black Sabbath and is heralded as one of the greatest heavy metal vocalists of all time.

A younger Dio
Image from MarkBult.com

Yes, I used to listen to Black Sabbath, and I'm not ashamed of that. Well, I listened though I was taught in church that rock is demonic and those metal lords are devil-worshippers, and I learned about all those Anti-Christ / Satanic worship symbols hidden in their album covers and lyrics. :p I didn't want to burn in hell of course - but that didn't stop me from listening to more "acceptable" forms of rock. xp

Speaking of "demonic symbols" - ever wonder why this hand-gesture is fashionable among rockers, metalheads and wannabes? IT'S BECAUSE OF DIO!


Dio is among those who popularized the cornato or "horned hand" (also called the devil's horns). He was one of the first - if not the first - to use them at performances, permanently relating the gesture to rock music. I don't think he intended to promote Satanic worship with it though - at least, not originally (that could've just come later, haha) - especially since he got it from his religious grandmother who believed it warded off evil. As far as I know, he just wanted to create a statement pogi pose that was different from Ozzy's.

If you've ever seen Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2006), he stars in the kickarse opening sequence as himself - or rather, his younger, early-'80s self with a bit of a receding hairline.






From the time he started in the 1970s, he never retired and just kept on rocking. In fact the news says he was working on a Black Sabbath project just before he passed away.
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monday music: take on me A-HA / REEL BIG FISH / A1

Take On Me was a big 1985 number one single by Norwegian pop-rock / New Wave band a-ha. It had then-avant-garde ultra-catchy synthpop instrumentation that can't so easily be erased from the minds of '80s youth.

I don't think anybody understood what the phrase "take on me" meant, but combined with the other lyrics, it became apparent to everyone that it's supposed to be romantic.

The music video that came with it was equally avant-garde. It's a romance-fantasy story with animation (rotoscoping) - it's a quick chick-flick actually. It had several wins in the 1986 MTV Awards: Best New Artist, Best Concept Video, Best Concept Video, Best Direction, Best Special Effects and Viewer's Choice. It was also nominated for Best Group Video and Video of the Year. It was that hot.

It's still one of my favorite music videos of all time. The pencil-drawings were done so well, and I had wondered if ever could learn to draw like that. I remember being so impressed by the whole video - the idea of a girl walking into a comic book and interacting with pencil sketches was so cool. Besides, the guy's so cute. Every time it came on Video Hit Parade, I'd totally watch it, no matter how many times I've seen it; when it came to the end, I'd always wish there was a part 2 to the story.

Take On Me
a-ha

We're talking away
I don't know what I'm to say but I say it anyway
Today's not my day to find you Shying away
I'll be coming for your love, OK

Take On Me, Take me on,
I'll be gone In a day or two

So needless to say
I'm odds and ends So I'll be Stumbling away
Slowly learning that life is OK
Say after me, It's still better to be safe than sorry

Take On Me, Take me on,
I'll be gone In a day or two

Oh the things that you say
Is this life or Just to play my Worries away
You're all the things I've got to remember
You're shying away
I'll be coming for you anyway

Take On Me, Take me on,
I'll be gone In a day or two

Sometime in the late '90s, the Ska band Reel Big Fish came out with a cover. Covers don't often do the originals justice, but this take of Take On Me takes gold. I used to turn the volume up whenever it played on NU 107.

The video isn't that impressive, but it's still fun to watch nonetheless, it's like a party in there. They didn't have any typically cute guys (like the one in the a-ha video), but I do find something attractive about a guy who can sing + plays instrument + is into punk ska + is slightly geeky.



I can't believe that's been more than a decade ago. ^_^

Maybe it's due to the fact that I love (still do) '90s third-wave ska and punk-ska, but I find the Reel Big Fish version waaaaay better than the lamer-than-lame A1 copy cover that came out in 2000. The A1 version did better on the mainstream though, and not that many people knew about the Reel Big Fish one. Tsss. I blame the boy band mania associated with so much cheese and corn in that era. Still, props to them for the sci-fi-ish music video that tried too hard to be cool by adding elements of VR and The Matrix, and for bringing back the love (albeit massacring) for an '80s favorite.

monday music video: jump[VAN HALEN]

I decided that every Monday starting today, I ought to post a classic music video.

Today I thought of putting up Van Halen's Jump.



Ew, the hair. Back then, rock music was heavy on theatricality. Big hair, costumes, make up.

Here's that bit in Glee where the glee club covers Jump for that mattress commercial:



Funny how they all look so cheerful while singing a song that is rumored to be about suicide.

back when he made us look in the kaleidoscope

So it's been a year since he went away.

Image from here.

I'm not about to make a memorial entry like those that have sprouted all over in which I recount all the ways he changed the music scene and impacted lives, or I make a list of things that people already know about him. I just know it's his first death anniversary today, and I want to give him a place in this blog.

I don't remember how I heard the news of his passing; I just remember feeling a sense similar to but not quite devastation when I did. I was one of those cheesy pathetics who listened to old FrancisM hits and suddenly joined his Facebook fan page just to cope with the grief.

There's even this ambitious sense of "too bad I never met him".


I remember crushing on him as a teenager; I didn't even believe the reports that said he was arrested for possessing meth. Around that time (circa 1996) I was fortunate enough to see him up close at a Consortium (now known as a rave party) - he wore a leather vest, tattooed bare arms and his hair all spikey; he held a bottle of Blue Ice while he chilled. He was much better-looking in person, though I recall being surprised that he was, um, of Filipino height.

