GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

IN MY LIFE

There are places I'll remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life, I've loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life, I love you more

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life, I love you more
In my life-- I love you more

Songwriters: John Lennon / Paul McCartney

In My Life lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

THIS is a tribute to perennial friends that went ahead of us into the unknown. Friends who touched my life in so many special ways. Musicians and a writer -- all of them have a special niche in my heart.    

Menchu Apostol -- Chumen as we fondly called him -- was a gifted guitar player who died early in his prime. I met him thru saxophonist Rey Ama (a schoolmate of mine at the UP College of Music). I best remember Chumen as a very humble person.    

I invited their band in the late 70's to practice in Capitol Homes in QC where my immediate fam used to reside since my beat-up amps, guitars and drums were all gathering dust. "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas ang peg. I had no band back then, you see.   

Fast forward… They called their band Group & Gang and they carved a name for themselves in Olongapo. "Ric, yung isang banda dun...nakatsinelas lang pero Yes ang tugtugan," kwento ng bahistang si Ike Liongson. "Araw-araw nga eh piyesta. Ganun kasaya ang scene dun," added Rey (flutist/keyboards). Later on, Resty Fabunan of Maria Cafra got Menchu to play in their all-original Jem debut album.     

Menchu had a cutting edge sense of hearing. He could easily detect sloppy guitar and out-of-sync drum playing. He was truly a band leader through and through. I can attest to this because I was fortunate enough to be invited to join them in one of their gigs.

Fast forward… Menchu became an in-demand sessionist and musical arranger but has remained humble as ever. I vividly remember seeking him out because our musical director in JINGLE opted for greener pastures. Chumen gladly obliged and, soon after, when someone came along to take over full-time, he didn't even bother to claim his TF. I returned the favor by giving him 3 jazz albums when I visited him at Birds of the Same Feather where I used to chill by listening to good music with a few bottles of ice-cold San Miguel beer. Nothing more, nothing less -- just the best. Chumen was with Sticky back then playing cool jazz.    

Pare, kita-kita na lang tayo "dyan" when the time comes. Jam uli tayo. Tugtugan mo ako ng gitarang iba ang hugis at tunog…    

Boy Royo was the quintessential rock star in every sense of the word. He acted and looked like one. He walked the talk, 'ika nga. Boy and his kumpadre Lollie Florencio(+) joined JINGLE's music department when we already had about five or six chapters out in the market. Both also lived in San Juan.    

Kuya Gilbert told us to form a group for he would be producing Triple H (Hot na Hot Happening) -- a three-night rock concert in Meralco Theater. He called us Jingle Clan comprised of the music department guys: Ogie Tupaz (guitar/vocals), Ricky Gruet (guitar/vocals) -- who eventually became a licensed doctor, Lollie Florencio (lead guitar/vocals), yours truly (ahem) (lead vocals) and Boy Royo (lead vocals). Puro mga batang San Juan yan.   

CSNY songs were our bread and butter. "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" was our fave warm-up practice song then. "Ipokree, ahlalala gumamela...Yonosoy, oorder na ng lasagna..." Wala yatang ganung food pa noon. Hehehe.    

Boy specialized in Neil Young songs. Paborito niya eh. "Tell Me Why" na pang-harmony. 

Emil Davocol (chief artist) who also passed away, Dan Tagbo (artist), Ogie, Boy and Lollie were all pirated by DJ Danee Samonte from us. They put up Burgis (BM in later issues) which was bankrolled by Mareco-Villar, a record company that also owned and operated DZBM -- a pop/RnB AM radio station.   

We struggled shitless back then. We were like injured dogs with broken limbs. Napilay kami talaga.      

My friendship with Boy and Lollie was never compromised after all the brouhaha. I still visited them in San Juan whenever I could for they were my drinking buddies. Jam ng konti. Pitik-pitik ng toma, ayos na. Those were happy days indeed.     

Lollie always admonished me then, "Ric, kami eh pabalik na... ikaw papunta pa lang... wag mo na kaming gayahin."    

Cheers to you then, Boy and Lollie! Jam uli tayo dyan… pag nagkita-kita.     

Butch Maniego, my "younger brother" (I endearly call him Butchoy), joined JINGLE in the 80's. Bale Second Wave na namin ito. He wrote album reviews and articles. He also took care of our lyrics while moonlighting in our weekly sports mag Champ. We naturally gravitated towards each other having the same interests in life: music and basketball.    

Together we would drive all the way from Cubao to Sta. Cruz, Manila to get the latest singles, albums, bios, pics and photocopied lyrics in Dyna and WEA. OctoArts was in Panay in QC. Remember that JINGLE’s office is now in P. Tuazon in front of the palatial Bahay na Puti of the Aranetas. (Mar Roxas for senator)!    

Pag nagutom kami ni Butchoy... kakain kami dun sa Binondo. Libre pa nga niya madalas. I was a bit of a freeloader back then. Hehehe. Madaming masasarap na food dun sa Chinatown. We took good care of each other.    

One dreary day, when we were hanging out in the office killing time, I heard him talking (with his American accent) to Coach Norman Black on the phone. "Pwede ka nang mag-announce sa PBA, Butch," I told him.   

That triggered his entry to the world of sports broadcasting…   

Butchoy, pare, hintay ka lang diyan. Magkikita pa rin tayo… yun nga lang, di ko alam kung kelan. Ano kaya ang music diyan?  Prophetic New Wave, Evangelical Rap o Sacred Jazz? Bawal ang Voodoo Metal diyan. Hehehe. No borders and no labels siguro. Basta malamang na iba yan sa pandinig natin.