And as we celebrate UNO’s 8th anniversary, we thought it would be perfect to have one of best-selling cover girls shot by lensman extraordinaire Xander Angeles (whose cover and pictorial prove that Anne can be smokin’ without having to light up a cigarette).
So as part of my personal thank you to Anne for gracing our cover, my wife and I contributed about two hundred bucks to Anne’s paycheck by watching Star Cinema’s No Other Woman, which is by far the highest grossing local movie of the year (Incidentally, they shot the closing scene of the movie in this really great weekend market called Mercato Centrale.
Judging the copious amount of tears I, este, my wife shed during the movie, I’d say Anne delivered quite a stellar performance while sharing screen time with my cousin, Derek Ramsay.
Ok, ok. My reel life cousin Derek Ramsay.
Allow me to explain. Aside from editing this fine men’s magazine of purty pictures and high-fallutin’ words, another one of my jobs that help subsidize my credit card loans is that of a – cough, cough – actor.
For all those who had the first signs of pubic hair emerge in the late eighties, you may remember me as a chubby, be-pimpled and curly-haired adolescent hawking a carbonated orange softdrink in a series of commercials that ran from 1988 to 1991.
But ever since that initial surge in caffeine and sugar-fueled popularity, I have been clawing my way back into limelight. Unfortunately, my attempts at a showbiz comeback has probably been less successful than that of Jojo Alejar’s
Nonetheless, I have had a couple of flashlight moments in today’s showbiz scene. After twenty or so years in the media business, I have all but four movies to my credit. I played Sam Milby’s cousin in Star Cinema’s And I Love You So, Cherie Gil’s lawyer in Working Girls 2010, and guest roles in indie films Senior Year by Jerrold Tarog and Kaye for Komiks by Arnold Arre. Then I also played a recurring role as Derek Ramsay’s cousin on ABS-CBN’s Habang May Buhay and Gretchen Barretto’s lawyer on ABS-CBN’s Magkaribal (Can you spot the trend? I played both Sam and Derek’s first cousins. Therefore, I am related to greatness).
In my desperation to reclaim the spotlight, I even created, executive produced and appeared in my own late night show (no, it is not Jojo A All the Way), it was the critically-acclaimed (my mom was very critical of it) cult hit (the cult members are now in hiding) Studio 23’s The Men’s Room with UNO contributor and stand-up comic Tim Tayag.
But alas, even me appearing half-naked on late night television did to upgrade my popularity to the highly carbonated levels that I enjoyed in my youth.
Nowadays I have to show interested parties within a ten feet radius my pocket album filled with newspaper clippings and 80s photos to remind them of my royal status. However, there are a few out there who still appreciate my thespian efforts.
Why, just recently, I was buying a cup of coffee in one of the ubiquitous café that line Tomas Morato when a giddy young man in his early twenties tapped me on the shoulder and asked if he could take a picture with me.
After five minutes of fixing my hair and applying foundation, I gladly obliged. When our thirty-minute photo session ended (I insisted he take our picture from several hundred angles), I thanked the young man for the opportunity.
“Remember to tag me!” I said to him as he waved goodbye.
The young man waved back. “Thanks again, Mayor Bistek!”
-RJ Ledesma
Editor-in-Chief
[Shameless plugging ends here.]
directed and cut by Jason Tan
produced by Dix Buhay
music by Malek Lopez
Interview by Denise J. Mallabo / Photos by Mike Vorrasi
Not long now I bet we’ll be hearing more about Jeff Kite, a 32-year-old Chicago native and LA-based musician. His drive for music got him on board as the keyboard player (and occasional guitar player) for Strokes front man Julian Casablancas, whose tour promotes his solo endeavor. The tour has already ended, and now it’s time to work on his own music path. He is busy finishing an EP called Kite and playing alongside musicians such as drummer Alex Carapetis, Muse’s Dominic Howard, and The Killers’ Mark
Stoermer in gigs. To categorize his music is a bit tricky, but this writer would like to say that it’s light, packed with synth and beats, it’s addicting and has hooks that will leave you humming along with it for days—don’t say I didn’t warn you. Let’s get to know this talented being and his process for making music.
