Eraserheads: Combo on the Run (2025)

[bunniefuu]

"Ely Buendia,

you don't need to hide anymore."

Fans are urging Ely

to make good on his promise

to reunite with his Eraserheads bandmates

if Leni Robredo

runs for president in 2022.

Even if it was in jest,

they badly want it for the people.

Okay.

Rolling.

You go through life

and then you make plans with people.

And then,

and then one of

those people changes their minds.

It's like, "Oh, no, no, no.

You can't get to do that."

I didn't want to play the shows anymore.

Like I said, I'd rather be somewhere else.

We're not friends?

We're more than friends.

We were married to each other.

I would not wish that on anyone.

It really,

It really hits

very hard.

UP LOOP - UP CAMPUS - MRT PANTRANCO

There was a brief flowering of local music

in the wake

of the euphoria following EDSA 1986.

The music scene was largely underground.

The culture was waiting

for something to happen

and that's what the Eraserheads were.

When I first met them,

I have to be honest,

I wasn't really impressed.

I had a band when I was a freshman.

Most of the band members

went to seriously studying music.

And I was left with no band.

I was forced to place an ad in the dorm.

Raymund, being old bandmates

with Ely in Sunday School

decided to answer that.

To answer the audition post.

Ah, they were not the type of

musicians I was looking for.

It also appeared that

even personality-wise,

I didn't think I would gel with them.

I knew he didn't want it.

It was like,

after the College of Music guys,

you get us? Right?

But he's not so outgoing

so I guess he got stuck with us.

Lucky for us, we were

the only ones who auditioned.

Just the three of us. Nobody else came.

When he was looking at us,

he was just shaking his head.

But you know,

we share the same, similar tastes.

My band left me

and their vocalist left them,

Raymund, Buddy, and Marcus' band.

So we decided to join forces.

That's when Eraserheads came to be.

This next song is all about love.

PLEASE USE SMALL BILLS

OR COINS IN THE MORNING

And I wrote it all by myself.

They tried to tell us

We're too young

Too young

To really be in love

I think it all happened when we recorded

a demo on cassette in Raymund's garage.

And we shopped it around the campus

and it somehow reached

organizers on campus

and they started getting us for gigs.

We just played every gig we could get.

Personally, I first heard

of The Eraserheads in the 90s

when I was a freshman in college.

What fascinated me was that

they were going

to same university as I was.

The language was very lay person.

It was the kind of language that

you would hear students use.

And at that time it had only

been three years post-EDSA.

That kind of creativity and sensibility,

talking about the mundane things

of everyday life,

it was on its way to maturing.

So definitely post-EDSA,

these kinds of music flourished

because artists didn't feel stifled.

They weren't afraid anymore.

The songs of The Eraserheads represented

really, the dreams, aspirations

but also the realities

of Filipino youth of their generation.

We all started going to bars.

Of course, you're students.

Then eventually,

"Why don't we play these bars?"

We auditioned everywhere.

Mayric's, Anthem.

We got turned down everywhere.

I wasn't really surprised

that no one wanted us,

'cause for one,

they were looking for show bands.

We were walking to the record stations.

They always said, "No."

"You're not good-looking."

"You're not pop enough."

I was frustrated.

It wasn't really like

an overnight thing, you know.

It was a slow, slow crawl to the top.

There was also a time when Buddy

semi-quit the band.

I come from a generation

where we were told that

you can do the music thing as a hobby

but, you got to get a real job.

There was an interesting moment

when we auditioned.

We rode a tricycle going there,

and it was raining.

and then we were rejected.

We were holding our guitars

in their hardcases.

We were walking.

And then a jeep drove past us.

We all got wet!

"Oh my god!"

Of course, you were bummed out!

And you know, you just became emo by then.

Oddly enough, it spurred me on.

I wasn't even fazed at all.

I just had so much faith

in what we were doing that

I was optimistic that

sooner or later, someone would

like us and pay attention to us.

And someone did.

We didn't even attempt Dredd anymore.

And then eventually,

we played our last show in UP

at the College of Fine Arts with Lee.

And then the Dredd people saw that,

and sought us for two months.

"Hey, the Dredd people

are looking for you."

I said, "What do you mean?

We're there every night!"

They came over. They auditioned.

And it was a bunch of amateurs

with a really raw sound.

If I recall,

their guitars were out of tune.

Someone actually went up to me and said,

"Why do you have these guys on?"

"They're terrible."

He just delivers pizza

He didn't see something on purpose

Pizzas and b*ll*ts collided

Dead hoodlums on the table

Not knowing where to hide

Grandfather visits in the dream

There is no one to trust

He tried all rackets

Run Barbi Run

Run Barbi Run

Run Barbi Run

But we liked them

right away from the start.

We saw the humor.

I grew up in a town

Where everybody tried to push me around

The girls were alright

But the guys were tough

They're always buggin' me with macho stuff

Well, I ain't no stupid fighter

I go for flower power

I've been running every race

Just to save my face, yeah

I saw it comin' around

Well, humor is intrinsic

to the Filipino and Philippine culture.

We dont generally go for serious topics.

I guess that sets The Eraserheads

apart because they

were funny in a way the

other bands werent really.

I was given a cassette

by Raymund.

"Sir, please listen to this," he said.

And I listened to it

and I was stunned by the originality.

I brought the cassette

to my friend and colleague

in the Art Studies Department,

Professor Rivera, Robin Rivera.