I first heard of Francis Magalona sometime in the mid-'80s (I was in kindergarten). He was in the cast of Bagets II (his first movie). He must have been fifteen or sixteen then, just one of those cute virtual nobodies known mostly for having famous parents. I suppose what gained him more popularity was being in Kuya Germs' That's Entertainment.

I guess what cemented his star status was his 1987 Wednesday night gig on Alma Moreno's Loveli-Ness. Through that variety show's Top Ten segment, Francis introduced rap to the Philippines and cultivated a fan base for it as he filled the air with his yes-yes-yo's. Honestly, I always found those yes-yes-yo's annoying - but I gotta admit I tuned in to that segment every Wednesday night. Eventually and naturally, he was acknowledged to be the Master Rapper and was later called FrancisM. Despite being associated with Alma Moreno, he defined a new breed of cool and created a niche for himself - and one only he could fill at that.

FrancisM was the first Pinoy rapper - and the only one among his contemporaries who lasted. Andrew E and Michael V have turned to comedy (which I think they are better at), lesser '90s rap artists like Lady Diane, Denmark et al are now nowhere.

In the early '90s, he came out with Mga Kababayan, which was groundbreaking in that day. He put an edgy spin to makabayan with his clever words and then-unique instrumentation. The singles in that album were heavily played and quick to become hits. People danced and created production numbers to the carrier Mga Kababayan; it was practically the themes song for every school's Linggo ng Wika.

Oh crap... I'm having a memory of that song and sarongs and a school presentation ...

Though Philippine Hip Hop is attributed to him, he sorta transcended genre - he had hits from old school rap to hip hop to funk metal to hardcore rap. In the mid-'90s, when hip hoppers and rockers couldn't bear to be within 50 meters of each other, FrancisM did the unthinkable: he made hybrid music with his Pinoy strain of rap metal - and succeeded.

He even did sappy R&B. Though his most popular "love song" is Cold Summer Nights, my personal fave is Be Mine.

It's been a year today, and I see people wearing FrancisM shirts in memory of the Man from Manila. His family and friends on Channel 7 sang his greatest hits including the poignant Kaleidoscope World. Though the production isn't powerful enough to move me to tears, I gotta admit it almost did.

back when i went to school with the kamikazee guys

Kakakita ko lang sa kanila sa game show kaninang umaga. Tapos nakita ko sila ulet sa commercial. Tapos narinig ko ang kanta nila sa kinainan kong restaurant. Tapos, pag-uwi ko, nag-check ako ng Facebook at sinendan nila ako link para sa bago nilang music video.

Sikat na talaga sila ngayon, at big-time na sila. Who would have thought?

Image from here.

Dati kasi, mga kaeskwela ko sila.

1999 noon, nung na-form yung banda nila. Hindi ko alam kung paano, basta nalaman ko na lang na may banda na yung magkakaibigan. Sa UP Fine Arts kasi, bisyo ng mga estudyante doon gumawa ng banda. Araw-araw yata may bagong bandang nabubuo (Bisyo din namin ang mag-jamming at magsulat ng kanta during class hours, at mag-drawing ng kung-anu-ano sa pader, dahil madalas nawawala ang mga guro).

Isang araw sa computer lab, gumagawa ako ng plate ko sa Photoshop 5. Photoshop 5 pa lang noon. Nasa kaliwa ko ang kaibigan kong si Larry, at nasa kanan ko ang kaibigan niyang si Puto, tumitingin ng porno (hindi ko kini-criticize ang gawain niyang yun, kinukwento ko lang). Yung porno dala niya sa diskette; wala pang portable USB noon. Hindi ko maalala kung kaklase talaga namin si Puto or kung nakikigamit lang siya ng computer, basta alam ko kaibigan siya ni Larry (Sa College of Payn Arts kasi, iniiwan-iwan lang kami ng mga teacher, at libre kaming gumala-gala at lumabas-pasok sa klase nang may klase, kahit during class hours. Normal lang noon na may kasama ka sa classroom na hindi namin kaklase).

Sa araw na yun, biglang may pumasok na maingay at nakipagkwentuhan. Nandun lang sila sa tabi ko, at mga kakilala ko naman sila, so medyo mahirap na hindi sumali.

Si Roel pala yung dumating, ka-batch namin. May dala siyang drawing na pinagkakaguluhan - mga caricature ito ng iba pa naming mga ka-batch, kasama si Puto. Tinignan ko yung drawing - makulay at mahusay ang pagkakaguhit, parang pang-jacket ng demo CD. "May bagong banda na naman?," sabi ko.

Kuhang-kuha yung mga itsura nila, makikilala mo talaga yung mga taong naka-drawing, lalo na si Puto kasi kulay pula na may stripes yung buhok. Nakilala ko rin ang mga mukha nina Led at Hec. Kasama rin doon sina Allan at Jomal, na noon ay may iba pang banda. Ang tawag sa bagong grupo ay Kamikazee Kornflakes (obviously, gusto nila ang grupong Korn); nu metal yata ang trip nila.

Sa dinami-dami ng mga banda sa amin noon, hindi ko akalain na tatagal at sisikat ang bagong banda nilang yon.

Naka-ilang gig ang Kamikazee Kornflakes, pasama-sama lang noong una sa Parokya ni Edgar na sikat na sikat na by that time. Dinadala sila ng Parokya sa mga gig, dahil ayon kay Hec, "tuwang-tuwa" daw sa kanila si Chito (vocalist ng Parokya, na isa rin naming kaeskwela). Doon sila unti-unting nakilala at nagkapangalan.


