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SHOW & TELL: ONE 'ELY-FILLED' WEEKEND |
Originally posted on BusinessMirror.com.ph on October 28, 2008. The website doesn't exist anymore! >>> Show & Tell: One ‘Ely-filled’ weekend THE much-awaited return to national limelight of young pop icon Ely Buendia, the main figure of the-still most popular and influential Pinoy rock band, Eraserheads, happened during the weekend on GMA’s four top-rating shows. First was on the revitalized Saturday edition of Eat Bulaga, where he performed with his band, Pupil, doing its latest single “Disconnection Notice,” from its second album Beautiful Machines (Sony-BMG). Thin and still looking fragile, Buendia was all fired up doing what he loves most. There was pandemonium among the crowd gathered at the Broadway Centrum and it was caught on TV. More chaos broke out when his buddy, Francis Magalona, and his band jammed with Pupil, doing an Eraserheads’ classic, the rap-flavored “Superproxy”. It was also Magalona’s first live TV appearance. It will be recalled that Buendia and Magalona were just fresh from “spending time” in separate medical facilities. There was Buendia’s collapse due to chest pain that aborted the Eraserheads reunion on August 30 at Bonifacio Global City Open Field. He spent about a week in the hospital and a month-and-a-half at home recuperating. Magalona, on the other hand, spent about two months in the hospital after being diagnosed with leukemia. “Superproxy” was included on the list of 15 more songs for the second half of the Eheads’ reunion concert. Magalona was supposed to perform with the group. As we all know, Magalona was already in the hospital at the time and the second half never took place. So what happened on Eat Bulaga last Saturday was something legendary and those who where quick enough to realize that should have recorded the segment for posterity. Given the medical condition of the two, nothing like that might ever happen again. A few hours later, Buendia appeared again via a taped interview in the midafternoon showbiz-oriented talk show on GMA, the decade-old Startalk. He was interviewed by Butch Francisco, who was able to extract some valuable and delicate information from him. Buendia shared that, like millions of fans and his three other band mates, he also felt bitin with that concert. But for him, he said that was the end of it. “Fifteen songs, that’s a lot already. For me, that’s it,” Buendia told Francisco. About the breakup of Eraserheads, he was still vague, saying he always felt it would be improper for him to talk about it since he bolted from the band and formed another. He mentioned his immediate post-Eheads group, The Mongols, and now, Pupil. Part of the interview was to shed light on the issue that he and partner-cum-co-manager Dianne Ventura are on the verge of a break up. It turned out to be just a rumor. In fact, Ventura and Buendia declared on national television their undying love and support for each other. For those just tuning in, Ventura is the mother of Buendia’s second child named Eon. Buendia’s first-born is a girl aptly named Una (first), whom he sired with Victoria, his long-time college girlfriend. Victoria was the inspiration for an earlier Eheads hit, “Toyang”. Una is now a freshman college student. Sunday, Buendia appeared again on GMA via its noontime variety show SOP. In the segment “PasiklaBand,” he sang “Disconnection Notice” with Pupil. Intriguingly, his former Eheads bandmate Raimund Marasigan also performed, this time with one of the many bands he’s involved with, Sandwich. In that segment, Pupil’s live performance was immediately followed by Sandwich, which did its latest single titled “Selos.” Millions of fans are no doubt wondering how the two met and greeted each other backstage. Among the four Eraserheads members, it can be recalled that it was Buendia and Marasigan who were openly discussing their “artistic” and “height” differences that led to the breakup. The final Buendia appearance was on the late-afternoon showbiz talk show Showbiz Central. It was his first live TV interview since the near-death experience in August. He was interviewed by his former college mate, Showbiz Central’s cohost Pia Guanio. Here, Buendia was more relaxed. He told Guanio that he and Marasigan had already made up and renewed their ties as friends. “He visited me during the wake of my mother [who died two days before the concert] and when I was recovering in the hospital,” Buendia said. Backstage at SOP, he said they talked about the usual stuff—music and family life. On his first live TV performance with Magalona, Buendia said it was the most natural thing to do. He added even while they were both in their respective hospital rooms, they sent messages of support to each other. Then Guanio asked Buendia to clarify an urban legend about another famous Eheads song, “Magasin,” which is about a once-simple girl who became a fashion model and is featured near-naked in a magazine. Rumors had it that Guanio and Buendia were also college sweethearts at the University of the Philippines-Diliman, and that Buendia was inspired to write “Magasin” for Guanio. Buendia said that although it’s flattering, the supposed hookup was impossible because his student number starts with 87, meaning he was a freshman in 1987 while Guanio’s starts with 91. “Besides, ‘Magasin’ is rated R. If I were to write a song about Pia Guanio, it should be something decent and sweet,” he said. More interesting, while thanking his fans way back his Eheads days, he used the term “lesser-known band” for Pupil. A few months ago, such admission would never have happened. Buendia would’ve shown discontent and annoyance if someone compared Eraserheads with Pupil. No doubt, Buendia is at peace with his past now and, more important, with himself. There’s no denying anymore that he became the Ely Buendia because of Eraserheads, its music and its members. He spoke with an almost apologetic tone in his now-million-peso voice. The good news is, when Guanio asked if there will be a part two for the aborted reunion, the fragile-looking, seemingly sleep-deprived Buendia said, “We’re just looking for the right venue and the right people to handle it. And, of course, if I’m ready, health-wise, to handle again such a big show.” Now, the more intriguing questions: Why did Buendia choose GMA as the platform for his first very public outing since his most recent near-death experience? Is it because being a heart-attack survivor, he is biased to, uh, the Kapuso Network? Why not one single appearance on ABS-CBN? To think that the Kapamilya Network recently kicked out that infamous showbiz radio-TV talk-show host who once floated the ‘news’ that Buendia was an arrogant, bar-trashing “has-been.” Calling Bamboo diehard fan, Tito Boy Abunda.
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