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IT is perhaps the most revered address in New York City for people who have been influenced by the music of the Beatles.
It has become the focal point of many Beatle-related celebrations and bore witness to generations of Beatle fans who have wept, rejoiced and commemorated the greatest band in history.
1 West 72nd Street is the site of the Gothic structure known as the Dakota - a luxury apartment building where chief Beatle John Lennon and his family lived when they migrated to the Big Apple in the mid 70’s.
It is also, sadly and tragically, the site where Lennon met his untimely end. He was shot to death on December 9, 1980 at the front gates of his home, The Dakota, by a man whose name deserves no mention.
This Saturday, marks Lennon’s 26th death anniversary. and most Beatlebums will be heading over to that address. Well, not exactly that address but to the gigantic park across it - Central Park, where Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono, erected a shrine for her husband called ‘Strawberry Fields’.
I have been a participant in the past December 9 celebrations and I have to say that it is a surreal experience.
It is a living example of how music could create a bond among strangers and how it forges a Utopian state of universal brotherhood . I remember singing along with a group there composed of some Russian tourists, a Japanese guy playing guitar and some New Yorkers. We sang ‘This Boy’ complete with vocal harmonies. It was magical.
Why the Beatles are important
REM’s front man Michael Stipe once remarked that Beatle music to him is simply ‘elevator music’. Obviously, I disagree. Strongly.
The Beatles have innovated a lot of things that we all see now as ‘ordinary’ in the music industry. They have pioneered the use of promotional videos that we now call as Music Videos, - a marketing tool that every artist in the world uses to promote their music.
They have pioneered the use of studio effects by manually controlling whatever they had during those times to come up with something new. From squashed drums, to noise filters, the Beatles have innovated these, and now almost all recording studios have access to these effects with a mouse click.
But among their many innovations and contributions, I single out one that is perhaps the most important of all: They have made it possible for ordinary, musically unschooled people like me to just pick up an instrument, write original songs , and believe that it will all work out.
Remember that the Beatles were working class people from provincial Liverpool. All of them did not get formal music training. In fact, none of them could read or write formal music. It was just simply words with chords and a melody to take them to the top.
True, they are extraordinary musical geniuses who probably didn’t need formal education. But that is not the point.
The point is, they liberated the music world and allowed simple folks to make a difference in music.
They have opened the gates for people who are intimidated by the intricacies and aloofness of Jazz or the high-brow forms and rules of classical music. They made it cool to be unschooled.
That is really why they are important to me. That is why this Saturday, I will be on 1 West 72nd Street/ Strawberry Fields to pay respects to one of the members of the band who made it all possible and gave struggling, unschooled musicians hope.
Ted Reyes is a musician, composer, record producer and journalist based in NYC. If you have any comments you can visit his website at www.tedreyes.com or email him at tedreyes@mac.com
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FOR the past few weeks, I have been receiving phone calls and emails from some good friends who found themselves ending either a long-standing relationships with their significant other or just finally deciding to get out of a dead-end situation(read: unrequited love!). I empathize with these friends of mine because almost all of us know that breaking up with someone is always hard.
I am a veteran of surviving break-ups as well and I have been in situations where the only option left was for me to leave. I have often heard people say that it gets easier each time, but I know now that it is not true, for every breaking up process brings pain to the concerned parties involved. There are certainly a few lessons I have learned the hard way, and I must admit, I am still learning: I am sure there are plenty left for me to think and reflect upon.
Oftentimes, after a break-up, I would often wonder, “How could all of this have happened?
In the days and weeks that follows a break-up, its easy to feel that my life took a wrong turn, or that I went farther from my destination , but as I have looked back, there’s actually something positive that came out of every turn and detour.
I have learned to have a deeper understanding of what I want in my life.
I have become motivated to do more good and to be graciously content with what I have. I have become a person who is more accepting of change and loss;. I strive to refuse anyone who makes me feel insecure and most importantly, I have the resolve to walk away when necessary.
The thought of leaving or being left by someone that you loved and trusted can be really awful. The thought will hit you right there and then. There will be moments of anger, disbelief and sadness that will certainly follow. It will truly be tough to decide to forgive any foibles, to overlook the shortcomings and to finally accept the situation, but I have come to believe that just as seasons change, so does a person’s feelings.
If you are feeling miserable, then you need some “pick me ups”. The following are as good for any situation when all around you is“cloudy”, so to speak.
After all, there will always be happenings in our lives when work–related issues can be frustrating, when bills are piling up high, or house and car payments stop you from buying that wanted Coach purse or Xbox 360, and when the relationships in your life, whether with family, friends or with that someone special is not turning out the way we wanted it …
Break-Up Blues Beaters
Phone a friend…(talk is therapy, but remember too that your friend that listens to you at
this time also has his/her own life so be considerate in knowing when to let go of the conversation)
Write or email a letter to a friend you have not been in touch with for sometime. (It would be a nice distraction for you to hear news from your long-lost friends).
