Chito Miranda: Accidental Rock Star

Sitting inside ‘70s Bistro, the well-respected folk house venue in Quezon City, I witnessed how Parokya ni Edgar frontman, Chito Miranda, transforms onstage. The quiet, often shy, self-professed “nerd” turns into a music powerhouse as soon as he grips the mic. Singing hits such as Inuman Na and the highly entertaining The Yes Yes Show among others, Chito knows exactly what his audience wants to see and he gamely gives it to them.

With a career spanning 17 years in the music industry, Chito, together with his band mates, has transcended musical genres by combining alternative rock, pop rock, rap, and love songs into their albums. Their hilarious parodies of popular songs redefined how we looked at rock stars, while their broad musicality helped define a generation and served as a voice of the Filipino youth. I remember my brother Richard blasting a Parokya album every time he’d visit me in L.A. and would rave about their songs. I quickly understood the strong connection between the lyrics and its listener because whether it’s a barkada road trip anthem like Swimming Beach or a love song that hits the core such as Harana, Parokya’s lyrics speak the truth.

With the release of their 11th studio album “Middle-Aged Juvenile Novelty Pop Rockers,” expect Chito and

Huffing and puffing: “Yung small talk namin talagang small talk na alam mong hindi kami interested sa sinasabi ng isa’t isa,” Miranda says of Kris Aquino.

the rest of Parokya to generate more hits while connecting with brand new listeners alike. This week, the accidental rock icon answers “The Dialogue.”

YOUNG STAR: Most of your contemporaries (like The Eraserheads and Rivermaya) have disbanded but Parokya remains a tight unit. How do you guys not get sick of each other?

CHITO MIRANDA: Because we’re totally in love with each other. Mahal na mahal namin ang isa’t isa. We’ve known each other since we were six years old. In the beginning we never argued because we all liked the same music and none of us were real musicians so there was nothing to argue about. Now, it helps that we hang out with different types of people, so when we’re not onstage or when we don’t have gigs, we have lives outside of the band.

Growing up, did you plan out this career of being a huge rock star?

We were just high school students who formed a band that knew a few cords. Sobrang idol namin yung Eraserheads and they were the inspiration for our band. We were thrown onto the scene without being conscious of it and became regular performers in Club Dredd. Before we knew it, we were a professional band and became the opening act for Eraserheads. We never had plans of making it big and everything was an accident.

After winning an international award at the MTV Asia Music Awards, did it ever enter your minds to try and go international and market yourselves around Asia?

Never, because I’ve always liked things simple. I always just wanted to play in small venues and keep things kind of underground. Although eventually we threw our only major concert a couple of years back where we were in charge of concept, stage and everything.

You write most of the songs for your albums. What inspires your songwriting?

Everything. Yung normal na everyday life. I think that’s why people can relate to our songs because we sing about normal things and we never experienced the rock and roll lifestyle. Yung mga kanta namin are all about normal things like food, inuman, barkada, and love. Yun lang.

Do you have any backstage rituals before you face the crowd?

Yup, yoga! (Laughs) Before playing, sobrang tahimik lang ako kasi kinakabahan talaga ako but ever since before, we really pray before going onstage.

Do you have any diva demands for shows?

No, totally wala. Me and my bandmates have no crazy demands. We still see ourselves as minor acts, kaya walang problema booking Parokya.

How do you handle groupies?

Wala, we don’t have groupies. Kung Bamboo ka, understood that you’d have groupies. Hindi kami banda na pang chicks. May nabalitaan ka na ba na may groupies kami? Diba wala? I’d die to have a lifestyle that you see in music videos na sex, drugs and rock and roll with girls waiting in the hotel room. Pero wala eh.

What’s the craziest rumor that you heard about yourself?

That I died. It came out in Twitter and someone even asked my manager and it was on ANC Alert. Pero it was brushed off kaagad because I cleared it up right away.

What’s one skill people might be surprised to know that you possess?

Na mahilig ako mag-drawing. Fine Arts yung course ko sa UP and yun talaga ang first love ko eh. I consider myself more as a visual artist than a songwriter. Ever since I was a kid, I would draw my own comics and even in all our album covers, ako din gumawa nun. It’s the perfect thing for me to do because it combines two things that I love: music and visual arts.

What advice would you give young people who want to start their own band?

Huffing and puffing: “Yung small talk namin talagang small talk na alam mong hindi kami interested sa sinasabi ng isa’t isa,” Miranda says of Kris Aquino.

Huwag niyong gagawing goal yung to make it big. Because your songwriting and the way you market yourself will all of a sudden turn into a business of paano tayo sisikat? If you’re going to form a band, do it for the fun of it then magdasal nalang kayo that a lot of people will also enjoy your music.

Among the newer bands now, who do you think has the potential to last?

Sobrang galing ng mga bands ngayon compared sa batch namin. Urbandub, Up Dharma Down, Franco, Tanya Markova — totally mind-blowing yung talent nila! Nowadays, music is so accessible that you can make an album with just your laptop. Now the hard part is to stand out because there’s so much new talent out there. You have to step up, that’s the challenge for them.

What would you consider your greatest achievement?

The fact that we’re still here, that we’re still intact. It’s like a very successful marriage.

Nag-susuntukan kami but every time we have a problem, we are confident that malalampasan namin yun.

If you could sit front row at any concert, whose would it be?

Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters.

Who would you like to collaborate with?

I’ve already had my dream collaboration with Francis M.

Who is the most overrated person for you?

Jed Madela.

You did a commercial with Kris Aquino. What was it like working with her?

From day one, I felt like she never liked us. Ayos lang. Yung small talk namin talagang small talk na alam mong hindi kami interested sa sinasabi ng isa’t isa. But it’s okay, she has no power over us kasi hindi naman kami part ng showbiz world.

What do you look for in a girl?

Naka-boots, naka-red dress at dapat may sayad. Hindi, joke lang. I go for simple girls. And sa buong buhay ko I’ve only had two girlfriends. The first was for nine years and then seven years. Hindi ako flirt and I don’t fool around.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Either still playing or dead. If I can still rock out 10 years from now, then good.

What’s one thing that will piss you off?

I’m very friendly but when I see other people disrespecting my friends, I can’t help but fight back. But with me, I’m all for good vibes.

What song defines your life right now?

Our new single Pakiusap Lang, because it’s all about hanging out with friends and being spontaneous. Yun ang snapshot of my life right now. The whole album speaks of what I’m going through right now. It has songs of heartbreak also because it’s the first time I’ve been heartbroken in 34 years.

Lets clear the Angel Locsin rumor. What’s going on with you guys?

Totally we’re just friends and enjoying each other’s company as singles. Buong barkada naming single ngayon, that’s why we just laugh at the rumors. Nothing to clarify because wala talaga.

What do you hate about your job?

The attention that comes with it. If I’m onstage, okay lang, but if I’m not working, kung pwedeng anonymous lang talaga sana. But being in this industry, you have to accept it.

What do you do before you sleep?

Think and write songs. I have a guitar and a notepad beside my bed because that’s the perfect time for me to write my songs.