He listened to it

and he was even more stunned than I was.

Well, Robin was one of our professors.

Unwittingly, he was producing us already.

"Cut the chorus."

Or "cut up-- that verse is too long."

Or like,

"That intro is unnecessary."

'cause we're all over the place.

He somehow made it work.

He came after class and he asked me

if I wanted to hear a tape of

his band's music whom I didn't know.

"Okay, sure. Come to the office."

So he came to the office.

And he had this one cassette

and it was full of songs.

It was all these witty,

cute, interesting songs.

He had a Super Betamax 8-track.

He brought it to

the Faculty Center in UP Diliman.

I remember it was a Holy Week.

And there was absolutely no one else.

So we would be free to bring in the drums,

mic up the drums,

bring in a bass amp, the bass,

and mic up and record.

That's where we did "Pop U."

Bro, I have a problem

The demo that until now,

is still being passed along, I guess.

The four of us went to Raon again

to get twenty cassettes

because that's all we can afford,

Sony C60 cassettes.

And then this parrot was like

Huh! Oh my god!

That bird was singing

the melody of "Pare Ko."

So maybe that was a sign

that it was really,

it was going to be massive

or something, right?

It's just gonna add to

The headache and fat to the belly

Yeah, I was working

as a copywriter at BMG Music.

No one knew that

I had a band at the office,

especially not my bosses.

I have not heard of the band,

Eraserheads, before.

VIC VALENCIANO

A AND R DIRECTOR - BMG RECORDS PHILIPPINES

And Ely was, you know,

not the usual

ideal employee

during that time because you know,

he was always asleep

and hiding in the room.

And

when he started like

pushing the demo cassette

you know, every now and then,

on my table to listen to it,

I gave it a try.

My impression was "Oh my."

It was really bad.

It was awful.

One day

I went to Nena's store

To buy vinegar

When they say it sounds like a tin can,

it was like that.

We had to

re-record everything from scratch.

I first got to know Eheads

through Vic Valenciano

of BMG Records.

He had me listen to a demo tape of Eheads.

I think the song was "Pare Ko."

It was a great song.

But I had a problem with it.

I was telling Vic, "Vic, it's a nice song.

I can play it, but you need to do

something about the lyrics."

Because it had "Isn't it--"

So fked up!

So he said, "Yeah, no problem."

So a couple of days after,

he got back to me.

They changed it.

What the hell is this?

Isn't it shameless?

They were really surprised by

the amount of

positive response they've been getting

from the fans.

Against all odds

The Eraserheads managed

to produce a body of work

that not only could be played,

but it resonated with their generation.

Because Ely Buendia had his finger

on the pulse

of the Filipino youth of that period.

Then they thought,

"Why don't we come up with

a warning sticker that says

'parental guidance.'"

You know, some songs

may not be suitable for parents.

Many were delighted by it

including ourselves.

We laughed. We really liked

what they did there.

Hearing your first single

on the radio was massive for us.

And I still get a kick out of it.

VOX tape, take one.

Two, three, four--

Hi! We're The Eraserheads!

And you're listening to your radio!

Yeah!

I'm so glad you could make it

To our show for tonight

I am such a big fan of Eraserheads

because their music is,

you know it's different but

even if it's unique,

it doesn't alienate you

because it's not as if it's

from another planet. It's not like that.

The thing is,

Ely and I were singing in front

and I couldn't see the rest of the band.

When the number was done,

that's when it was explained to me that

they were fooling around,

they weren't acting right.

So at first, I said, "Was I disrespected?"

That's where you can see "we're artists,"

showing off that we don't care

about showbiz.

We just want to be artists

and we want to express ourselves.

This song it says,

Did they feel like they were selling out?

But I hope it's not that

'cause we didn't like you.

Yeah they were punks.

They weren't what

the industry was used to.

The industry was used to polished stuff.

The industry was used to sheen.

Hey, I'm Punk Zappa and my hobbies are

radio, reading the song hits

and eating the bloody fishball.

Anything that rattles

that cage is threatening.

So the Heads were threatening

to culture, really.

Take a look at my eyes

Don't you see?

I am now flying

And heaven's close by

Do you want to come with me?

There was a politician who caused

an uproar over the song "Alapaap"

because he inferred

that it was about drugs.

And despite

despite the lyrics being oblique enough.

It's understandable

because there are rules

in mainstream media.

I studied Mass Communications

and we're not allowed to say some things.

There was a big Senate inquiry about it

and I was just bummed out

because I was required to

attend one of the press conferences.

It was early in the morning in a hotel.

Lyrics in songs

are open to interpretation.

And the senate inquiry

brought back that shadow of censorship

during the Martial Law.

And that was the fear back then,

that this kind of system could come back.

Can you imagine if "Alapaap"

came out during the Duterte regime?

To be summoned to the Senate

was a dream for the band.

We really enjoyed it.

We had a field trip and

mugged for the cameras.

We were just playing along.

We knew it was a farce, anyway.

And then

Senator Tito Sotto gave us each a cigar.

And then he invited us to his office

and then we smoked the cigar there.

It was his birthday. Happy Birthday!

What the--? What a circus!

Any form of free expression

is immediately suspect.

the forces of conservatism, religious

institutions and government institutions,

people who have interests in things

remaining the way they were.

They tend to resist any new

cultural developments, cultural phenomenon

So

So The Eraserheads

remain relevant in that sense.

I was very interested in the arts.

Not just music.