Accept invitation to parties, get-togethers or even better, throw one for your friends (This is the best time to enjoy the company of other people, make new friends and stay in touch with the old ones)
Pamper yourself…bubble bath, manicure and pedicure, facial, massage…the works! (Trust me, you deserved it!) Word of caution, though, this is not the time to decide on new hairstyles. Women, particularly are guilty of having their hair cut after a break-up (yes, been there, done that) only to regret it afterwards.
Keep yourself busy with school, work or other happenings. Take time out to learn new skills and even enroll in a class. (Hey, you have a lot of free time now for yourself rather than sit around waiting for that phone to ring or hang out with the ex).
Put on your favorite CDs or download music to your IPOD. Sing loudly to your heart’s content and even dance with passion as if you have never danced before (only do this in the privacy of your own home).
Spend time with family and relatives (these are the people that’s going to be with and accept you no matter what).
If everything reminds you of him/her, then its time to get away from the surroundings for awhile. Travel and see places that you have always wanted to see (remember, to just be safe and its always ideal to bring a close friend or relative with you)
And just do anything else that you know make you feel happy…
Nobody ever said that surviving break-ups are easy, but trust me, you can do it!
Accept, learn and just move on. After all, life does not end where heartaches begin…
Thess Bacsal is a writer and lives in California. For your life’s concerns, questions and comments, email her at july19rn@yahoo.com
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IS Polo Ravales jealous now that his GF Ara Mina is being wooed by an Arab prince who saw Ara perform in a show in Dubai?
ìI trust her completely so I donít feel jealous,î says Polo at the presscon of ìSuper Noypiî where he plays Euen, a powerful magician. ìI feel secure with her as I know sheís faithful to me even when sheís abroad. She just came from a series of shows in the U.S. and sheís leaving again in December to do shows in Europe with her sister Cristine, but sheíll be spending Christmas here with her family kaya magkasama kami sa Pasko.
What can he say to Borgy Manotocís declaration that he has the worst billboard? ìSo many people told me nagustuhan nila ang Folded & Hung billboard ko. Siya lang ang napangitan. But if thatís his opinion, I respect it, basta alam kong okay ang billboard ko.
Could it be that Borgy is just insecure with him? ìBaka nga. But why should he feel insecure with me? He comes from a very rich family and heís the grandson of an ex-president. He has no reason to feel insecure.
How does he feel about Borgyís revelations about the girls he slept with? ìKawawa naman ang mga babae. Such things should be kept private na lang at hindi ginagawaan ng issue.
He says DJ Mo is also asking him to guest in his radio show, but he said no. ìWhat for? Magkakaroon lang ako ng kaaway and itíll not do me anything good. (MNS)
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YNEZ VENERACION doesnít want to talk anymore about the alleged love triangle she had with Mon Confiado and Juliana Palermo. “Ayoko na ng ganyang ka-cheapan,” she demurs.
But itís hard to avoid the issue as sheís allegedly the reason why Mon and Juliana broke up when she showed up at the wake of Monís dad, the late actor Angel Confiado.
“Whatís wrong with me going there, e very close ako sa family nila. Hindi lang ako kay Mon nakikiramay kundi sa buong pamilya. At hindi ako gumawa roon ng eksena, ha. Deadma lang ako. Kung eeksena ko, di sana, sinampal ko na si Juliana dahil at the time they did ëFaces of Loveí kung saan sila nag-on, kami na uli noon ni Mon. Hindi na lang ako nagsalita. Actually, si Mon ang dapat magpaliwanag diyan. Kasi baka may sabihin ako, i-deny lang niya. I know the real reason why they broke up, pero hindi ko na lang sasabihin at mapapahiya lang si Juliana.
“Mind you, hindi ako naghahabol, no? Ang totoo, thankful nga ako kay Juliana kasi pina-realize niya saíkin how much Mon loves me. Kasi, sa totoo lang, si Mon lang talaga ang naging serious boyfriend ko. I was on with Nino Muhlach, pero for four months lang at kaya lang naman ëyon umingay kasi Nino Muhlach siya. With Mon, seven years kami.”
Sheís now entertaining new suitors, all foreigners she met while sheís doing shows abroad. “I had a show in Dubai and there was a Bollywood actor there, Anuuz Sawhney. We were introduced at niligawan na ko. Now, he wants me to visit him in New Delhi. In Guam, I met naman a teacher na taga-Ireland. May na-meet din akong private detective from Guam and a businessman from Brunei who sends me dollars to show that his intentions are real. But right now, I really want to grow as an actress and as a singer. Iím doing a new film, ëAtin Cu Pung Parol,í about the lantern makers of Pampanga, with Sen. Lito Lapid and Allen Dizon. Iím also recording a new album to be released next year. My wish for the new year is mabigyan sana uli ako ng teleserye. The last one I did is ëAgosí on GMA-7 where I played Christopher de Leonís mistress.”
