Monday, September 1, 2008

Lives Intertwined -- E-heads

Almost everyone I know (or at least those who were either in high school or college during the pinnacle of E-heads' fame) has their own Eraserheads' story. For me, the cheesiest one, but easily the most memorable, was my and my bestest friends' drunken rendition of With A Smile after high school graduation. We were all understandably distraught then, none of us were going to the same college -- I was going to Ateneo, my best friend was going to La Salle, one was going to UST, another to UAP. With A Smile was THE song that we sang to remind us that we were going to be alright. And what do you know, we are still the best of friends after 11 years.

When I went to the E-heads reunion concert last Saturday at the Fort, I was immediately struck by the obvious -- the sea of people trying to get inside the venue also had their peculiar E-heads story, or stories... I saw high school friends, college friends, older now, maybe wiser, wearing their most comfortable outfits, with bright smiles and twinkling eyes, eager to go down memory lane and reminisce the good ol years, the romanticized past. From the moment the band hit the first chords, I was transported to a time when everything was simpler, when I was more idealistic and carefree, when I was at the height of my YOUTH. I, along with the strangers beside me, were one with the music, shouting SEMBREAK with such fervor, knowing that, as members of the workforce, we no longer have sembreaks. No matter that the concert was cut short due to Ely's heart condition, I had my 'bottle of memories' when I left the Fort that night. There was an undeniable thread uniting all concertgoers that night -- the music of E-heads somehow made possible the existence of intertwined lives -- lives which, without E-heads, would not have intersected or found common ground. Kaming lahat -- parang naging isa.

Ely, Raimund, Marcus and Buddy, thank you for making me an uber-happy girl last Saturday. Sana ay maulit pa. Gusto ko talagang marining uli ng live ang Magasin.

7 comments:

vince said...

even if i'm only reading and watching news, it was indeed a great event(although it was cut short due to Ely's heart condition). just knowing that e-heads will have a reunion concert i cant help but feel nostalgic of my younger years and reminiscing those times when just a guitar around makes my group feel relieved and happy after singing the songs of eraserheads which up to this moment are uneraseable.

atto aryo said...

just being there would have recharged me with the energy of (lost?) youth, the zeal for carefree fun that many of us embraced the moment we started following E-Heads music.

Anonymous said...

I lived my youth during the decade of decadence, 10 year or so earlier than the E-heads halcyon days. During their prime I did not appreciate listening to their brand of music perhaps because of my residual loyalty to the music of my youth. When I met Ely, who’s incidentally my wife’s cousin-in-law, after the band’s break up I came to know that apart from being a great song writer and vocalist he’s also a profound thinker and a prolific writer. Thereupon, I became a great fan of E-heads!

Ms. J said...

Ooooh, lucky you, Sir Lito!!! I'm such a big fan of Ely and Raimund (okay, and Buddy and Marcus)!

Unknown said...

e = \m/

jerrs said...

hi,oo nga its fan young song din na ano ba yon yong kong kelan ka naging seryoso saka ka gagagohin basta yon kong kelan yata na in love saka naman,very universal na wording na happen in almost all of us .magazine is nice din kasi parang going out of innocence din despite medyu green :) while your a fan ng eraserheads marami ka ring fans :) noong nag review ako sa up sabi sa akin na si joan was crying,syempre hindi namin na outsider kilala ka,but its amzing din na your classmate are so concern sa iyo :) i told them to comfort you kawawa naman :) anyways me copy ka ng speech mo daw na how to review for the bar>i want din sana to get hold of it baka maka help i plan sana to take the bar next year :)

Ms. J said...

Hello jerrs, hehe marami na kong beses umiyak sa law school, malamang ako nga yung nakita mo noon. Re: my lecture, you can go to Atty. Fred's website (the link is on my main page) and it's there, or better yet, join the phbar family (unless member ka na). God bless and good luck!