So I go and watch movies a lot

and read books a lot

when I'm writing new songs.

I listen to a lot of music

just to get in the zone.

I just start out with an idea.

An idea could be a melody

which is usually the case.

Or a guitar riff

or just a phrase that would

actually turn out to be a chorus

that would anchor the whole song.

You look like that actress

Paraluman

When we were young

You know, Ely's lyrics were

studied in classes.

I took a couple of classes

where lyrics to "Ang Huling El Bimbo"

were in the reading list in UP Diliman.

It has a very tragic storyline

and you might say depressing altogether.

So I did try to inject humor

in one of the stanzas.

I think its the bridge where it goes,

"nasagasaan sa eskinita",

meaning she was run over in an alleyway.

Absurd because no one

gets run over in an alleyway

because as we all know

those things are tight.

Well the cliche

is because our lives are so hard.

We lean on humor

to get us through our daily lives.

Even in the worst of times,

people still find

something funny to laugh at.

its a survival mechanism really.

And thats the sensibility that

The Eraserheads have.

Its Filipino.

Let's take a look now at the nominees.

The fans really came out.

And it was funny because we couldn't

print ballots fast enough.

And my fax machine at home

was like nonstop,

like rolls and rolls and rolls

of signatures coming through

at like all hours of the day.

So when I brought these back like this is,

these are the fans speaking out

in support of The Eraserheads.

-And here are the winners.

-Who won?

-Australia

-Silverchair

"Freak"

-Europe

-Prodigy

"Breathe"

-Asia

-Eraserheads

"Ang Huling El Bimbo"

They wanted their boys

to stand in that spotlight,

and say, "Hey, this is us."

Thank you God.

Thank you to all the

fans who voted for us.

BMG Philippines,

Auraeus, our director,

Robin, our producer,

our crew, MTV Asia,

our families and friends.

Long live the Filipino!

Bogchi!

With our hands together

I had no idea

That you taught my heart

To fall in love truly

We shot a show in Hard Rock Cafe

and I was at work that day

and a lot of the younger executives,

the younger assistants,

all Singaporean,

they were so giddy with excitement!

And I said,

"This is a Filipino band."

"Do you even understand what

their songs are saying?"

They were on their chairs.

They're cheering.

They were just so, so happy

to be in the same room as The Eraserheads.

And so I said,

"This is beyond language.

It's beyond geographic boundaries."

It was a really wonderful thing to see.

Get to know Eraserheads all this month

on MTV Land, MTV In Control,

MTV Most Wanted,

and MTV Videography.

-Check this out!

-Eraserheads in the Hot Seat!

Right here on our most

wanted music channel,

MTV.

So youre on a promotional tour here.

-In Singapore.

-Yeah, Singapore.

Anything anywhere else?

-I think we're going to Malaysia.

-Um, yeah

and Bangkok.

-And Indonesia.

-Oh, really?

Thank you very much!

Welcome to Asia Live. Please have a seat.

Thank you.

Hello.

Is this your first time

to perform in Japan?

-Yes, it's our first time here in Japan.

-First time.

-And we love it here.

-Hello!

-Hi.

-Hello.

Touring,

touring everywhere,

it was great. We really had a good time.

I think it was the best of times.

It's the beach.

After this, it's been a year

and a half of touring.

We're actually still giddy with

excitement because

we've never ridden a helicopter.

We went to so many places

which I never heard of,

which I never thought I'd go to,

much less perform to people.

There was some alcohol and

drugs and other people around.

So there's definitely

high jinks in the States

where we would get almost arrested

and I got back to the hotel

and its like everybodys high!

Everybody's running around, running around

with half their clothes off,

I'm splitting and I'm like--

So you weren't involved in it?

Because it's the story,

I'm not gonna be in it!

I shall not incriminate myself!

Fame during that time looked a lot like

the way it did in the movies.

We had groupies. We had fans.

There's many, many things

that's crazy about touring.

During those times,

the mall shows were crazy.

They would plan, like the malls,

where their escape route would be.

Yeah, there were absolutely times

when you fear for your safety.

Their fandom was a bit

different because it was,

equally male and female,

if not, more male.

And so it was very typical

for the men to go out of their minds.

They just go completely

bonkers with The Eraserheads.

The males in the audience

would like, throw stuff at us.

Like, everything they could get

their hands on, you know.

Bottles of piss and

rocks the size of boulders.

There was a time in the province where

I had to stop a show because

the people climbed up

on the scaffolding

to be able to see them.

And then a scaffold fell.

There was another time where

they climbed on top of the van

just to be able to get to them.

I mean it was on top of the van,

couldn't even get out.

The fame was really uh,

kind of encroaching on my personal life.

And nobody ever tells you this,

I mean, they don't have,

you know, a course for this. But

when you're in that stage of your career,

you really just miss

your privacy, you know.

And you miss the control you have

over your life.

There was no internet back then.

"How to be a rockstar."

Something like that.

We were just trying to adjust to it.

Like, Okay.

Julie Tearjerky on the phone

She says that I can't be alone

She was told that time was gold

We need to dish out an album every year

so it's gigs, it's rehearsals,

it's recording,

it's promotions, it's TV, it's radio.

Doesn't end.

So this went on for like, four years.

And we never took breaks.

We never took a vacation.

Ha, it never occurred to us to say,

"You know guys, I think we're tired."

No one wanted to admit it.

Because we don't talk like that.

We don't talk in those terms.

I come from that generation.

