All shook up over Elvis
Let’s rock! Everybody, let’s rock!”
Everybody was dancing to the Jailhouse Rock. Not to mention Love Me Tender, Are You Lonesome Tonight, Blue Suede Shoes, Don’t Be Cruel, Hound Dog, Long Tall Sally and Christmas carols.
It was an aqua Bakelite transistor radio in my room that first exposed me to the music of Elvis in the 1950s.
Born in the Year of the Dragon, I could sing and sway to Presley’s songs way before I could read and write.
There was something about Elvis that kept him “King.” Elvis mania was not just about his looks or the way his hair was set in place; not just his lips or his eyes; not just about how he gyrated or the way he moved with his guitar, often landing on his tiptoes.
There has never been anyone else quite like Elvis!
Through the ’50s till his death on Aug. 16, 1977 Elvis was part of our culture and, to many, a part of their private lives.
To Chito Bertol, the beat of Jailhouse Rock kept a steady beat in his heart. For indeed, what is life all about if not to continue rocking and breaking out of the jailhouse we continuously build like a fortress surrounding our lives?
Whenever Chito has had enough of the hustle and bustle of the outside world, he comfortably cocoons himself in his Elvis Room in a townhouse in Quezon City.
Upon entering his home, I was greeted by a life-sized Elvis. Walking into that den was a hair-raising experience (no pun intended). I found myself traveling back in time. His collection of Elvis memorabilia is truly mind-boggling. I couldn’t help but look for the underlying reason behind all this awesome collecting, complete with a talking/singing robotic Elvis head smack in front of Chito’s La-Z-Boy. When activated, it gave me an eerie feeling that Elvis was in the room.
The mid ’50s and ’60s were the height of Elvis’ popularity. I would watch some of his movies twice or thrice — Jailhouse Rock, Roustabout, Viva Las Vegas, Blue Hawaii and King Creole.
In Chito’s Elvis room, I couldn’t believe I was face to face with thousands of Elvis items, ranging from the usual souvenir stuff to large-scale statues, a complete collection of his albums and concerts on DVD, CD, VHS, cassette and vinyl, original news clippings, posters, photos and more. You name it: Chito’s got it all.
Now 75, Chito, the original Pinoy Elvis, had a hunk of burning love for the man that got him all shook up — and it’s still as strong as ever.
“I was only 15 years old in 1958, a senior in high school at the Letran College, when I joined the first Elvis Presley contest on Student Canteen,” Chito narrates. The show, hosted by Eddie Ilarde, Leila Benitez and Pepe Pimentel, ran for three months. “Out of 88 contestants, I won the grand prize and since then became known as the original Elvis Presley of the Philippines,” adds Chito. “Anything Elvis, I get. Collecting Elvis items is happiness,” beams Chito. He really says this with pride, and it’s almost magical the way he talks about Elvis.
Another friend, ex-congressman David Kho, an equally rabid Elvis fan, popped by and added, “Chito has been inviting me to come and see his Elvis collection for 25 years. I am amazed and in awe now that I’m here.”
Chito, a true blue Elvis fan, proudly adds, “I have been to Graceland twice and have stayed at the Heartbreak Hotel. “I have built a collection out of gifts from friends and stuff I bought from Graceland, Australia and everywhere else I go.”
He adds: “Elvis made 31 movies and two documentaries and I have all of them.” He gestures to a vinyl LP: “My most prized item is my signed Elvis Presley album.”
I actually identify with Chito’s passion for everything Elvis. I remember collecting 45s and 78s (Yes, 78 RPM records) in addition to the 33 RPM vinyl LPs that I started buying in the mid-’60s.
I surrounded myself with pop and rock music because I could relate very well to the lyrics and tunes of Elvis, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Dave Clark Five, the Cascades, the Lettermen, the Association, the Rolling Stones, the Fifth Dimension, Cream, Barry Manilow, Diana Ross and many more.
Before I knew it, just to get the music going whenever I wanted to hear my favorites, I started collecting working jukeboxes — complete with tokens — to select my choices by pressing the buttons. (Kind of like the first iPod.)
Indeed, music was my world for two decades — even to the point of sacrificing academics for music. My friends often ask me now, “How did you manage to memorize all those songs (spanning three decades)?” I only smile and reply, “While you guys were buried in schoolwork getting a degree, I was buried in music.” And I never regretted it.
Now that he’s retired, Chito keeps himself busy with events for the Elvis Presley Friendship Club of which he is chairman. They recently held an “Elvis For A Cause” concert at the Manila Elks Lounge in Makati benefitting cerebral palsy and cancer patients.
Indeed, his love for Elvis has translated into love for those who need help most and it is admirable that he can do both what he loves to do and help those in need.
In fact, Chito is inviting one and all this Aug. 19 to commemorate Elvis’s death anniversary with the First Asian Annual Elvis Presley Contest at RJ Bistro in Dusit Hotel to be co-sponsored by RJ Productions and Solar Entertainment. For this whole-day affair, contestants from all over Asia will be allowed to perform two Elvis songs — one ballad and one rock ‘n’ roll number. All Elvis fans should have great fun at this event.
“I host a weekly radio program on DZSR every Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. where listeners can reminisce about the good old days as I play Elvis songs. It keeps us feeling good and feeling young,” Chito explains.
“My free time I spend in my Elvis den in my home in Quezon City where I joyfully listen to old records or watch old clips of Elvis’s concerts or movies. I will never get tired of them,” Chito added.
Chito’s massive collection of Elvis Presley’s memorabilia has not been catalogued: it’s all in his head. “I know each and every item in my collection and I know exactly where to find them.” I asked him what he plans to do with his collection. He shrugs his shoulders and gives no answer.
Just imagine the bulk of stuff we used to collect in our days, compared with how today’s digital youth compile everything in folders accessible by pressing a button on an iPad. Chito’s entire collection — occupying space reaching from floor to ceiling, from wall to wall — could all actually fit into a 3” by 6” gadget or even smaller. But how does one properly appreciate these things on an iPad? Entering Chito’s den, you swoon and drool over the photos, statues and music of an idol, up close and personal. Can this be matched by a tiny digital screen?
“Music had its way of helping me find myself, love myself and others. Music taught me how to move, how to empathize, how to stay cool. It taught me how to take victories and losses, count my blessings and build on my failures. Music made me laugh, cry, wish, identify, curse and care. Music made me feel good — feel great — no matter what.”
I see it in Chito. He is fascinated with Elvis. “I believe Elvis to be a true performer,” he exclaims. As the King himself once said: “I want to entertain people. That’s my whole life — to my last breath.”
Chito’s Manila Seedling Bank has lost its spot in that landmark corner on EDSA and Quezon Boulevard in Quezon City. Yet he’s strengthened and inspired by the vast Elvis collection he has built over the decades.
So come on, everybody: let’s rock! Everybody, let’s rock!
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Email the author at nikkicoseteng2017@gmail.com or text her at +63997-433-7154.
