Body Talk with Rico Blanco

Of course, I’m sure that the first thing you and I want to know about Rico Blanco, vocalist of Rivermaya, is whether or not he and KC Concepcion are, according to persistent rumors, still going steady.

Rico is "showbiz" with his answer: "We were really close before. Super close, like really best friends. I hope we are still the best of friends."

Now that he has embarked on a movie career as member of the cast of Unitel Pictures’ Nasaan si Francis?, a comedy-thriller directed by first-timer Gabby Fernandez, Rico will be pestered with the same question and, for sure, he’ll be giving the same "showbiz" answer – with a what-do-you-think? smile.

A Pepsi endorser and, like KC, a Human (by Bench) image model, Rico has had movie offers before, so you wonder: what made him say "yes" to Francis (which also stars Christopher de Leon and Jeffrey "Epy" Quizon, both the movie’s co-producers; Paolo Contis; Ricky Davao; Rita Avila; Rio Locsin; Angel Aquino; Michael de Mesa; Mark Gil; Julia Clarete, Karl Roy and Tanya Garcia)?

"It was Epy who made the call," said Rico. "Epy is a friend and an artist whom I respect. Yes, I could have said no but I gave him a listen because he said he had something to say. I said, ‘Okay, the least I could do is go to the reading.’ and the rest is..."

Based on the Ilonggo play Diin na si Francis? (which was improvised by the 2003 "Being" batch of the Negros Summer Workshops; the movie’s story was written by Peque Gallaga and Gabby Fernandez himself, who also wrote the screenplay, a CineMalaya finalist), the movie tells the story of Boy (Paolo), a middle-class young man in desperate need of money to save his girlfriend from a prostitution den. He decides to pawn his carabao to his ex-partmer in crime Francis (Jeffrey). Together with their friend Sonny (Rico), Boy asks Francis for help; instead, Francis counters with a deal: He consigns 40 tablets of Ecstasy that they can sell for double the price and thereby raise the money that Boy needs. But something goes wrong somewhere. What follows is a hilarious cat-and-mouse game throughout the house, bringing to the fore the deeper issues of family, friendship, etc.

A versatile singer-composer, Rico also has acting exprience. An Ateneo B.S. Management and Economics graduate (he finished grade school at OB Montessori and high school at Benedictine Alabang), he played Judas in the Music Museum presentation of Jesus Christ Superstar (directed by Soxy Topacio), with Noel Cabangon, Joey Ayala and Cynthia Alexander as co-stars.

"I am intrigued by complex characters," he said. "Even in movies, I like watching actors playing complex characters. I’m glad that in my first movie, I play a really nice role, a former drug addict who’s trying to finish school. My character is different from the Rico Blanco that you see in Rivermaya."

Unlike Sonny, the character, Rico was an A-student, accelerated twice in grade school and finished college at 18. In San Pedro, Laguna, he used to be an SK (Sangguniang Kabataan) chairman.

"Politics is in my blood," revealed Rico who counts among his politician relatives the late Speaker Ramon Mitra (husband of Rico’s aunt), his grandfather who was a war hero and several uncles/aunts serving the government.

Rico stands 5’8", weighs 140 lbs., has a 30-inch waistline and wears size-8 shoes. He’s a Piscean.

Is being a Rivermaya vocalist stressful?

"Oh yes, it is. Nakaka-stress when you’re pressured to create new songs. I don’t mind the physical stress; what’s hard is the mental stress. People think that just because I’ve written several hit songs, it’s already easy for me. Not at all. There are days when your mind goes blank."

How do you cope with stress?

"I try to see my family as often as I can." (He has an older sister, a younger brother and another younger sister.) "So if I see my mom and my dad, my lola, my aunts and my cousins, okay na ako."

Do you live alone?

"Yes, I do."

How many songs have you written so far?

"Hundreds. Rivermaya has released more than 10 albums so you can just imagine how many songs I have written."

Which of them best describes the essential Rico Blanco?

"Actually, not one of them describes the whole picture. My songs speak about different sides of me. There’s the socially-involved side, the heart-broken side, the fun side, the rebellious side, so on and so forth. There’s a piece of me in every song. It’s just like looking at me in photos. To get the whole picture, you have to see the whole album."

How else do you cope with stress?

"I play basketball as often as I can."

What sort of diet do you follow?

"I try to eat three regular meals a day – on time! It’s actually one of my New Year’s resolutions – to eat on time. That’s why I always have an upset stomach."

What kind of food do you avoid?

"I eat anything."

Do you work out?

"I do – at home. I do three sets of push-ups and a hundred sit-ups every day."

What’s your favorite hideaway?

"It has to be New York. I love that city! In Manhattan, I disappear into the crowd. I lose myself at Barnes & Noble."

How much sleep do you get per night?

"I try to get at least eight hours."

Less than that...?

"I feel dehydrated."

How much water do you take every day?

"Three liters. I don’t take coffee."

Any favorite food?

"Breakfast food – spam, tapsilog, etc."

What vitamins and/or minerals do you take?

"I seldom take vitamins. I’m confused. Do we really need vitamins or don’t we? Every week, some new medical research comes out and says that we don’t really need vitamins if we’re eating the right stuff."

How often do you see your doctor?

"I see my EENT every two months."

How’s your nightlife?

"I am part-owner of two bars (Capone’s in Makati and Aruba in Metrowalk, Pasig City) but I seldom go there."

Love life?

"Good."

Sex life?

"Okay."

What’s your favorite sleeping wear?

"Shorts and loose giveaway election T-shirt."

What’s the last thing that you do before you go to sleep?

"Set the alarm clock."

And the first thing that you do when you wake up?

"Check my cellphone for missed calls. I set my cellphone on ‘silent mode’ before I go to sleep."

What type of books do you read?

"Instructional books, how-to books. Books about recording."

What kind of music do you listen to?

"British pop, mga Beatles type. Also, Sinatra songs."

And movies (besides those with complex characters)?

"Epic movies set in Europe."

Are you clean-living?

"Yes."

Do you smoke?

"No, I don’t."

Do you take hard drinks?

"No, I don’t."

Do you do drugs?

"No, I don’t."

Do you have any favorite fantasy figure, somebody you’d love to be stranded on an island with?

"Madonna. I’d love to have a conversation with her. I think she has impeccable taste and style. I want to find out how her mind works."

What part of your body is your favorite?

"My hands. They’re well-shaped."

What part of your body is most vulnerable?

"My tonsils. One of these days, I’ll have them removed. They swell when I’m tired or when my resistance is low."

And what part of your body do you think needs some improvement?

"My lungs. They’re pretty strong but I want to make them stronger."

What part of a woman’s body do you look at first?

"I look at the whole package. And then, I look at her butt. Up close, I look at her eyes."

Name three women you think have nice bodies.

"Madonna. Adriana Lima (a Brazilian model). Kylie Minogue."

And three men...

"Michael Jordan; he’s very well-proportioned. Dondon Hontiveros. Manny Pacquiao."

Using body language, how would you make a woman know that you like/admire her?

"I just look at her straight in the eye."

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