Hey, I mean, if it's not k*lling anyone,

then it should be fine?

We weren't ready for the backlash.

We weren't prepared for it.

We were kids.

We didn't know how to deal with

that kind of attention.

Meaning, suddenly

we were making movies, and commercials.

To my mind, we also found it corny

but management suggested it

and they said it was good.

"You're gonna do this commercial

so you can do this tour."

I guess when

something is there for a long time.

People get tired of it,

people get sick of it.

And

They want to tear it down or move it aside

so that something new can come along.

I've dared to be the

voice of my generation.

Dare to start with zero.

Even our, even the fans,

the cooler fans were like,

"We don't want to do anything with you"

because "you're the biggest thing."

One of the Ramones

was playing in Hard Rock

and being a fan,

you know, I went there and the host

foolishly announced that I was

in the audience.

I would've just appreciated if they just

ignored it but they booed.

And I was there right at the audience,

in the middle and

people booing around you.

Again, I would not wish that

on anyone.

It really,

it really hits very hard.

And that was when I realized that maybe

it's time to throw in the towel, right?

I mean I don't wanna be in

a place where I'm not wanted, right?

Hey, let's keep doing stuff

until we start turning people off.

Let's see how far we can push this.

The Eraserheads' growth

as persons were exponential at that time

because we get to taste

that "success."

That means also we had a little money.

We had a little more money

to feed our brain more, right?

We went to see other places.

We had a tour of the US

and some parts of the world.

So our experiences are bigger now.

And then we put that into songs.

Yeah, lets start

with the album "Fruitcake."

It was still the usual,

like typical bands.

And then with "Stickerhappy,"

that's when we started using loops.

And then "Natin99"

was when we used a 50-50 machine

and then there was also live playing.

Let's troll them.

So instead of getting trolled,

we troll them back.

Internally, we just out-weird everybody.

And outwork everybody.

During that time we were

having a difficult time

to getting radio airplay

for the singles.

The reviews also weren't good.

It got heavier and deeper.

Of course, they were better

musicians during that time.

They probably didn't know

where to go.

They were a bit lost. Very sad.

We weren't leaving behind the old songs.

We just wanted to present new ones.

And the record companies,

they didn't like that.

They want you to keep doing

what made you money.

What made them money.

So when we did

"Pare Ko," they want "Pare Ko" Part Two.

So we said, no, we did that already.

"Make something for the masses."

So Ely wrote "Para Sa Masa".

To all who are into love songs and drama

To all who can't read

To all who have problems in school

To all the fans of Sharon Cuneta

To all who have money problems

I always thought the masses

would join us in our journey.

I wanted the people

to evolve with the band

with our songwriting

and I was just sort of disappointed that

it did not happen that way.

So that was the theme of Para sa Masa.

I was already feeling

sad during that time.

It seemed like they're no longer the band

that they used to be.

In the last album,

we finished the whole album

with none of us

in the studio at the same time.

I felt it.

I knew it.

Oh, this is the last album.

There was that space

that was growing between us

and the audience.

And you know

For ten years,

we've done nothing but that.

sh*t, I have to book six months ahead

just to be away from you.

It was all the substances.

There's like alcohol and drugs

and different people

pulling us, you know,

everybody had a different crew.

It was the professional stuff

that really got to me.

Raymund would stick his nose

into pretty much everything.

Anything and everything.

He'd be everywhere

every time, the whole time.

There are two strong personalities there

who were, so to speak,

in charge of the direction.

It's just the way he handled things

that sort of, I didn't agree with.

Yes! I was difficult.

I was a punk.

Oh, you don't want it fast,

I'll play it faster.

You don't want it loud,

I'll play it louder.

Oh, you're late. I'll cut the set.

I think I had a very strong personality

and I didn't know how to

manage it at the time.

I didn't realize

I was just throwing a tantrum, right?

Basically on stage.

I was very, very insecure of my ability,

musical abilities at that time.

So I'm always paranoid

that maybe I'm not giving more.

Am I pleasing Buddy?

Is my guitar playing making Ely happy?

I realize now that it's just in my head.

Maybe they don't care.

Marcus would take forever

to record guitars.

So that started to

get to me to the point that

I wouldn't hang around the studio.

As for Buddy, I resented him

for being too impersonal.

He seemed not to be really

in it, you know?

Ely at that time just kept quiet.

I mean he was a quiet person

really, to start with,

but he just kept getting

quieter and quieter.

I'd rather suffer, again, the consequences

than to go through that st of

like, talking.

But I know that's foolish now

and I regret not doing it.

I don't think about it a lot.

But looking back, I think we were,

we didn't take care of each other.

Because we're starting to

get on each other's nerves.

We actually needed

to talk about in the studio

which was the most important thing.

We never got around to doing.

We just figured

ah, we come from that generation.

We'll survive.

We're grown men. We're big boys.

This is something you just take in stride.

Our generation

learned to internalize things

and process things

on our own and not express it.

I definitely grew up in a household

where dissent is frowned upon

and expressing ones self,

especially with authorities was a no-no

and tantamount to treason.

And then of course, like any relationship,

there are fights.

Nobody fixed it.

It was all the pressure of touring

and the studio.

I was driving in my Toyota Corolla.

In my car, I had my wife

then we had a six-month-old baby.

The text from Ely saying,

"It's time to graduate."

I moved the car to the side of the road.

What does this mean?

In my mind, of course, you're ahead of us.

You graduate.