Si Hec: Ang original na vocalist

Wala masyadong nakakaalam, at hindi ko alam kung may nakakaalala pa na ang unang vocalist ng Kamikazee Kornflakes ay si Hector. Ibang-iba siya sa kasalukuyang vocalist na si Jay. Medyo pa-poging athlete ang dating ni Hec, habang si Jay naman rocker na rocker na may artist effect. Pero pareho silang makulit na may bastos na humor.

Kinailangan iwanan ni Hec ang banda noong 2000, kasi graduating daw siya. Medyo hindi ko yun ma-gets, kasi lahat naman sila graduating 'nun.

Some time ago, tinanong ko si Hec kung pinangsisisihan niyang iniwan niya ang Kamikazee ngayong sikat na sila. Ang sabi niya, hindi daw talaga. Hindi niya siguro type ang rock-and-roll lifestyle.

Nothing against Hec, pero mukhang masmabuti na naging vocalist nila si Jay. Napaka kuwela at napakaharot kasi ni Jay, bagay na bagay na frontman, at siya talaga ang nagdadala sa banda.


Si Jay

Noong mga freshman kami, akala naming lahat na schoolmate namin yung kulot na maloko na laging naka-tight fit na T-shirt at bell-bottom jeans. Inisip namin na taga-doon siya sa ibang block; akala naman ng ibang block taga-amin siya. Yun pala, ni hindi namin siya ka-eskwela. Nakiki-tambay lang pala siya sa college namin pag tapos na ang klase niya. Malupit talaga ang tambay hours niya para akalain namin na studyante siya doon. Nakiki-gawa pa nga siya ng mga plates namin.

Una ko siyang nakilala 'nung first year first sem, sa street-painting contest na sponsored ng isang sorority. Ka-team ko ang tatlo sa mga ka-block ko, at katabi namin sa kalsada ang mga taga-Industrial Design block na bitbit si Jay. May dala siyang alagang lizard na tinali niya sa poste sa tabi ng daan (namatay din noong gabing iyon; natapakan). Ang team nila ang nanalo ng Third Place dahil nilalandi nila yung mga sorority girls.

May negosyo si Jay noon na buy-and-sell ng mga exotic pets (ahas, sawa, daga, lizard, iguana, etc). Bibili siya sa Cartimar, tapos ibebenta niya sa school - so panay ang baon niya ng kung-anu-anong hayop.

May kwentong barbero siya nung minsan na bumili siya ng ahas sa Cartimar, pati ng daga at sisiw na ipapakain sana sa ahas. Nag-tricycle daw siya papunta sa sakayan. Pagbaba daw niya ng trycicle, wala na yung sisiw. Tumawag siya ng taxi at sumakay. Pagbaba, daga na lang ang dala niya at may kawawang driver na may ahas sa taxi.

Dahil madalas siyang may dalang iguana, tinawag ko siyang "Iguana Jay", para ma-differentiate siya sa ibang mga Jay ang pangalan; ang dami kasi nilang Jay sa FA noon.

Mas bumenta ang isa pang nickname na binigay ko sa kanya: "Jay Becklog". Madalas niya kasing suot ang white T-shirt na pininturahan niya ng malaking oblong at ni-label na becklog.

Tinawag ko siyang Beck for short. Tinawag niya naman akong Goth kasi mukha daw akong mangangain ng bata.

'Nung third year na kami, nag-enroll na siya sa ibang school, so bihira na namin siyang makita, pero nag-stay in touch pa rin siya sa amin.


Si Led at Si Puto

Hindi ko sila actually naging kaibigan , pero kilala ko sila dahil ka-college ko sila. Madalas ko silang makita at maka-tambay dahil kabarkada sila ng mga kaibigan ko. Madalas din silang dumadalaw sa classroom namin.

Si Puto noon pa may reputation na kwela. Jason ang totoo niyang pangalan, pero nagsimulang tawagin siyang "Puto" noong Summer Art Workshop (bago mag-first year). Medyo feeling chicano sila noon eh.

Si Led naman, reputation niya pogi boy. Medyo heartthrob siya na iniiyakan ng isang kaklase ko dahil may girlfriend siya na super ganda. Clean-cut siya noon at wala pa siyang mga tattoo o hikaw. Led Zepplin ang totoo niyang pangalan, mula sa sikat na banda noong taong ipinanganak siya (Sa pagkakaalam ko, silang lahat ng mga kapatid niya, ipinangalan sa mga rock artist. Astig din kasi ang tatay niya, isang sikat na photographer).


Si Jomal

Si Jomal naging ka-batch namin dahil sa isang sadistang Prof na ayaw siyang patawarin sa isang subject. Naging kaklase ko siya sa subject na yun. Bago ko siya nakilala, nakikita ko lang sila ng barkada niya na patambay-tambay at nag-iingay. Tawag sa kanila ng higher batch, "Istorboys", dahil super kulit nila at nakaka-istorbo during class hours. Tumino lang sila nung isa-isa na silang nagkaroon ng mga girlfriend na super ganda.

Nung nakilala ko si Jomal, mabait naman pala, at sensitive din. At lalo akong natuwa sa kaniya nung binara niya yung class kupal namin.

Naging supplier ako ni Jomal ng styling gel (wala pang hair wax o clay noon). Nung college kasi, pareho kami ng hairstyle - super ikli na kailangan lagyan ng gel. Nag-iiwan ako ng supply ng gel sa locker (yung cheap lang na brand, para hindi nakakapanghinayang kung may humingi). Nung nalaman ni Jomal na may gel ako sa locker, hindi na siya nagbaon ng sarili niya at humihingi na lang sa akin.

