03.19.2007

TOP 10 INFLUENCES ON RADIOACTIVE SAGO PROJECT'S FASHIONISTA ALBUM

FROM JAMES BROWN TO MANNY PACQUIAO, FROM AFRO-FUNK TO THE LOST ART OF CUBAO MOVIE BILLBOARDS: THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE INGREDIENTS THAT NEW SAGO IS MADE OF

by Joelle Jacinto

PULSE.PH: So you’re saying your songs are not political, they’re more… LOURD DE VEYRA: They’re more Tito-Vic-and-Joey than Freddie Aguilar. Hindi. Mali yun eh. Mas may sense pa yung Tito-Vic-and-Joey songs, mas may wit pa yon.

So, if Radioactive Sago Project’s Tangina Mo Andaming Nagugutom Sa Mundo Fashionista Ka Pa Rin was not fueled by today’s burning political issues, what was it fueled by? We have a list.

10. Funk and Afro Funk “Musically, we’re returning to our roots in this album,” Francis de Veyra relates, “and that’s mostly funk and soul.” This makes a lot of sense, together with guitarist Junji Lerma’s bigger role in the band and the more pronounced funky guitar sound. Lourd has also been listening to a lot of Afro funk, lately. He claims there might be an influence there.

9. Punk Rock Lourd admits to punk being his very first formative musical influence. Some of you may know Lourd from his days as a guitarist for 90s punk band, Dead Ends, with Al Dimalanta and his late brother Jay. Lourd doesn’t play guitar anymore but Sago has always had that never-mind-the-bollocks sensibility (or would you call it insensibility?). So, blend that in with funk and soul and a few more genres on this list, and bam, you have Radioactive Sago Project’s latest album.

8. Jazz Coltrane and Miles and everyone in between, the kind of improvisational jazz that hits so hard it’s almost punk. That’s the kind of jazz Radioactive Sago Project is talking about.

7. The Beach Boys and Barbershop Doo-wop You do notice that everyone is singing along now? That’s mainly the influence of the harmonic stylings of The Beach Boys and Afro-American barbershop boys (your local barbero is more adept at holding yosi between his teeth while cutting your hair than creating harmonies with his co-workers), which Lourd says he had been listening to a lot of recently. Also, Lourd is tired and wants to share vocal duties. Hey, you try reciting “Gusto Ko Ng Baboy” for almost a decade.

6. James Brown Francis believes that James Brown, who passed away towards the end of the recording of the album, lives on. Get on up.



5. Justin Timberlake We’re not sure if Lourd mentioned Justin Timberlake as an influence to prove that he does listen to anything and everything, or if he’s just playing with us. He’ll probably read this and say, “I meant it when I said his latest album rocks!” Or not.

4. Manny Pacquiao The album was also being made when Manny Pacquiao brought glory to the country last year. Hence the songs “Wasak” and “Basagan ng Mukha.” “This album is actually dedicated to him,” Francis grins.

3. Basil Valdez Lourd went to watch a Basil Valdez concert with his girlfriend Marj—“The first time I ever paid for a concert ticket,” Lourd exclaims. Although you can tell Valdez’s voice isn’t as young and virile as it used to be, you could feel the sentiment behind the performance of the songs, Lourd says. In fact it was so touching that Valdez teared up while singing. “Pero okay pa rin,” Lourd shrugs.

2. Those Cubao billboards If you notice, the album packaging of Radioactive Sago Project’s Tangina Mo Andaming Nagugutom Sa Mundo Fashionista Ka Pa Rin is made up of morbid, loud-colored paintings with caricatures of the band in the liner notes. Painter, sculptor and musician Louie Cordero, who recently constructed and exhibited a giant zombie head that looks almost exactly like the one on the cover of Fashionista, most likely took his cues from Sago’s titles of the instrumental songs, particularly “George Estregan Groove Explosion” and “Raul Aragon Vs Ricky Torre.”

“Yung intention ni Louie dyan, parang yung mga ano,” Lourd pauses for effect, “The lost art of movie billboards. Yung malalaki, yung sobrang hindi nakukuha yung mukha ng artista.” And true enough, the caricatures of the band in the inlay, which recall the movie posters of old, kinda look like the band, but not quite. The two goons on the back of the album sleeve are from actual stills of Mark Gil and Archie Adamos. Cordero’s art is exhibited in local galleries and abroad, and is also rabidly perused online by artblogs. As Lourd puts it, “Louie yan, mahal na yang painting yan.”

1. 70s-era movie bad guys and Ricky Torre

Who is Ricky Torre?

LOURD: Kaibigan ko. Writer siya ng Free Press. There was one time, umiinom kami, in-explain niya sa akin kung bakit genius si Raul Aragon. Kilala mo si Raul Aragon siyempre? Yung isang Lino Brocka film daw, parang ano siya dito eh, antagonist, ang bida si Nora Aunor. Yung eksena parang piyesta, parada, parang mga Flores de Mayo, ganoon? Tapos sabi ni Lino Brocka kay Raul Aragon, ang gagawin mo, tumayo ka lang doon, tititigan mo si Nora, tapos kunyari isipin mo parang demonyo ka. Tapos naka-pula lang daw siya na damit. Tapos yung motivation niya, kunyari demonyo ka [starts to laugh], di ba ang galing na motivation nun? Sabi ni Ricky, ‘Pucha pare, pag napanood mo talaga siya, para talaga siyang demonyo, pare!’ Hindi literal, siyempre, diba? Pero the very fact na parang nakatayo lang siya doon, tinititigan niya si Nora Aunor na parang demonyo. Ang galing, diba? Raul Aragon, wala nang ganoon ngayon eh.

So Ricky Torre equals Raul Aragon?

LOURD: Yeah, for Ricky to actually recognize that, to actually recount that anecdote. Marami pang anecdote yan eh. Meron kaming ano… Siya yung nagsulat ng sleeve, ng liner notes sa second album album. Ano lang siya eh, repository of useless cinematic knowledge. Parang si Rio Locsin, may pelikula siyang title Wild Animals, may eksena daw doon na si Rio Locsin, sumasayaw sa beerhouse habang binubuhusan siya ng beer ng syota niyang bakla. Parang andaming overload of elements nun, di ba? Si Rio Locsin, nasa beerhouse, sumasayaw, binubuhusan ng beer ng syota niyang bakla. Ni-isa lang nun di ba, sobrang wasak. Bakla pa, kailangan bakla pa yung syota niyang nagbubuhos ng beer di ba? Tapos may painting si Ricky sa bahay, nakasabit lang sa bahay ko, ganda-gandang galing. Painter rin siya.

What’s in the painting?

LOURD: Yung eksena, overpass sa Guadalupe. Tapos parang rush hour eh, traffic, tapos may lyrics ng ‘Wonderful Tonight’ ni Eric Clapton, parang naka-songhits, pero parang lumulutang sa ere. Tapos yung treatment ng lahat ng images, parang hazy lahat, ganoon? In-arbor ko sa kaniya yung painting kasi dumadaan ako doon eh, nung nasa dyaryo ako, talagang ganoon, parang sobrang grabe ng sensory assault ng lahat—ingay ng EDSA, daming mga billboards, daming mga vendors, mga ganoon. Napaka-otherworldly actually ng dating nung eksena yun eh. At least yung impression nun, nakuha ni Ricky doon sa painting. Yun, plus yung mga Raul Aragon na mga anecdotes. Wasak.



Photo by Dan Gil.

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