You were a sophomore, we were freshmen.

The band,

the four guys aren't really businessmen

especially thirty years ago.

We didn't know anything about money.

And I think that was

one of the downfalls of the band.

Because it was such

a fked up system that

even though we were

supposed to be earning a lot,

we didn't see anything at all.

It was not an easy decision at all.

It took him years.

I know it could have been misconstrued

as selfish, that he wasn't considering

the other families.

But when you have your own family,

that takes precedence.

I remember Raymund texting back.

I don't know, but I think he said,

all he said was "I'm sorry."

And then after a few days,

Buddy called me saying,

"Can we still use the name?"

To his credit,

he asked my permission.

Of course I said yes, but I regretted it.

I give you

the one and only group that still rocks

and yes, they're definitely still here.

Ladies and gentlemen, The Eraserheads.

You look like the actor George Estregan

When we were young

And you danced so well

You don't need to continue

as the Eheads because you're broken up.

The band is broken up.

You don't have your singer with you.

You know? Organizers will understand

that

the Eheads are no more

and you don't have to use that name.

It's really simple.

Because I would have done the same.

Which further, again,

confirmed my suspicions that

they never really

cared about me or the band.

And they just want this as a cash cow.

And that was my attitude

for like ten, twenty years.

That's what I thought of them.

You go through life

and then you make plans with people.

And then

one of those people changes their mind.

Oh, no,no, no. You can't get to do that.

Apparently, he could.

And he did.

What are we gonna do with our kids?

How are we going to put up our own houses?

I'm sorry that

they had to go through that.

I don't know. It's not my fault.

Resentment towards Ely?

If resentment means

anger that you've never felt before,

yeah, that's pretty much resentment.

That's how I felt.

I just found a friend indeed

Just hold it down

You can leave

If the fans were brutal

when I was still in the Heads,

they were like

evil when I quit the band.

It's like they would turn up

at your shows just to heckle you.

Like what kind of commitment is that?

It's so fked up.

And it wasn't really enjoyable.

Like I have to prove myself

after the Eheads that

I can write even

more culturally impactful songs.

Like twice in my lifetime is stupid.

I mean that's the criteria.

That's their standard.

Why am I held on such a high standard

when other people are celebrated

for writing crappy songs?

Words were said.

Magazine articles came out.

Probably totally unnecessary

but it was still done.

It was allowed to be aired.

Maybe I contributed to the polarization

by not being a better influence

but I was young

and I didn't know any better

and Ely was family.

If I was able to go back,

of course I would change a lot of things.

And I would change the way I dealt

with that isolation

and with that alienation.

So it was like,

"Woah, what to do now?"

I surfed!

For me then, the myth of the surfer for me

was the counterculture.

Being there, away on the beach.

It was freeing.

And then a few weeks later, I was broke.

I had a baby.

I had a baby and then I realized

I'm broke. And then, "I can't be broke."

I worked in Liquid Post.

Music for advertising.

It was difficult

to have a day job.

Ah, we should've just fixed the Heads.

It was-- we had it easy.

But you don't realize that

until you go through

something more difficult.

They wouldnt stop.

The fans wouldnt stop

badgering me and the offers didnt stop.

And you kind of just

throw your hands in the air

and just say, "f*ck it!"

Lets do it.

Big Dipper north of nowhere

Outside the room, inside my mind

Look forward to tomorrow

But can I leave yesterday behind?

How it feels so strange

To have grown and change

Now, it's not the same

'Cause time slips and slides

Into another place and try

As we might to understand each other

Doesn't really matter where you are

It always seems so very far

'Cause you're lightyears away

You're lightyears away

From me

I was gonna throw up.

Ah, which is normal.

But I was so excited and sad

because Tita Lisette passed.

The only thing I remembered from

the first reunion was that

you know, my mom died. And that uh

so whatever enjoyment

I would have had

by being together again with the guys

was not there.

If I remember right, I saw him

have like, a banana or two?

And a glass of wine.

No sleep, no food.

Does Ely know

what he's setting himself up for?

I totally understood

why Ely wanted to play.

And I would have totally understood

if he didn't want to play.

But it was his call. It wasn't ours.

We told him. It was like,

"Up to you. It doesn't matter."

The soundcheck was

like three a.m. and you know

Ely, if you put yourself in his shoes,

you can just imagine how stressful

it is for him.

How could you go in front of people

and make them happy

when you're so heartbroken?

Ely's the kind of man

that prioritizes others' needs

before his own.

I remember during the wake,

even though he was exhausted

and was going through immense grief,

the first thing he asked

me when I arrived was,

"Have you eaten?" and "Are you Okay?"

Which was actually

something I should have asked him.

And yeah, I never forgot that.

Okay.

There was so much riding on the concert

that I had to do it. I had to show up.

And just right after the first set,

somebody came up to me.

"Sir, sir, sir. We need you backstage."

I didn't know how to get backstage.

And then someone just told me that

my brother had a heart attack.

I didnt want to think about it.

I didnt want to think about losing him.

If I remember correctly,

Day went to our tent and said,

"Ely's getting rushed to the hospital."

And I didn't know what to do.

We're not gonna--

Who's gonna tell the crowd?

We, however, regret to inform you that

due to my brother's poor health,

because of the emotional

and physical stress

that he's been experiencing,

ERASERHEADS' REUNION CONCERT WAS CUT SHORAFTER ELY BUENDIA WAS HOSPITALIZED

we apologize for

cutting the concert short.