At what point in your life did you decide to become a musician?
In high school, I was either 15 or 16. A friend of mine had a drum set in his basement that I loved playing, and I eventually got one of my own. Soon after that, I started a band with some friends. We were two guitarists and two drummers, which sounds like a pretty cool idea now, but it was only because we didn’t know any other musicians. About
a year after that, I took an electronic music class at school. It was around then that I got into synthesizers and composition. So I switched from the drums to piano.
Has it always been your dream to become a musician? If no, when you were a kid what did your parents want you to be when you grew up?
It was one of my dreams. There were others—there still are. Every so often my dreams change because my curiosity pushes me in new directions. But I always loved music. My parents just wanted me to make a living and be happy.
You play a lot of musical instruments, which one would think you’re most good at and which one would be the hardest to learn?
I’m probably a better piano player than I am drummer or guitarist or anything else. The hardest to learn? Depends on the person. Sometimes a person is just hardwired to learn a certain instrument, and their technique develops very naturally. Doesn’t mean they don’t have to practice. People assume that playing triangle or shaker or tambourine is easier than playing piano or guitar or harp or whatever. But the truth is that there is as much expression and musical subtlety in a tambourine as there is in a piano.
Growing up, who influenced you to listen to good music? Who are your influences and why were they a huge part of your being a musician?
As a little kid I just kind of listened to whatever was on the radio or MTV. My older sister wasn’t like Zooey Deschanel in Almost Famous, giving me Led Zeppelin records or The Who records or anything. Eventually I got into all those bands anyway. But looking way back, I remember listening to my dad’s Beatles records a lot. And I was definitely listening to pop music like Michael Jackson and New Edition. My first cassette tapes were Run DMC’s Tougher Than Leather and The Fat Boys single “The Twist.” I think all those 80s pop and hip-hop beats stuck with me, which is why I was initially attracted to the drums.
How did you become part of The Sick Six?
I got a phone call from Julian Casablancas’ manager. Julian needed a replacement for the keyboard-guitar player quickly, because he had a show in Tokyo a week later. I was visiting my family in Chicago at the time, so I had to race back to LA and learn all my parts pretty quickly. We just kept going from there.
Special thanks to Daniel Weiner and John Goschin from B|W|R PR
An UNO exclusive interview with comedian, musician, and writer Donald Glover, a.k.a. Childish Gambino
Versatility is the name of the game nowadays; you must be able to do countless things and must do it well in order for you to stand out and be counted. If there’s anything that Donald Glover has, it is that! (And no, he’s not related to actor Danny Glover, although he gets that a lot.) This 27-year-old star who plays the jock Troy Barnes in the NBC hit comedy show Community is also a rapper with the moniker Childish Gambino—a name he believes to have found in a Wu-Tang Clan name generator. (Nice!). A graduate of NYU with a degree in Dramatic writing, Glover was given a Writers Guild of America Award for his work in 30 Rock. As Childish Gambino, he already released three albums, EPs, and remixes, and all of it for free and can be downloaded from his site. Find out what’s keeping this talented man busy, why everything should be kept free and why he loves Filipinas.
I know that you’ve come a long way since Derrick Comedy, but can you give me a brief history about it? How did the ever so popular “Bro Rape” come about?
My friends and I started hanging out in college and we started doing videos together which is just fun to do. “Bro Rape” was one of the first videos that we made; the idea came from watching a bunch of guys at a party, and it seems like that’s what they were doing. So we just dove and it became popular.
What have you learned from your comedy days in college that you still apply up to now?
People like free stuff! People tend to laugh more when it’s free. We used to do shows that were free and all our videos were free, but when we started doing shows that were $8, people are more reluctant to laugh. Keep it free for as long as you can.
Were you funny when you were a kid ?
When I was a kid I was kind of the class clown. I got into trouble a lot, like my mom had to work on my attitude. My favorite artists when I was a kid were Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, and I liked Looney Tunes a lot. Looney Tunes cartoons were like my favorite thing. I thought they were really funny.
You’ve worked as one of the writers in 30 Rock. How was it working with Tina Fey and the rest of the cast? What was the best thing that you learned from Tina?
