Why Gary V is now open to interview political figures in new podcast
Gary Valenciano believes that one of the most powerful questions can also be one of the simplest.
And there’s one question he hopes to ask or at least, start the conversation if given the chance to sit down with public figures, particularly politicians, as he ventures into podcasting for the first time with “Unshaken.”
During a recent roundtable interview for the podcast, the veteran hitmaker was first asked if he still stood by his earlier hesitation to interview politicians.
“Well, I interviewed my brother-in-law (Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, brother of wife Angeli Pangilinan) and that’s an excuse because he’s my brother-in-law and I’ve known him ever since we were in grade school,” Gary shared.
“I wish I could interview more people in politics because I think I don’t know if I can do that, you know? But if I could, I want them to speak from their hearts” he continued.
Instead of grilling public figures over controversies or past statements, Gary said he would rather ask what they truly want to do, especially in a time when many Filipinos are dealing with uncertainty and stress.
“There won’t be ‘Yeah, but you said this and this is what’s happening.’ (It’s like) what is it you really, really want? Because the only thing that I’ll probably tell each politician that I talk to is, when this comes out, you’re talking to me.
“You’re talking to me, you okay? And right now it doesn’t matter what color we support because there is a blatant color of darkness that is shading the entire country, and uncertainty and anxiety and stress. What is it that you really want to do? Because at least someday, I can text you, ‘Hey, remember what you said, I’m just here to remind you so to keep you in check.’”
If the podcast eventually features politicians other than Sen. Kiko, Gary said he would want to give different sides of the political spectrum a chance to speak.
“If ever I want to interview a politician from the left, I also need to interview one on the right. I want to give everybody a chance to speak, you know? Can you imagine if I sat down with and interviewed one from each ‘color’? Tapos na ako sa bayaw ko, but if I could get si (VP) Sara and then I get the First Lady (Liza Araneta-Marcos).
“I think every politician knows that when you get Gary Valenciano — I know what’s going on — I’m not going in there and say, ‘Eh kasi…’ But help me understand what is going on? What are you doing to move things in the direction that we are supposed to be taking?’
“Then it becomes something put on record in a non-partisan event where I ask the simplest of questions and hopefully their answers will somehow help them pave the way,” Gary said.
Asked by The STAR what he would specifically ask if he were to sit down with the First Lady or VP Sara or any dream interviewee for that matter, he said, “Kumusta? You know, that’s a good question. That one line, ‘How are you?’ Or ‘Kumusta ka na?’ That can generate an impact on the person you’re asking because many times it’s been used (randomly or frequently) ‘Kumusta ka na?’ But when you really say (sincerely) ‘How are you?’
“I don’t know what’s going to come out from their hearts. But I’m just there to listen and hopefully be able to make people see them in a different light.
“To show them — hey, they’re always either in front of the microphone at the Senate or they’re dealing with issues.
“They’re dealing with controversies, they’re dealing with scandals, they’re dealing with corruption, they’re being blamed for it. But I’m not there to further try and dig bigger graves and say, ‘Kasi ganito ka. This is what I heard. This is what they said.’
“No, mine is — that’s a good question, ‘How are you?’ I’m not here to put you down. I’m here just to ask you, how are you? If that can happen, it might be something that might give people some hope, you know?” Gary said.
Nevertheless, as Gary has been really considering the possibility of inviting politicians on his podcast, and he knows “it would be so unexpected” of him to do so, he stressed that he has no intention of turning “Unshaken” into a campaign platform.
“I’m not going to look at the camera and say, ‘That’s why in the next election, this is the person you want to (win),’” he said.
He also readily acknowledged that such interviews could draw criticism, especially from people who might want hardball questions.
“Of course, these are politicians so I don’t know. Baka mamaya ma-bash ako, ay, ba’t di mo tinanong ‘yan or hindi mo tinanong ‘to,” he said.
“I’ll cross the bridge if and when that happens.”
Meanwhile, Gary V officially debuted as a podcaster last Monday with his pilot episode featuring Kuya Kim Atienza.
His other guests included comedian Michael V, actor musician James Reid, celebrity couple Coco Martin and Julia Montes, one of his best friends in the industry Martin Nievera, “Lumpia Queen” Abi Marquez, and a special episode with his kids Paolo, Gab and Kiana.
Teasing a few realizations from his conversations with these artists, he said, “Of course you know what Kim Atienza has been through, pero how nice to see him where he’s at now… Still, it’s hard to move on, but he’s moving forward.”
“With James Reid, I think he’s so in love without him trying to say it but you see it and the way he propped her (Issa Pressman) up basically, it made me realize how big an impact she’s had on his life.”
“Martin’s was really special. That’s all I’m gonna say. Martin is like an egg shell, na walang laman that if you tap it, it cracks… When I see one of my best friends like that, there’s a lot of things that he carries with him, he really wears his heart on his sleeve. Especially when he starts talking about his son (Santino who has special needs).”
With Michael V, there’s a portion where “we can be as animated as we can be with our voices.”
The good thing about podcasts is that they’re not bound by the usual time limits. Some guests may even have two-part episodes because their stories need more room, according to him.
He, however, pointed out “Unshaken” is not just about famous names, but about people whose stories can resonate with others.
“I’m also very conscious of just getting popular people because the stories might be the same again and again. I’m trying to look for others who are successful, maybe, but who have really come through a lot of (suffering), and who really have stories of grit and grace because that’s really what it’s about,” he said.
The title, he added, refers not to people who were never shaken, but to people who discovered what remained after they were shaken to the core but these life experiences.
“So they’re telling us all the times of their life where they felt that they were most shaken and what did they discover about themselves na hindi nila makikita kung hindi nangyari yung shaking,” he said.
“You’ll hear about the moments when they were really shaken. But it was shaken to the point where that which cannot be shaken is left.”
There’s no better person in the industry to talk about “shaken moments” than Gary V himself. To say he has been through a lot — personally, professionally and health-wise — is perhaps an understatement.
It would be interesting to hear those stories from another point of view, especially from the people closest to him. Gary teased that his wife, Angeli, might offer a tell-all as the season ender.
In the meantime, catch his latest episode tomorrow at 12 noon with Robi Domingo.
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