I've never seen a crowd so compassionate.

Some were crying because

their idol, Ely,

was rushed to the hospital.

It was a good first set.

And we're always gonna be

supportive of The Eraserheads.

It's sad because I waited so long

for this concert and

I mean, what are the chances?

It seems so cruel.

For Ely to get sick

when his mom just died.

It's just so sad that this happened.

I, I don't know if,

I mean I don't how I would have

dealt with it if he didn't

pull through.

That would have been like unimaginable.

Like a huge fking

joke from the universe!

Like, what?!

I don't know. I didn't know what to think

'cause it's like,

"Were we gonna lose him?"

Right? It's like,

I didn't even have words for it anymore.

Your smile is different

Your look is different

Everything's changed about you

I wish I hadn't seen

I wish I didn't have this problem

Because I don't have enough cash

To buy your pretty face

I didn't even go home.

I said, "I wanna finish the show."

You don't wanna think about anything.

No flashbacks.

No, I don't even want to think about him.

So we all went. I called Buddy.

"We're going to Saguijo.

We're gonna finish the show."

I don't wanna cry.

I just want to finish the show.

Raymund had this idea

to congregate in Saguijo Bar.

For me, it was like

"Is it a good idea to be there?"

It was like "No, no, he would've

wanted us to finish it."

Which kind of backfired, I think.

Fk, man. Why?

So that added again

to the resentment that I felt

with these guys, that, you know

I mean, I'm in the fking hospital

and you're out there,

performing?

That's what I did when my dad

passed a few years ago before that.

It would've saved us a lot of suffering

if I had known that.

It all seems very silly now

when you look at it from that perspective.

But I was coming from

a frame of reality

that was different.

Why not have a reunion of the Heads?

There's a lot of baggage

and it's one of those things

that's not happening at the moment.

Right?

We disagree a lot on many things.

So it's not worth it to just

put the band together,

-Right.

-for whatever reason

when everybody's doing their thing.

Ely's doing his thing.

Marcus is doing his thing.

With you

Uncertain when you'll come back for me

Where do I fit in your life?

Lightheaded

If you look at the history

from the 60s to the present day.

You can really divide it

into two large categories.

Before The Eraserheads

and After the Eraserheads.

Really, The Eraserheads

changed everything.

The heads were part of

a global phenomenon that was not planned

and i think music in general

was looking for something else.

We still hear them today,

even the young people love their music.

Theres something about The Eraserheads,

something about

their devil may care attitude,

their audacity, that resonated with me.

I can go beyond my own limits

in the same way that

they went beyond their own parameters.

Rock bands,

or any kind of band for that matter,

usually sing about love.

But they also touch

on themes like friendship

and the struggles of being a student,

which I can relate to.

They dont write for a return.

They dont write to make sure they can hit

a certain position in the hit parade

or they can sell.

They write whats in their heart.

The music of The Eraserheads

isnt just music to me.

It taught me about being Filipino,

it taught me that there are people

like me in the Philippines,

and the Philippines

is in everyones heart.

Each of the songs really represents

a journey in someones life like mine.

And thats the beauty

of The Eraserheads songs

because it speaks to you no matter

what social class you are,

what kind of upbringing you had,

what kind of life youre having.

Its very universal.

It speaks a certain truth.

If you listen to their music,

it gives you hope.

If youre sad,

their music can make you happy.

Hi, Sir Ely! IS THERE HOPE

OF AN ERASERHEADS REUNION?

IF LENI RUNS.

With my whole heart,

I believe we can triumph.

It wasn't really to confirm

that the band was getting back together.

But it was sort of

a calculated tweet also.

It was more for people to

actually go out there and register

because I've never voted.

Ive never been registered so

to say that I would

go out and actually vote

meant a lot to me.

As an artist,

Just trying to

make some use of whatever

influence I thought I had.

I had never put myself on the line

as much as I did when I supported Leni.

Take a look at my eyes, Don't you see?

I am now flying, and heaven's close by

Do you want to come with me?

LET US WIN THIS - RAISING FILIPINO LIVES

Do you want to

Do you want to

Do you want to

Come with me?

Ladies and gentlemen of the 18th Congress,

Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.,

the duly elected President of

the Republic of the Philippines.

BBM!

I guess, we needed, you know,

we needed something

that would lift our spirits up.

The reemergence of The Eraserheads

in 2022 was a pleasant surprise

to people just coming out

of the pandemic isolation

and reeling from the political divisions

generated by

the presidential elections of that year.

By golly, our country needs

those kinds of songs

that bring us together.

Especially in times when

we have political conflicts.

It's like saying

here we are again as a people

in one big area

singing the songs that we all love.

Untainted by politics.

That's the power of art.

They were a unique phenomenon

whose cultural impact

and significance has never had a rival.

No worries.

-Sir.

-Marcus.

-Hi, everyone.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Hi.

Okay, guys.

-Right here.

-Okay.

Oily Buendia.

-I'll change my name in Instagram.

-Oh. Can I change my seat? This one is

I'm just kidding.

But seriously, this is wiggling.

It's okay. I can do this.

What do you think is and you

can take this in any way you want to,

what's the most difficult thing

that you had to overcome

for this to happen?

That's a good question.

Tough, tough question.

We've never been asked that question.

Can we get back to you on that?

So that's why I sort of

wasn't keen on working with Marcus at all.

As a matter of fact,

I talked to my manager about it

lots of times saying

I'd rather just continue what I'm doing

than go through all that st.