That experience was probably the best experience that I’ve had to date. It broke me [in] like I’ve got my foot in the door that way, and Tina Fey is probably the most instrumental in [getting] me to do movies, writing, and music. I probably wouldn’t be here without her. The big thing I learned from her? I guess just be yourself; that’s the only thing that you can do that no one else can do.
Why do think SNL passed on you?
Probably because I wasn’t a good suit for that show. I like sketch [comedy] a lot, and I know those guys, and they’re really great, but I don’t think that I can think of a better place for me to be than on the show Community. It’s perfect, and I really love doing that job. I think that SNL would have been a little hard for me.
What was the first break in your comedy career that really made you realize that being a comedian is something that you want to do for a living, or at least want to hone as a craft?
I guess that moment was when I was in college I joined a sketch group called Hammer Cats for fun. It was the first time that I realized that “Oh! You can do this as a job?” I’d always like to be funny. I’d always like to do funny stuff; I didn’t know anybody that would actually pay you for it. So when I realized that it was actually a thing that you can do
as a job, ‘cause I love goofing around with my friends. I love it, I didn’t think people would pay to see that, and people are paying to see it now once you’re really good at goofing around. So I guess whatever you like doing as a joke or whatever you like doing at all, I would say just practice it. If you’re good at playing video games somebody might pay you because you’re good at it.
In Community, how much are you and Troy Barnes alike? How much do you really love Levar Burton?
Troy [and I] are alike because we’re both naive about the world like we expect the best from people at all times. I’m pretty loyal like him; I could be stupid at certain instances like him. I am a big fan of Levar Burton! Like I’m a huge fan of Levar Burton.
UNO’s exclusive interview with Tahiti 80′s frontman Xavier Boyer.
by Denise Mallabo
Special thanks to Toti Dalmacion
Tahiti 80 has been together for 18 years, what do you think is the secret to your longevity?
The music. We love playing together and we’re still having fun writing new songs. We’re so passionate about it
What is it about doing EPs that you like most?
It’s a very interesting format. It’s lighter & shorter than a full-length album. You can push the envelope a bit more. We always put our craziest songs on the EP’s
Where is the “Tahitilab” and what would be the difference/s between recording there as oppose to recording your album in NYC like what you used to do in your first 2 albums?
Tahitilab is our tool, a toyshop for grown ups! We have all our guitars, synths over there. It’s our place. We don’t have to worry about costs. There’s no pressure. Though I’d love to go back to NYC again and spend a month recording songs. It was such a great experience.
What made you decide to work on Tutu to Tango? How was it different from doing the Tahiti 80 albums?
I was in charged of everything. It was a bit like going on a vacation. It was fun. It allowed me to go for something more intimate and personal.
Almost all Tahiti 80 songs have the freshness and lightness to them that they are really such perfect beach and road trip tunes, what are your inspirations for your melodies and for you songs?
I’m a big fan of Sly & The Family Stone. They wrote optimistic, driving (not just for the car!) songs. Still you can dance to our music and still get some story telling, various feelings etc. Plus we do have more melancholic songs as well.
In your album Fosbury, how was it working with hip-hop producers such as Neal Pogue (Outkast) and Serban Ghenea (NERD)? Did it worry you a little that your sound would be different from the rest of your releases?
That was exactly what we were looking for! Those guys were great; they helped us fulfill our vision. It was so great to work in L.A with Neal Pogue. Snoop Dogg was recording in the adjacent studio! Fosbury sounds different, still it’s about melodies and songs except this time we had different dynamics, more soul or hip hop oriented.
How has your music in The Past, The Present and The Possible evolved from your first album Puzzle?
With The PPP we wanted to find the right balance between traditional songwriting and electronic sounds. It was also pretty much influenced by some of the DJ sets we did or nightclubs we went to while touring for Activity Center.
How are your gigs in the US different from your gigs in Europe? How are the US fans different from your European fans?
Some scream louder, some are shyer. It’s never the same from one country, even city, to another.
Are you guys excited about your first ever concert here in Manila? What are your expectations from your fans here in the Philippines?
Sooo psyched about playing in Manila! At Last! We’ve been waiting for a while!
