No, this is not about our el presidente and his lame nickname, though I would have to admit, this is also about another Aquino ( not her either! ). Whenever I watch interviews/documentaries about the early American punk/hc acts, I notice that most of these groups, if not all, often mention this San Francisco club where they used to play back in the day. Jello Biafra fondly mentions this club in his interviews about "the good 'ol days". The name of the club, as you may well know by now, is The Mabuhay Gardens ( or in Jello's accent, it's Ma-bu-heey ). When I first learned of this, I immediately thought, hmmm teka, malamang pinoi me ari neto, para namang me iba pang linggwahe sa mundo na me salitang "mabuhay". And indeed, it turned out, the Mab ( as it was known ) was once owned by a certain Ness Aquino. Together with Dirk Dirksen, promoter and emcee, they hosted in the 70s, some of the more important names to come out in punk/hc like the Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, the Screamers and the Ramones. I believe the Sex Pistols weren't able to play at the Mabuhay, Winterland ung last gig nila and it was SF where they broke up, but the fact that they were there in the area probably had something to do with the gestation of it all. Akalain mo yun?
Originally, the place was a venue for Filipino artists which included a certain Amapola Cabase, supposedly the original singer for the song "Kapantay Ay Langit". According to her wiki page she was appointed "Music Ambassador" by who else but the first (last?) lady Imeldiffic Marcos in 1973. I'm wondering how she wound up with an Aquino after that. Anyway, together with Ness, they hosted a weekly TV program called The Amapola Presents Show. E sino naman kayang Pilipino ang napalabas kaya dito,kung meron man, or even perform in the Mab, aside from Amapola herself?
By the late 70s, as punk was starting to gain steam, more and more acts were booked. The place became a touring stop for bands coming from outside of the San Francisco Bay Area. Parang naging counterpoint na cya ng burgeoning club scene, an answer to NY's CBGBs and Max's Kansas City, clubs/hangouts identified with the growing punk scene in the States. I'm not sure kung providence lang ba kung bakit dito sa Pilipino club na to natuloy ung mga banda or if it was due to Ness's and Dirk's activities, siguro a little bit of both din. I mean, if you were a club owner in the 70s, it would take balls for someone to showcase relatively unknown bands and make something out of it. Remember, nobody knew who these people were, most of the bands were just starting out, some of them even playing their first gigs at the Mab ( I know the DKs did ). They weren't the "big" names that they are today. So I would imagine it would take a certain conviction ( and more than an ounce of angas ) to put up young bands like these and take a chance on them. I've read a story somewhere that much of the notoriety that the Mab had came from the emcee, Dirk, who was known to provoke the audience first before the bands came on. To quote wiki, "Dirksen's abrasive persona (which was largely a performance) was a central part of the atmosphere of the Mabuhay". Would've been great to witness that.
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| Dirk and Ness of the Mab..netjacked from http://www.punkglobe.com/benefitshowaquino.html |
Ang magaling pa dito, I believe the Mab went on for many years since then. I know, pati si Kirk Hammett ( who, I think, has a bit of Pinoi blood, remember the urban legend where it was alleged that in an interview, his mom was heard saying in the background, "Kirk, anak, kain na", to which Kirk promptly answered in a straight accent, "Mamaya na, busog pa po!" ) mentions the Mab as a place for metalheads din. So, the club did not limit itself to punk/hc performances, it branched out to host other acts as well.
It just blows my mind that even in the early days, me connection pa din ang Pinoi to the punk scene. And it wasn't like what's happening now, where, if me disaster in a certain part of the world, most likely me pinoi na nadamay. In this instance, Ness was pretty much involved 'coz he owned the freakin' place. Sana lang me pinoi act na nakatugtog sa Mab, punk/hc or otherwise. Would've been a complete circle if that happened. Makikita din naten na crucial din ung performance space to any scene, NY had CBGBs, London had the 100 club at the start, and of course we had our very own, legendary Katrina's. Sana someday, somebody would put up a gig space dito sa Novaliches area or hereabouts. Any volunteers? Sign me up kung meron!
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| the last hurrah from the girl....from www.punksandskins.com... |
Sige na nga, I just can't help it dahil 1 week na lang bago mag SONA(fuvabitch). To our very own Pnoy, you once did an interview where you compared yourself to another Ness ( Elliot ) in combating corruption. Well, if you really wanted inspiration and impact, I would point you to a certain kamaganak of yours ( or kaapelyido, whatever ), gayahin nyo na lang si Mr. Ness A., patayo na lang kayo ng all ages venue for the kids, all over the country. That way, you'll have your very own legacy sa punk scene like Ness. This comes, not from a disgruntled countryman, but from one of your bosses. Sincerely...
More stuff on the Fab Mab from all over the net:
Tumblr flyers tagged with Mabuhay Gardens
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