Nung 1999 nag-decide ako mag-quit sa paninigarilyo dahil gusto kong mamuhay nang kalugod-lugod sa Diyos (yehehesssss!). Hindi ko pa alam noon na last yosi ever ko na yon nung July 1999, sa back-to-school concert sa College of Fine Arts. Ang kahuli-hulihang yosi ko, nanggaling kay Jomal. Ang buhay estudyante, medyo tag-hirap, so medyo share-share din ang mga magkakaibigan sa bisyo; karaniwan lang sa amin ang nagshe-share ng yosi (kung ngayong mga can-afford na kami at babalik-tanawin namin ang pagsasalo ng dalawa o tatlong tao sa isang sigarilyo, medyo kadiri pala, haha). Nung gabing yon, ilan kaming nanonood ng programa mula sa likod ng studio, nakaupo sa kahoy na hindi dapat inuupuan. Tinabihan ako ni Jomal at nakipagkwentuhan. Naglabas siya ng yosi at sinindihan, at inabot niya sa akin. Huling yosi na niya iyon para sa gabi, at huling yosi ko na para sa buong buhay ko. Kung tutuusin hindi naman kami ganun ka-close pero dahil lang doon hindi ko siya makakalimutan.


Si Allan
Wala pang mga tatoo si Allan noon, pero astig na siya. Hindi pa siya skinhead, in fact long hair siya noon. Yung buhok niya kinaiinggitan ng mga babae dahil super-straight na parang ni-rebond, pwedeng pang-shampoo commercial. Nakilala siya sa college namin bilang mahusay na drummer; marami siyang mga banda, kabilang na ang ilang death metal band, at isang showband.

Si Allan, a.k.a. Bords, never ko naging kaklase, pero madalas ko siyang ka-tambay at kainuman noon, at nakakasama sa mga out-of town barkada gimmick. For some reason, madalas kaming nag-aaway ni Allan - pero mabilis rin naman kaming pinagbabati ng iba pa naming kaibigan. Sa kanya ko unang narinig yung mga salitang "Nakakalalake ka na ha!", dahil yun yung lagi niyang sinasabi sakin kung gusto niya akong suntukin dahil sa pikon pero alam niyang hindi dapat siya pumapatol sa babae. Merong isang beses na ako ang nanuntok sa kanya; buti na lang gentleman siya at nag-walk-out na lang. Pero nakakatakot actually kaaway si Allan kung lalaki ka, kasi ang laki niyang tao at sanay siya sa away-kanto. Na-witness ko na siyang mambugbog ng upperclassman - as in, bugbog.

Naalala ko pa yung isa sa mga away naming saksakan ng babaw, naganap nung first sem ng second year. Seryosong pikunan, pero comedy ang kinalabasan:

Allan: (Nag-drawing ng truck para sa isang plate; kinulayan ito ng yellow-green at violet)
Me: Ayus yan ah, parang Constructicon.
Allan: (Gulat) Alam mo yun?
Me: Oo naman. Nanood naman ako ng TransFormers nung bata ako 'no. Diba kalaban nila yung Dinobots? Anim sila, tapos fino-form nila si Devastator. "I. Am. Devastator!"
Allan: Lima lang sila.
Me: Anim.
Allan: Lima!
Me: Anim kaya no!
Allan: P*#@, lima lang! Shut up! Hindi mo alam yun dahil babae ka at puro Rainbow Brite at Care Bear lang ang alam mo!

Buti na lang na sumingit ang classmate namin na si Ace (na isa na ngayong direktor, at siyang nag-direct ng ilan sa mga video ng Kamikazee) at sinabing, "Anim. Isa pa yung sa ulo!" Eh di tama ako. Ako naman diniin ko pa.

Last year lang, nagka-reunion kaming magkakaeskwela. Naalala namin ni Allan na panay ang away namin noon, pero hindi na namin maalala kung ano ang mga pinag-aawayan namin. Ang naaalala ko, madalas na ko ang may kasalanan ... kung iisipin, maldita nga yata talaga ako at marami akong mga nakaaway na ka-eskwela, pati na mga guro. hee hee hee :p Buti na lang mature na kami ngayon at tinawanan na lang namin ang mga bagay na yon.



Pagkatapos ng college, hindi na ako nakapag-stay in touch kahit kanino, maliban na lang nung nagkaroon na ng mga social networking sites. Nakita ko na lang isang araw sa Myx ang isang live performance nila ng Chinelas. Nakilala ko agad si Jay noong nakita ko siya sa TV, bago ko pa man nakita yung nakalagay na Kamikazee sa ibaba ng frame. Nagtaka ako kung bakit Kamikazee na lang at nawala ang Kornflakes. Nagtaka rin ako kung anong nangyari kay Hec, pero naliwanagan rin ako nung mag-lunch kami nina Hec at Larry isang araw sa Makati noong 2003.

Nung nag-aaral pa kami sa UP, nakahingi ako ng mga drawing mula sa mga ka-eskwela ko. Remembrance kuno, pero pagkatapos ng ilang taon tinapon ko rin noong nagligpit ako ng bahay. Kung alam ko lang na sisikat sila, sana hindi ko na lang tinapon para may collectors' item kunwari ako. Hindi ko naman kasi naisip na ang isang banda 'yon na basta-basta lang binuo ng ilang mga magkakaibigan ay papatok sa masa balang araw.

back when parokya was young

Another entry in Taglish.

Kung tama ang pagkakaalala ko, March 1994 noon; patapos na ang schoolyear. Ang graduating batch ng Ateneo de Manila High School ay nagra-wrap up na ng kanilang apat na taon sa high school -- ilang linggo ng grad practice, clearance at iba't ibang non-academic activities na pampalubag-loob. Isang hapon, nagtipon-tipon ang mga studyante sa High School Covered Courts* para sa isang event. Sa kalagitnaan ng programa, may pumanik sa stage na banda: ilang mga magkakalase mula sa graduating batch.