Once in Kalayaan

We met

Each one with their own

hopes and dreams

That song is actually about

my actual friends.

So it wasn't about The Eraserheads.

Okay, I don't wanna break

any hearts again but

we were never close.

We were never friends.

That was a very, very conscious

effort to distance myself

from the band.

And the number one reason is

because of Marcus controversy.

I really resented him for that,

for dragging me into that

and dragging the Eheads name into that.

It's always been treated

like a private matter.

And so to protect my family

and everyone else involved,

I'm keeping it private.

'Cause Marcus will keep saying

that it is a private matter.

And I agree.

Family stuff,

family matters are always private.

They're meant to be dealt with privately

because that's the forum for it.

Once it becomes public,

it's just open to conjecture for everyone

and a lot of things get lost.

I don't know if Marcus made any headway

with regards to dealing with it

because we hadn't been in touch.

When it was happening three years ago,

I gave my advice privately

to the people involved,

I gave my advice to Marcus.

I told him,

"You need to seek help."

"You need to ask for forgiveness."

"You need to talk

to your friends and family."

And then he showed me.

"Over the years,

I sought help with a therapist."

And everything among other things.

To me,

what changed my mind about it

was the fact that

I saw that Marcus was really

humbled by that experience.

And I saw that

he wanted to make things right.

-Try this.

-It's good.

It's still weird. Just like the first day.

-'Cause you were late.

-Yeah.

But on stage, it just feels right.

It's always the music

that glues us together.

It was never easy.

Like thinking back all those years,

it was never easy hanging out

but playing music was always easy.

Please, please come back to me

Let's give our love another chance

Wish you were in my arms

And you're whispering your love me too

On the second rehearsal,

I was approached by

Buddy, Raymund, Ely. And they said,

"Mr. Lumen, Marcus is

not playing up to par."

Buddy actually said that if

he cannot play at par, we can replace him.

And replacing Marcus is a big no-no for us

because it's not gonna be Eheads anymore.

There are four members of Eheads.

They have to be there.

If you replace one, it's not

gonna be Eheads anymore.

Come, have a taste of heaven

Come, have a taste of heaven

Back to G.

Come, have a taste of heaven

Ely, being the leader of the band,

helped Marcus rehearse.

So when I asked Raymund and Buddy,

"How did he do? Did he improve?"

And they said, "He improved.

He can stay on."

Just today, just a few hours ago,

I learned that all my kids

will be there.

To me, this is not just a reunion

but a family reunion.

So I'm happy

and there is a chance for

healing and forgiveness to happen.

Now, it's much lighter.

Everything we just-- we're just happy.

We can speak more freely

because we realize that we're old

and maybe we will

die soon anytime, you know.

Cut the st, dude!

What do you think things

would be like had you carried on?

I feel that Buddy and Marcus

would end up together.

There.

I like Marcus' answer.

Yeah.

If we continued on,

then there won't be a reunion.

And take one.

Action!

See you on December 2020--

See you on December 22, 2022 at--

See you on December 22--

See you on--

at the SM City-- SMDC, again.

At the SMDC Festival Grounds

for our concert.

Our concert!

Action!

See you on December 22

at the SMDC Festival Grounds

for our concert!

Okay.

-We're done.

-Done.

It's a nice stretch of years

to finally say,

"Yeah, I'm ready to go on

this ride again."

One, two, three.

That won't start anymore.

I didn't even consider what it meant until

we were about to do the rehearsals.

And then that's when I started to

process everything,

ten years and the events

that led up to it.

People can forgive

and music can bring people together again.

We've always functioned

as not perfect people.

We've always functioned

as a not perfect band

with non-perfect songs.

We make mistakes and then we just move on.

I think we are more relaxed as people.

I think age has a lot to do with it.

The pandemic has a lot to do with it.

Our kids has a lot to do with it.

I think about our friendship

like an ex-girlfriend.

You're just glad you're not fighting.

Two, one!

Are you sick and tired of

The hassles of life?

Do you want to stop thinking for yourself?

Don't feel like traveling?

Do you just want to lay down all day?

Are you tired of hugging your wife?

I'm exactly what you need

Just dial my number on the phone

Connect me to a scanner

Who's in charge of this Sci-Fi nightmare?

Tomato One, callin' starship crew

Ground patrol Tomato Two

Bouncin' on a cellulite doorbell

Another planet, another hotel, oh well

Snack food sh**ting marathon

Hypnotized by your own Playstation

I'm a toy with a dream to redeem

Try to change some rules in the mainstream

Mayday! Mayday!

Outta control rocket

I think we just hit a nasty air-pocket

I'm gettin dizzy like a drunken bee

Buzzin' around in the galaxy

Nevertheless, guess who's comin' here

When Saturn flies by?

In a hostile takeover bid

For the clouds

Clouds in the sky, sky, sky

All the lawyers pray to God

In a hostile takeover bid

For the mind

You don't need to leave

It seems a bit naive

No need to disagree

Or seek my history

You're starin' at my soul

My sanity you stole

But then I knew all along

My mother always told me

that I was a natural singer.

Instead of her singing me to sleep,

it was me that was singing her to sleep

when I was a young child.

You opened my door

When I get near, all my fears disappear

And I won't be alone anymore

How am I around the three other guys?

Around Ely.

You might say that

there's resentment.

Nah, resentments for the past.

When you keep on holding

on to that resentment,

it doesn't do anything for you.

