E-mode

07 april 2007
makati city




If Jessica Zafra has Synchronicity of The Police as her riposte to the corny surveys “What’s the album that has changed/shaped your life?”, I would definitely single out the Eraserheads. I’m sure everybody in my generation would do anyway, but for an angst-ridden, zits-filled youth who thought that locking himself in his bedroom for a week because Kurt Cobain pulled the trigger of shotgun in his mouth was the ultimate expression of being cool, everything abruptly changed when the Ultraelectromagneticpop surfaced.

I was among those who dared to skip classes to catch videos of Kurt Cobain smashing his guitar into smithereens or Axle Rose doing somersault in his concert with his white skimpy cycling shorts. For us, wearing torn jeans, black shirt with black nail polish was the “in” thing. Failure to do so would mean you’re not cool, or worse, hip-hop, a brand which all of us tried to steer clear of. I was in my “I-hate-myself-I-wanna-die” attitude when Tindahan ni Aling Nena, Toyang, Pare Ko and Ligaya knocked superficial pop from the airwaves and the charts. Instantly, I fell in love with the band and their songs.

Almost spontaneously, I erased the nail polish, unearthed my white and colored shirts, put my old tired boots back into my shoe rack and bought my chucks. I was in complete metamorphosis.

But beyond my makeover, I was spared from learning by rote the entire lines of Estranged, November Rain, and Metal Militia. Nothing’s more mortifying than being pulled up when you’re in top form shrieking the songs of Nirvana, Metallica, Guns & Roses, etc.

Being cool wasn’t measured; I wouldn’t effort to fit in to any crowd or group anymore. There’s no requirement whatsoever, you just had to appreciate the music. I developed the “I-Don’t-Care” stance, as long as I was enjoying what I was doing. Just like Eheads, they never cared nor bothered how some people, even a senator, critiqued and demeaned their songs. For them, these were all for pure, clean fun.


And so Eheads had been my constant companion. Never was I bored listening to them as their music was of great diversity. They worked both in the underground and mainstream with a mix of alternative, pop, rock, reggae, synth rock and other genres. From the first thing in the morning up to the last minute of the day, my ears were all glued to their songs.

Of all the Eheads songs, it has been “Wag Kang Matakot” I’ve enjoyed immensely. I’m sure the hopeless romantic organisms can identify with me. Just hearing the first strum was enough to make my innards coil, no kidding. There were nights I’d just turn off the lights, and listen to the song until I dozed off. This went on for months that it became my lullaby. Until my mom saw our electric bill.

Summer was of particular kick. I bugged my mom to let me spend my vacation in Manila so as to witness Eheads demonstrate their greatness on stage. We squashed our carcass into the thickness of the crowd, rubbing elbows with the other members of the cult the Eheads successfully yet unintentionally established. We religiously parked ourselves along the flowerbox of Shakey’s in front of UST just to catch a glimpse of the band regularly performing at Mayric’s.

That’s how I got attached to Ely, Raimund, Buddy and Marcus. They became my life, the center of my universe. Just imagine how shattered I was when the news of their breakup reached me in mid-March 2002. The reasons were unknown by then, and we had nothing but mere speculations. But one thing is clear for me, that life would never be the same again.

In deed, life was never be the same again. Until now, I cannot identify a band that can be on a par with Eheads. I really miss the Eheads.

***Lesson: it is not advisable to play Eheads in the morning of Black Saturday.