*Oo, may S talaga yun.

Sinimulan nilang tugtugin ang Creep* ng Radiohead. Nakilala ng mga mag-aaral ang tugtog, at nag-cheer sila. Pero nang kumakanta na ang vocalist, iba yata ang lyrics - ha, tagalog? Kumanta siya tungkol sa craving niya para sa siopao na special. Ang kanta nilang ito ay hindi Creep, kundi Trip ang pamagat.

* Ang Creep ay isang kantang noise-rock na sikat na sikat na sikat na sikat to the point of rocker anthem noong mga araw na 'yon

Trip nga talaga - laugh trip. Ang galing ng wording, at saka ang kulit - in a really good way.

Nagpakilala nga pala ang banda: "Kami ang ... Parokya Ni Edgar!"

Hindi pa actually Parokya Ni Edgar ang pangalan nila at that time, kundi Comic Relief - kasi nga, pang-comic relief ang mga novelty rock songs nila. Ang phrase na "Parokya Ni Edgar" ay isang inside joke ng section nila. Isa itong impromptu smart-aleck answer ng classmate nila noong tinatalakay sa Filipino class ang El Filibusterismo ni Jose Rizal.

"Saan (blah blah blah) si Crisostomo Ibarra?," tanong ni Teacher.
Ang sagot ng nagulantang na estudyante, "Sa ... parokya ni Edgar!"* **

* Ang ibig sabihin ng parokya ay "parish" o "parish church". Kung sino si Edgar, hindi ko alam.
** Ang estudyanteng iyon ay ang kaklase nilang nagngangalang Bambi Cuna (info provided by Chito).

Obviously, benta. So nung ini-introduce nila ang mga sarili sa programang 'yon sa Ateneo High, bigla na lang nasabi ang phrase / inside joke na ang mga ka-section lang nila ang makaka-get. At mula noon, dumikit na ang bago nilang pangalan.

"Our next song is a song by a blonde nun,"* sabi nila . At saka tinugtog nila ang What's Up ng 4 Non-Blondes.

* Siyempre mga ingglisero pa, Atenista pa sila nun eh.

Tinugtog din nila ang Nanakaw Ang Wallet Ko, na version nila ng Knocking On Heaven's Door ng Guns n' Roses / Bob Dylan. Patok na patok sila sa mga ka-eskwela nila dahil sa kakwelahan.

Pagkagraduate, bumenta din sila sa ibang tao. Ang iba sa kanila nag-college sa Ateneo, ang iba nag-UP*, at tinuloy ng ilan ang pagba-banda. Eventually nawala sa Parokya ang dalawang original members nito from Ateneo high, pero nag-merge naman sila sa mga dating member ng bandang Looney Tunes. Na-form ang Parokya na kilala natin ngayon:

Chito Miranda on lead vocals
Darius Semana on lead guitar
Gab Chee Kee on rhythm
Buwi Meneses on bass
Dindin Moreno on drums
Vinci Montaner ... ano nga ba siya?

* UP: University of the Philippines. Naging kaklase ko si Chito sa College of Fine Arts. Si Vinci naging kaklase ko sa GE 'nung freshman (sa isang subject kung saan marami kaming binagsak ng walanhiyang prof); naalala ko lang sa kanya ay pogi siya noon at napapag-initan ng prof na mukhang manyak. Madalas kong nakikita ang Parokya boys sa CFA, lalo na kung may tugtog sila sa UP, which is madalas mangyari. Minsang naka-tambay ko sila sa tindahan ni Manang Babes.

Kahit wala pa silang album noon, sikat na sikat sila sa mga nagpapaka-rocker na suki ng Club Dredd* at Mayrics**. Alam ng mga fans ang mga kanta tulad ng Cooking ng Ina Mo, Chikinini (spoof ng Banal na Aso / Santong Kabayo ng Yano) at Pangarap Ko sa Buhay.

* Oo nga pala - nasa Km 19 Edsa pa ang Dredd noon. At ni wala pang Eastwood.
** Sazi's na ngayon ang Mayrics.

1995, sumikat ang kanta nilang Buloy - una sa NU 107 at humawa na sa ibang mga station - at noon sila nakilala sa radyo ng mga taong hindi alam kung ano ang Km 19. Ang Buloy ay tungkol sa totoong tao na na-kainuman nila sa Gulod*. Hindi yata nila alam ang totoong pangalan niya, basta ang tawag lang nila sa kaniya ay "Buloy". Hindi daw talaga siya nag-suicide nung una, pero pinatay nila siya dun sa kanta. Later on naging totohanan na ang suicide niya.

* Gulod : tambayan / inuman place sa loob ng UP Diliman Campus; nawala na ito nung 1999

Iilan lang sila na novelty rock acts* - marami kasi noon ang grunge / post-grunge, alternative at metal - kaya medyo naiiba sila sa karaniwang style noon. Pero ang pinakaka kakaiba sa Parokya ay ang husay nilang mag-entertain gamit ang kakulitan (at minsan, kabastusan). Ang maganda pa sa kanila, hindi sila nagpapa-cute tulad ng ibang mga banda na may pa image-image pa. Medyo jologs ang dating nila kung minsan, pero hindi baduy kasi intelihente yung humor nila, hindi slapstick. Nakakatawa kapag nagtanggal ng T-shirt si Chito - patpatin pa ang katawan niya noon, yun nga ang nakakatawa eh. Kung minsan may pekeng tattoo pa na naka-pentel pen lang (wala pa silang mga tunay na tatoo noon).

