Gary reveals number of ‘shots’ that he takes before every concert

It’s amazing how Gary Valenciano has proven true to his reputation as Mr. Pure Energy even after he has passed the half-century mark (but doesn’t look it). Besides its healing effect, music may as well be an elixir of youth.

Haven’t you noticed that among his peers (age bracket), only Gary can multi-task, for more than 33 years regaling music-lovers both here and abroad and being visible in television and “live” shows — that is, despite his being, as we all know, a diabetic since he was 14 and dependent on shots of insulin.

Due to insistent public demand and to commemorate his 33rd anniversary in the business (and the 30th anniversary of his management company, Manila Genesis Entertainment and Management, Inc.), Gary is mounting what is touted to be “the fourth and most exciting installment” of his critically acclaimed and commercially successful Gary V Presents series on July 15 (Friday) and 16 (Saturday) at the Kia Theater, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City.

As part of the celebration, Manila Genesis mounted a Gary V memorabilia exhibit at The Activity Center (Level 1 of Gateway Mall in Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City) until July 16, showcasing Gary’s awards; legendary costumes; magazine covers; concert and movie posters; merchandising materials such as Gary V mugs, T-shirts and notebooks; never-before-seen photos; and vintage vinyl and cassette records, among many others. The rare collectible items are calculated to evoke a sense of nostalgia and pride in every Gary V fan from then until now.

In the concert directed by his son Paolo Valenciano (with musical direction by Mon Faustino), Gary generously shares the spotlight with upcoming artists who are his personal choices, including The X-Factor Philippines Season One top finalist Allan Silonga of the all-male vocal group Daddy’s Home; world music singer Bullet Dumas; award-winning theater actress Carla Guevara-Laforteza; the talented singers of The Voice Of The Philippines such as Season 1 grand winner Mitoy Yonting, Season 1 grand finalist Janice Javier, Season 1 finalist RJ dela Fuente, and Season 2 finalist Timmy Pavino; Star In A Million Season 2 grand finalist and R&B singer Jimmy Marquez; award-winning recording artist and singer-songwriter Kiana Valenciano; and suklay diva/Internet sensation Katrina Velarde and classical-pop singer Lara Maigue of TV5’s top-rating series Trenderas. Singer-songwriter Abby Asistio will be featured as the opening act.

Being diabetic, how do you avoid getting hypoglycemic during a concert (how much sugar do you have to take to sustain your energy)?

“Wow, that’s a good question. The normal (sugar) level of any diabetic is between 80 to 120. I should be about 170 to 180 before I perform because any form of exercise and cardio will burn the glucose immediately. So, if I come out in a concert or a performance and my blood sugar is about 180, I’m good for the next eight to nine songs.

“But to keep it like that, it’s a hit or miss. So sometimes, it’s about 200 or slightly above 200 but it will come down after a while. To maintain that, again it’s hit or miss — especially when I’m on stage because sometimes my sugar does go down, sometimes I do hypo when I’m on stage. And I’m very open and very honest with my audience while I’m suffering it. I tell them talaga, after a song: ‘Guys can you excuse me, my sugar level is going down and I need to take something.’

“It doesn’t happen all the time but it does happen every once in a while. I take juice in the middle (of a concert) ­— and I make it all part of the show and I present to them (the audience) what is real and it’s not to threaten anybody or to make them feel bad for me or to generate anything like that — I just have to be honest because that’s my health, and it has to come first.”

What three songs come closest in describing the essence of a Gary Valenciano?

“It would have to be songs of mine because other songs only come close to it but my songs exactly say what I am. I think Take Me Out Of The Dark would be one closest to my heart because there’s a pastor friend of mine who said: ‘I don’t need to talk much to you. I just have to listen to your songs and I already know who you are.’ I said: ‘Wow really?’ And he goes, ‘Yeah, because you pour out on your songs who you really are and the area (in your life) that people don’t get to see much of.’ So Take Me Out Of The Dark would be the closest.

“Another one that would be close to my heart would be Break Me. Although it’s mabigat, I know that responsibility that I have toward my audience and toward my family and so, you know, sometimes I’m a little hard on myself when it comes to trying to achieve the kind of life that people expect of me; forgetting that who I am is not determined by what people think of me ­— who I am is how God sees me and Break Me is me at my lowest moment when I say: ‘Go ahead, take your best shot…basta as long as I’m remade by You (God), I’ll be OK.’

“The third song would perhaps be Sana Maulit Muli. These songs…the list would probably change if you ask me the same question in about a month because depending on what my life is going through, different songs cater to different moments in my life. And I choose Sana Maulit Muli simply because it’s a perfect result of a team-up that is not perfect. It’s nice how one thing can still be created from something that is not perfect…and still come out with something excellent.”

Hasn’t the thought of “I have enough of it, wanna quit!” ever crossed your mind?

“Yes, only in the physical sense because my body has been taking a beating. I find myself sleeping more now. I find myself dozing off a lot more often now than I used to ever in my life. And it’s not because ‘Sige I’ll put aside time to rest.’ No, it’s because it’s my body saying, ‘You have to rest, hindi ko na kaya.’ But there has never been an ‘I want to quit’ with regard to the passion that I have for what I do. I don’t think that will happen. I think it’s always going to be burning in me to keep on doing what I’m doing…to keep carrying on.”

Name one mistake you have learned a lifetime lesson from and avoid committing again.

“Perhaps it’s keeping quiet when I notice that there’s something wrong. And because of leaving it up to chance, I kept quiet about certain things that took place in my life that I should have spoken about earlier. I would have prevented a whole string of events that later on took place. And I feel that the one lesson I learned there is to take the courage to say what needs to be said.

“It might sound painful to some but if it’s said from a genuine and sincere heart, then the pain is overcome by people seeing you out of the sincerity of your heart to fix something because you care about something. And if you care about something it usually involves people…so you care about people…you care about people that you’re with, people that mean a lot to you. If you keep quiet, you can do more harm than good. So, that’s what I learned.”

How is it being directed by your own son (don’t you make pakialam)?

“I always make pakialam, I am a very hands-on person but I never make pakialam with a closed mind. I’m always open to other people’s suggestions. What I put on stage may not necessarily what people see. In other words, what I put on stage, I might think is a great performance and all, but if my lighting is not good, or if there are people at the back who are not paying attention to what’s happening, it becomes a distraction. So even if I think it’s good, there will be people who will say, ‘Aha, pero…’ But I have no control over that. I have to be working with somebody like Paolo. I have to try and see things from his perspective and understand that what he’s saying is not for his own good, it’s really for my own good. So it feels so good to work with somebody who sees things from the same page as I do, from the same paragraph, and many times from the very same sentence that we have concerning something and that’s spot-on!”

(Gary V Presents is for the benefit of the scholarship and diabetes programs of Shining Light Foundation Inc. For ticket inquires call Ticketworld at 911-5555 or contact 0917-5413389 and [632] 535-0786.)

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