What is your message to your Filipino fans?
Thanks for your patience; we’ll do our best to make both this trip and this concert memorable!
Make sure to catch Tahiti 80 on October 21, 2011 at the 6F The Tents at Alphaland Southgate, Pasong Tamo ext. cor EDSA, Makati City. They will be playing in celebration of Terno Recordings’ 10th year anniversary and along side Up Dharma Down and Radioactive Sago Project. For tickets, kindly call 0917534-5404 and 0922825-9516.
Every issue of every magazine can be said to be a celebration of words and images, of ideas and impressions conveyed through unique and powerful combinations of the visual and the verbal. While we’re quite happy to feature the work of amazing writers (both established and up-and-coming) on a regular basis, we’re also second to none in our admiration and appreciation for the art of graphic design and illustration.
This month, we’ve got a lot for you to feast your eyes and minds on. We talk to Graphika Manila lead organizer Aram Beheshti, painter/illustrator Ernest Concepcion, and internationally acclaimed design specialist Brian Tenorio. Tof Zapanta and Ross Locsin Laccay fill us in on the process behind making great magazine illustrations and logos, respectively.
Dodo Dayao writes about album cover art, hat-maker Bonsai Fojas dances with us for a bit, Ivan Despi and Pauline Vicencio of The Acid House show us around their workplaces, and we wish our friends at Team Manila a happy anniversary.
We combined the talents of five artists (Bianca Lesaca, Dave Leo Yogore, Kara de Dios-Villaseran, Rommel Joson, Wiji Lacsamana) and five writers (Charlene Sawit, Francezca Kwe, Luis Katigbak, Neva Kares Talladen, Yvette Tan) to give you five amazing new stories.
Aside from all the graphic goodness, we’ve got: the return of ‘quick brown fox’ Ricky Brown, a talk with Azkals team manager Dan Palami, the inimitable Oliver X.A. Reyes on “The Girl with the Scooter,” new music, tech blogging, graphic fashion, beautiful cars, scoring for movies, and more.
And then of course, the women: dining date Andi Manzano, lovely nerd Jessica Mendoza, and new hotness Barbara Barreto. Beyond being extraordinarily easy on the eyes, there is much more to all of them than their looks.
To quote legendary graphic designer Milton Glaser quoting the Roman philosopher Horace: “The purpose of art is to inform and delight.” We’re not quite sure or big-headed enough to declare that what we do is art, but we’d like to think we fulfill those purposes in our own way.
Every issue of every magazine can be said to be a celebration of words and images. This one is just a little bit more so.
(Very special thanks to our friends Bru and Marcushiro of Electrolychee, who helped us out a lot in putting this issue together. Visit electrolychee.com to gaze at their very wonderful graphic design + illustration goodies.)
While many people may never be able to understand the love, following sports can mean the whole world to some. Having said that, it was not too long ago when we first heard of the Azkals—the Philippine national football team, and how they were slowly making their mark, at least here in Southeast Asia with every miraculous goal they scored and a number of wins that they were able to pull off in the AFF Suzuki Cup held last December 2010. It also didn’t hurt that the matches were televised on the Asia-based Star Sports channel—not only did it get the attention of average sports fans in the country, but the average Filipino families—heck, everyone who owned a TV set and a cable connection, for that matter. As history would have it, the successful stint overseas led to one good thing after another for those responsible for this revived PH Booters as soon as they returned home—some changes in the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) system, improved training and recruitment programs, added sponsorships, talks regarding the future official home field and most especially, a brand new swelling support from the entire nation. Read more…
So UNO’s France Pinzon got to watch the 7:30 p.m. schedule of Varekai last Saturday, at the Cirque’s Big Top Tent at Quirino Grandstand, Rizal Park. While she claims that it’s truly a must-see spectacle, she’s also realized just how much this kind of performance art is still under-appreciated here in our country today.
Anyway, with all things said and stared at, here are five other realizations this editor’s been moved to point out after witnessing the much-praised event:
1. If you think you’re flexible, whether literally or figuratively speaking, wait ’til you see this group of flexible entertainers–one dramatically contorts her body into the size of a toaster (not really, but highly possible), while a physically disadvantaged dancer performs his whole number magnificently on crutches.