* Novelty Rock : Rock ang music, pero kakulitan ang lyrics. Ang iba pang novelty rock acts noon ay Grin Department, Tungaw at Ciudad. Pero angat talaga ang Paroyka. Wala pang Kamikazee noon.

Kaya nga nanalo sila sa NU Rock Awards ng Best Live Act noong 1996.

Sila din ang Best New Artist nung taong yon. Official na "recording artist" na sila dahil lumabas na ang unang album nila na Khangkhungkhernitz. Nandun siyempre sa album na 'yon ang mga kantang nabanggit, pwera ang Chikinini, dahil hindi pumayag ang Yano. *

* Medyo mayabang pa ang Yano noon kasi sikat pa sila na pinoy alternative band. Nung 2003, binigyan na rin ng permiso ang Parokya i-record ang Chikinini at isama sa album na Bigotilyo. Nalaos na kasi ang Yano, at sikat na sikat ang Parokya. Mas big-time pa ang Parokya kesa sa kung ano man ang inabot ng Yano.

Lagpas isang dekada nang sikat ang Parokya - nagkaroon na sila ng sampung album, at parang parami pa rin nang parami ang fans nila - at hindi pa sila naluluma. Maganda kasi sa kanila, bukod sa magaling sila tumugtog at magsulat ng lyrics, hindi sila natatali sa genre, at hindi sila takot mag-experiment. Kaya nga nagugustuhan sila ng maraming tao - whether bata o matanda, jologs or soyalin, simpleng tao o inggliserong Atenista level. Patunay dito ang lagpas 10 na panalo at lagpas 20 na nomination mula sa NU Rock Awards, MTV, Awit Awards, MYX at iba pa.

back when bon jovi was actually cool

Here and now. That guy on the other side of the street is screeching out Bed of Roses again in his jukebox voice with the trying-hard accent. It seems like our neighbors' Videoke gig is back in business, too bad for the rest of us in the neighborhood. Those Videoke people have a nasty habit of putting the volume full-blast, and their patrons always select the difficult songs with those high-pitch belt-outs because of how they exhibit one's singing prowess (or lack of it) - sheer torture to listeners when sung by people who neither have the range nor the talent.

As I try to shut out the noise caused by I juana leeeeey you down on a beeeeeyd of roseeeeeeeyz, I consider the fact that Bon Jovi is one of those unfortunate Videoke hall-of-famers - i.e., a common choice of Pinoy Videoke singers everywhere (along with Regine Velasquez, Heart, Aegis and other belters). I have myself participated at a Videoke party in which we poked fun at the hideousness of Bon Jovi songs. Those Bon Jovi cheesy power ballads that no one would be caught dead listening to; big-haired glam rock lounge songs that not even 80's retro bands would dare cover, more like something you'd imagine a poledancer swinging to.

And then I think about how I used to like Bon Jovi - at a time before their songs were considered beerhouse fare and were given jologs status.

Yes kiddos, Bon Jovi used to be cool. And I think in some circles in some parts of the world, they still are.

Early '90s Bon Jovi.

Early '80s Bon Jovi.
Yes, THIS actually used to be cool.

Photo from here. Read his funny take on "Livin' On a Prayer"

Bon Jovi started out as a glam rock band from the early eighties - one of those crimped-hair-and-ripped-spandex acts with the powerful vocals. I started paying attention to them the time they released Blaze of Glory for the movie Young Guns II. I must have been ten. Both the song and the music video got a lot of air time in those days. I paid even more attention after local pop diva Zsa Zsa Padilla confessed she had a huge crush on their frontman, seeing him singing with his guitar on a desert mountain, topless and all sexy for the Blaze video.

The band's name of course is from the surname of vocalist John Bongiovi.

By the early nineties, Bon Jovi was already a worldwide phenomenon. Pretty much everybody knew who they were. They, along with the likes of Guns n Roses, were usually covered by amateur groups at rock shows and battles of the bands because of the showy vocals. On a night of, let's say, ten bands, at least two of them would do a Bon Jovi song. The most popular choices were Livin' On A Prayer and I'd Be There (For You).

I'd Be There is actually still the most popular choice for Videoke-ers today, haha :D

I remember watching a few impressive covers of I'd Be There at band shows back when I was in high school. One was by these twentysomething rockers called Rust; the vocalist sang Bon Jovi but moved like Axl Rose. The other was this all-girl rock band formed by my schoolmates (and that's actually why they were impressive, especially on a night of male acts) called Blue Pearl.

I don't think my admiration was ever stoked to fangirl level, but I must admit, I was a Bon Jovi fan. I knew all their albums, knew the band members' names, knew the lyrics to their most popular songs. I owned a poster too - a gift from a friend. And since it was almost obligatory for a high school girl to swoon over some rock star, I decided to crush on frontman Jon.

Photo from here.

October 13, 1993. It was a Wednesday night. Two friends and I lined up outside the Rizal Baseball Stadium to watch Bon Jovi live. The band was on their Keep the Faith tour; both nights in Manila were sold-out.

And we, three high school girls, bought tickets for the first night. We had sweet-talked our parents (and submitted ourselves to needlessly paranoid harangues) to allow us to go out and stay up late on a weekday night for a rock concert. I remember standing in line feeling all excited, like I was about to be part of history or something.

I even remember what we were wearing - I had on a button-down long-sleeved shirt that had thin white fabric with blue paisley print, rolled-up dark-blue shorts and 6-hole DM knockoffs. I also wore a clear blue plastic pendant. I brought a similar pendant, exactly the same except it was violet, and gave it to my friend V that night because it was in her favorite color. V wore a see-through black button-down long-sleeved shirt with colorful sea animal print over purple pants.