It doesn't do anything for me.

In my head, I think everybody just agreed.

And it's one of those waves

and cycles that I,

you know, some years it happens,

some years, it doesn't happen.

So it's like

"Oh, it's one of those years!"

That just aligned.

Yeah.

You have all inspired us

during the darkest times in the pandemic.

And we're very honored

that this song was chosen

as an inspiration for everyone

like you have inspired us to come back.

So this is for all of you guys.

We love you.

Lift your head

Baby don't be scared

Of the things that could go

Wrong along the way

You'll get by with a smile

You can't win at everything

But you can try

Baby you don't have to worry

'Cause there ain't no need to hurry

No one ever said that there's an easy way

When they're closing all their doors

They don't want you anymore

This sounds funny but I'll say it anyway

Girl, I'll stay through the bad times

Even if I have to fetch you everyday

We'll get by with a smile

Now it's time to kiss away

Those tears goodbye

I knew someday that

something would bring us back together.

And I'm very proud that

we set aside our differences.

For the fans.

They're basically superheroes to people.

People see a lot of themselves

in The Eraserheads but also,

paradoxically, they are also deified.

And I think

specifically for Huling El Bimbo in 2022,

it has the ring of something much bigger

than the previous shows.

I think it has to do with

the fact that it was

a really messed up time

for Philippine society

and a band could not possibly

solve a country's problems

but what it can do

especially if it's a well-loved band

like The Eraserheads,

is to offer a momentary

reprieve from all that craziness.

And for two to three hours that night,

they served that purpose.

And they were

transcendent that way, I feel.

When you have huge political upheavals

that's when nostalgia emerges.

You want to go back to something

that's stable again.

That's the power of nostalgia.

You cling to it in moments of uncertainty.

Nostalgia also allows us

an opportunity to reflect.

I think we as a nation are still learning.

I'm of the mind that we haven't

told enough stories about the past

and we need to tell

and remember those stories.

We have to take accountability

for the things that happened in the past

so that we can even begin to imagine

a future for the country.

It's time to look at the future.

And honor the past.

We were never not friends.

We just had a falling out.

The personal healing,

of course, manifests itself

in the performance.

I always said, "I wish

we had more chemistry."

Now, we actually have chemistry.

It brings me so much joy.

You look like that actress Paraluman

When we were young

And you danced so well

Be it boogie or cha-cha

Sing!

But my favorite

Is when you do the El Bimbo

It makes me want to move, it's thrilling

It makes my hair stand on end

After school

I'll go straight to your place

And the whole afternoon

It's something that I was afraid

to do but

I knew I had to do it

not just for the fans, of course,

but for myself, really.

It's about time that I own up

to my faults and

I wanted the band to have a second chance

at also redemption.

You're so great!

Ill go back to learning from the past

and internalizing it so you could not

commit the same mistakes.

That you taught my heart

To fall in love truly

We're civil.

And that's a start.

That's a huge leap from where we were.

Of course, were not gonna

go skydiving anytime soon

or go to the beach

and drink beer,

but you know, who knows?

It could go there.

I wouldn't mind, you know.

Because this is the first time

I think that weve actually

known one another.

Raymund has his own set of friends.

Ely has his own set of friends.

Because we're always together.

Fk, it's us again?!

Then back, back, back.

We were never close that way.

His bunch of friends will not

be my bunch of friends.

One more.

And looking back, we never had like

"Hey, let's have dinner."

Ever.

Since '89, I never called,

"Hey, let's have dinner."

In your eyes

It's like making up for lost dinners

or lost times.

This is where I cry.

I'm doing things

that I said I'd never think about.

Or even last night, there was a joke,

"let's record a song." And it was a joke.

I never thought we would

say that ever again.

But that's possible right now.

If you look around when you're older,

you will see fewer and

fewer people who get you.

When I'm up on stage, I look around.

And I see Marcus, Raymund and Ely,

Oh, I think they get me.

I get them.

I'm so lucky.

So, it doesn't really matter

what happened before or

what happened after.

You plug in your guitar

and you play the songs.

Its like

It's home.

Laughter and glee

Fill my homecoming souvenir box

Decals, clothes and toys

Spray, spray!

No space left for a poster

You're laughing now. Wait 'til nightfall.

-Oh my.

-Hey.

Marcus, what tribe are we?

My paychecks all spent

Ely, please explain what happened.

Just in one week

Ah, Francis's blood boiled over.

How sweet is Ceasars sugar

The demon cook won't give me a break

Lets go home

Hey lets please head home

Lets go home

Because the world makes no sense anymore

We pray for the safety of

everyone and the safety of the audience.

In Jesus' name, we pray.

Amen.

Let's go, guys.

Everything in life

I need to pee. That's my problem.

Has lost its meaning

-I've been drinking a lot of water.

-Did youpee?

Where are the souvenirs

Whos going to bring them home

Lets go home

Hey lets please head home

Lets go home

Because our world makes no sense anymore

Guys, I love you all.

Oh my god

Cant understand anything

Guys does he know where were going?

No!

Ely, you are so outrageously

popular, you and your band

that it seems we already

have a question here.

We have that question?

Hello Im a big fan

calling from the Philippines.

Yes, we have lots of questions for Ely.

First off, make some noise Eheads fans!

Lets go home

Hey lets please head home

Lets go home

Because the world makes no sense anymore

The world

The world

Homecoming

Homecoming

Homecoming

Homecoming