Himig Natin

It did not come to me as a shock, this news about the death due to a stroke of Joey "Pepe" Smith of the iconic Philippine rock band Juan de la Cruz. All throughout his adult life, Pepe Smith apparently led a rather risky lifestyle. Besides, and I say this without meaning any disrespect, his looks gave the impression he was about to keel over anytime.

I do not believe it was any coincidence that his face was used to endorse a lifestyle clothing line called Mental. He just seemed to convey very aptly the message suggested by that brand name. But the news of his passing brought a sadness that was as unavoidable as it was real.

That the music of Pepe Smith and Juan de la Cruz touched me and became part of my life is by itself remarkable. My musical taste has never been local. A "baby-boomer," I grew up and was steeped in ‘60s music which was largely western, but more specifically British Invasion music and what followed in its wake.

Juan de la Cruz belonged to that offshoot category, in fact it was the pioneer of what was to become known as Pinoy Rock. The band was one of only two local exceptions to my western-oriented musical preferences. The other Pinoy group I had come to truly admire is Asin.

Interestingly, my favorite songs from either band both have the word "himig" in their titles –“Himig Natin” in the case of Juan de la Cruz, “Himig ng Pagibig” in the case of Asin. Both songs have hauntingly beautiful melodies that could hold their own against the vast catalogue of favorite western ‘60s and ‘70s music that I have in my collection.

I got to see Juan de la Cruz live in person about twice or thrice in their prime. They were among the frequent visitors who helped liven up the Cebu concert scene, whose seeming home at the time had been the University of San Carlos gym at corner Junquera and Sanciangko streets.

It was around this time that Filipinos, including Cebuanos, started doing drugs, although there was yet none of the dangerous and destructive ones that prevail today. In those days, it was not uncommon to step into the restroom of the concerned venue and find it littered with discarded empty bottles of cough syrup, the air suggesting whiffs of marijuana smoke.

Unfortunately, Filipinos are bad copycats who would try to outdo the originals. Pepe Smith and his band belonged to a rare breed of Filipino rock musicians whose talents prevailed even if they were zonked. The rest of the field thought it was drugs made them rockers instead of the music. That is why Pepe Smith stays in the consciousness as others faded and vanished.