Our P200-tickets sat us in the bleachers - that price would have been two days' worth of allowance, all we could afford at our student budget. People around us sat patiently and behaved decently - no, it was not a jologs crowd at all - though you could feel excitement mounting as the minutes drew closer to 8pm. I chatted with my pals as I went people-watching. Somewhere to our 7 was a guy a red plaid shirt around his waist, Seattle-style. With him was his petite girlfriend who wore a white shirt, black shorts, a cap and her long, straight hair in a ponytail. In front of us were two guys, one of them with pageboy hair and a black Faith No More shirt, also wearing a plaid shirt around his waist (black and white this time). A few meters away was a guy with a backpack who partied alone.

As the music started, the formerly weary-looking crowd on the bleachers sprung to its feet. The stage was far away but no one seemed to care; we could watch the lights and smoke anyway. We couldn't even make out Jon's face (I could see his bare chest gleaming though). We bleacher people sang along to You Give Love A Bad Name. Plaid boy pumped his fist, petite girl waved her cap in the air; backpack guy seemed to have felt warm so he peeled off his shirt and slung it around and around over his head. And we three high school girls - we just had a good time. Even if the performers were too far to fully appreciate, the fans nearby were entertaining to watch. Whattarush for energetic teenagers like us; it was so much fun.

Until it rained thirty minutes into the concert and the whole event had to be cut short.

We sat around for an hour or so in case things dried up and the band decided to walk back onstage, but the organizers announced that the electronics were soaked and that posed a fire hazard. My friends and I decided to stay put on the bleachers and chat to pass the time. We were oblivious to the so-called riot that was happening beneath; we only learned about it later on the news.

Bummed as we were, we left the place thinking it was all still memorable. We supposed we could crash the concert the following night, demand that organizers give us what we paid for. That was two days' worth of allowance after all.

We weren't the only ones who entertained that thought though: a throng of fans who came the first evening showed up on the second night, squeezing their way between ticketholders, metal barricades and security people. There was another semi-riot (i.e., not a full-blown one) and security conceded, eventually allowing everyone in.

Man, the place was packed. Bon Jovi launched into old and new, Jon shaking his newly-shortened tresses. Girls on the grounds began climbing onto their boyfriends' shoulders halfway through Bad Medicine. One seemingly high girl took off her top and threw it to frontman Jon in crazy fangirl fashion and spent the rest of the night covering herself with nothing but her arms (Bon Jovi isn't a mosh pit kind of band, so it was relatively safe for girls to be that near to the stage, though scantily clad). A slow song played and lights dimmed into a concert cliche, a signal for the crowd to raise their lighters. And lookie: No rain!

It was a blast.

... At least, from what I heard.

Sadly I wasn't there the second night to demand my money's worth. Some of my friends were fortunate to be though. Considering that my parents loved putting on the strict hat, and that things always got ugly whenever I asked permission to go anywhere, and that we had a fight over letting me out Wednesday, I didn't even bother asking for Thursday. Besides, I had a report due Friday on a book I hadn't even finished reading so I had to spend Thursday night cramming.

I eventually forgave myself - it actually came easy since glam rock and its artists soon became passe. Power ballads were out, incoherent verses were in. Belter vocals out, unintelligible growling, in; screechy guitar solos out, choppy 3-chord messes in. Artists like Bon Jovi, GnR, Poison and Black Crows were almost immediately considered corny jukebox music . By then I'd turned my attention to the fast-rising grunge and post-grunge music; pretty soon, I was swooning over the deep-voiced, red-meat Eddie Vedder instead of John Bongiovi. I didn't even notice how or when my Bon Jovi phase ended; I didn't even bother when they came back for their These Days concert April of 1995.

For a time i was ashamed to admit I ever liked glam rock. But nowadays songs by those glam-metal bands are already revered as rock classics - except when they're being sung Videoke - so I'm not now too embarrassed to admit that there was a time I indeed thought Bon Jovi was cool.

back when there were babes in boyland

A friend whom i will refer to in this entry as Friend invited the Hubby and I to watch his gig. Friend happened to have an amateur rock band. It was at this rather decent, un-shady place anyway, so we thought there was no harm in dropping by to support him.

It might be useful to mention that Friend is a younger friend, like early-twenties, i.e., a decade delayed.

At the end of the evening, Friend and a few of his other pals asked to hitch a ride to the lot where they parked. As they crowded together in the back seat, i eavesdropped as they exchanged their thoughts on the night's other performances. They were all just amateur bands that night, seemingly playing for kicks if not for a bit of exposure. Most if not all of them were composed of guys who were in their early-to-mid twenties and /or boys who were still in college - their delusional dreams of rock stardom still fresh in their psyche.

One band seemed to have caught their attention, though not exactly in an approving sort of way: it was this all-girl rock-reggae band. The band wasn't astoundingly great, but hey, they weren't that bad. They in fact had enough chops to compare with those other (all-guy) bands. So Friend and his friends who sat in our back seat (both guys and girls) chuckled at how those band-girls even dared to be in a domain where men ruled, sort of implying it was ridiculous of them. Friend and his friends didn't even say anything bad about the music - in fact, I think they even liked the way those chicks played. Then, with the disapproval of chauvinistic old women, Friend and his friends commented at how stupid those girls were to wear showy clothes at a bistro.