2. I have come to believe that here in our little known world, there roam people blessed with super-hero powers, only, they’re disguised as world-class athletes, rocket scientists, leaders of intelligence groups and the Cirque du Soleil.
3. Prepare your hands for some serious clapping spree, which happens to be every five seconds all throughout the show. If you’re not the clapping type, you’ll still feel compelled to nod or shake your head in awe and disbelief with all the stunts, routines and riveting visual-gasmic costumes. At the end, get your feet working and give the much-deserved standing-O. We did.
4. Don’t bother using your camera. Not only is it not allowed to take pictures while the show is ongoing, but you might miss a magnificent performance, instead of actually capture it, if you do. (Hello, no safety harnesses and nets?) And it’s always best to simply be there to take all the once-in-a-lifetime experience in.
5. Cirque du Soleil should definitely come back here.
Varekai in Manila has been extended and will run until July 24th. Bring your date and your parents along, too.
Happy birthday to Azkals team captain, Aly Borromeo!
Photo by Joyce Romero
Catch the PH Booters as they try to win it against Sri Lanka, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on June 29th (1st leg), and here in Manila, on July 3rd (2nd leg). The WCQ matches air live on Studio 23.
Here at UNO magazine, we basically get paid to enjoy ourselves. Make no mistake, it is a job, and not an easy one at that: what with all the setbacks, drawbacks, unforeseen reversals, late nights, last-minute disasters, and just typical day-to-day difficulties of putting out a worthwhile monthly print magazine, sometimes we work so hard at this that our pets don’t recognize us any more and our personal hygiene suffers (I won’t name names). Read more…
Photos by Juan with retouching by Anna Hyde | Make Up and Hair by Nina Dumpa
Our last April’s Bombshell gives us little tips on how to dismantle a bomb without it blowing up in your face
“Is she really going out with him?” are the first words you’ll hear on the first ever punk single released in the U.K. “New Rose” by The Damned released on October 22, 1976 under Stiff Records (“If ain’t Stiff, it ain’t worth a fuck” was the company’s famed tagline), beating the Sex Pistols by over a month. (“Anarchy in the U.K. was released on 26 November). Tellingly, the b-side was a cover of The Beatles’ “Help”.
Despite its anti-everything stance, even punk couldn’t get away from the fundamental problem of how to fathom women. Or just get them to notice you for that matter. I mean, after all, going onstage with little more than clothes stuck together with safety-pins and spouting revolutionary rhetoric to the tune of three chords played badly can’t get you noticed, what will?
Good thing we’ve got Jacq Yu, an adventurous, no-nonsense girl, who also happens to be the girl we see selling us roof sealant every time we watch a Manny Pacquiao fight and probably the first reason we decided to watch Amazing Race Asia. She also did a memorable turn as a White Castle girl, donning the famed red-bikini and riding astride a steed on some beachside, and riding towards our collective unconscious in exquisite slow motion. And she was willing to sit down and spell it out for us just what it takes for a guy to impress someone from her peer group (i.e. unattainable goddess who will never, ever really go out with the likes of you).
The worst pick-up lines would be when they pretend they know me. It’s usually something like, “Do you remember me?” I hate it when a guy is trying to be cool or when guy shows they’re somebody that they’re not. I especially don’t like the arrogant ones.
If you want to introduce yourself to a girl, just be real. And don’t say annoying things like, “I think I met you in my dreams before.” Also, I don’t really talk to guys I don’t know, unless they’re friends of friends.
Getting me to give my number depends on how they ask me. Be proper, be humble, and be honest. Don’t expect to get it within the first few minutes. Some girls aren’t easy. But it all depends on how they approach me. It doesn’t matter whether you’re rich and famous or otherwise. For me, it’s the personality that matters.
To read the complete article, “Rules of Engagement” (by Nathan Tioseco), check out UNO’s April 2011 issue with Nathan Azarcon on the cover. To download the complete e-magazine version, please visit Press Display, sign up and search for UNO Magazine.You can also download the Press Reader application for your iPhone and iPad.
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