Mon Confiado also doesnít want to talk about Ynez or Juliana. “I think itíll be ungentlemanly of me to talk about them or any woman who got involved with me,” he says. “Kung anuman ang problema, Iíd like to think naman na naayos na namin, so letís leave it at that.”
Heís still grieving over the loss of his father and he tries to counter this by plunging himself into work.
“When I was a little boy, Iíd go with my dad to his shootings and thatís how I fell in love with acting. Now that heís gone, Iím sure heís happy na patuloy ako sa pag-arte.”
Mon plays the role of a gay lawyer whoís Julianaís best friend in Director Eddie Romeroís “Faces of Love,” a digital work that just got a grant from the Cinema Evaluation Board to be blown up to 35mm film. Because of this, the filmís December 6 playdate has been moved to January. In “Seroks,” he is married to Maria Isabel Lopez but has an affair with Juliana. . (MNS)
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LOS ANGELES — Auraeus Solito’s Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros)has been nominated for Best Foreign Film at the upcoming 2007 Film Independent’s Spirit Awards. Considered the Oscar of independent film, the Spirit Awards are usually held inside a giant tent in Santa Monica Beach, California, a day before the Oscars.
Maximo Oliveros will compete along with four international films: 12:08 East of Bucharest (Romania; director: Corneliu Porumboiu), Chronicle of an Escape (Argentina; director: Israel Adrian Caetano), Days of Glory (Algeria; director: Rashid Bouchareb), and The Lives of Others (Germany; director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck).
Maximo Oliveros, a story about a young effeminate boy who forges a special relationship with a local policeman, has been earning rave reviews in several film festivals around the world. It is Solito’s first feature film. “I was so surprised with the journey this film has taken me into”.. “This is my first film and I could not believe the blessings it has given me. With it, I have been given the chance to travel to different parts of the world I’ve never imagined I could go to. The places it has taken me to is unbelievable. For a year now since its first showing in Manila, I have never stopped traveling, attending different film festivals. As a director, the fulfillment it has given me is so rewarding and overwhelming. For the most part, the acknowledgement and the praise the people who have seen it that just so overwhelms me!”
Maximo Oliveros could be a sign that Filipino independent film has finally arrived.Earlier this year, Filipino American directing duo Neil dela Llana and Ian Gamazon were named the Spirit Awards’ Someone to Watch, for their movie.
In any case, to be nominated alone alongside four internationally-acclaimed films in a venue like the Spirit Awards is a feat that in itself is worthy of celebration. Win or lose, Aureous Solito has already made history among Filipino directors.
Perhaps, an Oscar is not too high a goal to aspire to.
The 2007 Spirit Awards ceremony will air live on Feb. 24, beginning at 5 pm, EST at the IFC (Independent Film Channel). Comedian Sarah Silverman will serve as mistress of ceremonies for the second time.
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POPS Fernandez looks so sexy in her skimpy costume as Queen Feminah in “ZsaZsa Zaturnaah.” If she were still married to Martin Nievera, would he allow her to do the film?
“I’m sure, he wont allow me kasi conservative ‘yun, e,” she says. “He’s the opposite of our sons, Robin and Ram, na more liberal. Excited na nga sila to see the film and asked me to take them sa premiere night ng ‘ZsaZsa Zaturnaah’ so we can watch it together.”
How does she feel now that her movie with Gretchen Barretto and Dawn Zulueta, “Desperadas,” are in danger of being shelved because the two are feuding?
“Siempre I’ll be very sad about it as I really look forward to doing it. I’m sure Ruffa Gutierrez shares my feelings kasi the four of us were all excited when it’s being conceptualized. Sana naman, magkaayos na sila.”
Does she think Gretchen really acted like a primadonna who even brought her own microwave oven on the set of the TV commercial she shot with Dawn?
“It’s just fine with me kasi ako rin, nagdadala ng microwave sa shooting or when I do out of town concerts. Kasi it’s convenient when you heat your food at hindi ka na mag-uutos pa sa production staff na busy rin naman.”
Has she talked to Martin about his statement that he wants her to be his new son’s “ninang”?
“Yes. Hindi naman daw ganun ang sinabi niya kundi may karugtong na ‘if it’s appropriate, but I don’t think it is.’ That was edited out kaya lumaki ang issue. Siempre, kung ako man, I’d feel uncomfortable kung ang ninang ng anak niya is his first wife, ‘di ba?” (MNS)
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