I wanted to butt into the conversation, but conscious of the lack of relationship, I just thought in my head: Have you ingenue never seen an all-female rock band before? They were even pretty good. Look, they probably wore those things on purpose knowing what kind of crowd they were getting into, because chicks in bands know their male fans would want to see some skin. And you guys sound more naive then they are. Like, when were you born - Spanish colonial times?

At the risk of appearing like their grandmother in a when-I-was-your-age sort of harangue, I kept my musings to myself. It became apparent to me that these early-twenties guys - these mere kids who were born in the late eighties / early nineties - are prolly unfamiliar with the concept of an all-girl rock band. Oh, they've surely seen girly pop groups on TV, or bands here and there with a female vocalist or bassist. But probably never an all-girl ROCK band.

Coming to think of it, there haven't been many lately, and hardly any have made it mainstream. I'm trying to think of some, but the ones I can think of are either virtual unknowns or carryovers from the '90s.

Though the rock music scene has always been dominated by men, there was a time when all-girl rock bands weren't such an alien concept. Despite the fact that they never sounded as aggressive and as progressive as their all-male counterparts, chick bands were actually quite cool, i.e., they had a critically massive fan base of both males and females.

Back in the '80s were The Bangles, The Go-Go's, L7, Silverfish.

A movie called Satisfaction came out in '88, starring Justine Bateman, Liam Neeson and Julia Roberts. It was this corny chick flick about a girl band. Loved that movie, watched it when i was ten. I recall reading articles about how this or that real-life girl-band was inspired by this movie.

photo from here

In the '90s, there were the riot grrrrls. All-female acts donned their heroin chic - Babes in Toyland, Hole, The Donnas. Even those Japanese chicks Cibo Matto and Shonen Knife.

In the local scene, we had KeltsCross (which later evolved into Pinup Girls), Tribal Fish, Fatal Posporos (lead vocalist Kris Gorra later fronted for the new Eraseheads). An interesting one to note is death-metal act Cherry Bomb - yes, death metal, screamo galore.

Rock acts today are mostly these guys who wear too much eyeliner and gook in their hair (and most of them sellouts who have lost their characteristic sound - but that is for a whole other entry). Lady musicians seem to prefer divalicious soul or sexed-up, thechnofied dance these days. Oh well, whatever rakes in the money, right?

monday music fix come around again RIZAL UNDERGROUND

... Or the day that Come Around Again came around again.

One day as I gazed lazily into space and left a couple hundred brain cells to commit suicide due to their sense of unfulfillment (Did you know that? Brain cells die of disuse!), my random musings opened for a random song to drift into my mind. I haven't heard it in a while - maybe more than a decade - and the band that performed it is now defunct; I even forgot that such a song existed. And though it's one of those cheese-and-corn rock love songs, I found myself missing it, so I Googled a bit and found it.

The lyrics are kinda sappy, but then that's how most love songs are. I love the melody though.

Come Around Again
RIZAL UNDERGROUND

i've taken it through, i've taken it in stride

the feelings i can't show are the ones i can't hide

but they say if sorrow cuts through your heart

until you think its going to tear you apart

or i'll join your heart in the daze

to fill this space i erased



(refrain)



so i close my mind to the pain

(to find shelter from the pouring rain)

and i close my mind to the pain

(to find shelter from the pouring rain)

in your will i am entwined

i'm lost to the thoughts that you left behind

until you come around again(2x)



im waiting for your return

im waiting while the candles burn

im waiting for the hour to pass me

to know how long i could last

you see i'm, i'm awf'ly good today

and salvation has its price

so im holding out with my fingers crossed

until this love turns to ice

(repeat refrain)



until you come around again(4x)

back when sid and nancy were punk royalty

A (mis)match made in hell?

Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen were a sort of punk royalty back in the late 70's ("Punk royalty"? -- What an oxymoron. But that's what they were called in a documentary on love gone wrong). Sid was the (rather untalented) bassist of legendary Brit punk band Sex Pistols. Nancy was an American groupie, allegedly a former hooker.

Their love was high on heroin and controversy. People around them seemed to agree that they were horrible for each other, but they just had this psychotic dependency thing going on and they stayed together. The romance ended in her murder (still a mystery) and his suicide (which turns out to be assisted by his mother). In his suicide note, he mentioned...

We made a death pact, and I have to accomplish my part of the deal. Please bury me next to my baby. Please bury me with my leather jacket, my jeans and my biker boots. Goodbye. With love, Sid. 

Forget Romeo and Juliet. Ain't Sid and Nancy's tale of woe a modern romantic tragedie, in a twisted, demented Mayerling sort of way?



Though probably found repulsive by those close to them, their sick love story (if you can call it that) would seem so romantic to those who watch from a safe distance.

I don't typically enjoy tragedies, but I find theirs intriguing. Though I was only a little over a year old when Vicious died, for some reason I grew up with an idea of who he was and who the Sex Pistols were. For that matter, the name "Sid Vicious" is one of my favorite stage names ever; it's so freaking cool, I wish I'd thought of it.

A Sid and Nancy movie was made in 1986. I haven't seen it yet but I heard Gary Oldman was awesome in that one.

Just a tangent: It's calamitous when a rock star dies young, especially someone so iconic or talented. But there's something fortunate about it too - they instantly turn into legends, like those in the Forever 27 Club.  Besides, they wouldn't have to publicly age and fizzle out into rickety, old rock stars. I.m.h.o., it's kinda painfully to see an ancient punk rocker still all defiant and deviant at grandfather age. Have you seen Sid's former bandmate Johnny Rotten  lately?
A little bonus. I stumbled upon a series of Doc Martens ads featuring dead punk icons like Joey Ramone and Kurt Cobain. Here's the one with Sid Vicious: