AUDREYS MUSICAL JOURNEY - PART THREE: AMERICAN JUNK There are many people in this world who can claim that they were married to the love of their life. There are others who can also assert that their spouses were accomplished in a variety of disciplines. But few and far between is the man who can rightfully claim that his wife had an active role in the overthrow of a dictatorship that had oppressed an entire nation. Nonetheless, that was the situation in which I found myself as the husband of Audrey McDowell, whom we are paying tribute to in this multi-part series (Audrey sadly passed away on the 30th of October after suffering a major stroke and brain hemorrhage a week earlier). In her tragically brief life, Audrey found herself impacting the world in which she lived both spiritually and emotionally, as well as intellectually and (as we will discover here) politically. An acquaintance who was stationed on a United States naval base in Manila in the early 1960s once observed, Sometimes I think the Philippines is its own worst enemy. To be certain, the following developments can make a convincing argument in that respect. As the 1970s progressed (an oxymoron if there ever was one), the nation of the Philippines found itself in increasingly dire straits as the result of the constant consolidation of political power being asserted by the countrys president, Ferdinand Marcos. Having assumed office in 1965, Marcos in the ensuing years made a career of misappropriating the late Malcolm Xs signature maxim, By whatever means necessary. Through military force, martial law, intimidation and murder (Marcos was implicated in the August 1983 assassination of opposition leader Benigno Aquino Junior, as well as the 1985 death of a physician who had made public his failing health), Marcos amassed for himself and his almost cartoonish caricature of a wife, Imelda an unprecedented amount of wealth and power. In the United States, Imelda Marcos antics (in particular, her boundless extravagance in terms of personal wardrobe at the expense of the rank and file citizenry) were the subject of many a joke on late night television programs and in the news media. But at home, the notion that the rich were getting richer and the poor were getting poorer was beginning to wear thin even on those who bought into former President Carlos Garcias Austerity Program (see the first installment in this series for details). A realist in some respects, Ferdinand Marcos was astute enough to discern that not everyone was on board with his policies. And in order to divert the growing unrest, he found various ways to elevate the level of provincialism and jingoism amongst his subjects. One method that Marcos used to further those goals was to follow the lead of Adolf Hitler in 1920s Germany and simply act as a cheerleader for national autonomy, with consistent references to those being suppressed as instead being blessed to be a part of a people that were united for a common good. One need look no further than modern day North Korea under Kim Jong Un for an example of just how pervasive such deception can be. True to form (and perhaps a sad fulfillment of my acquaintances aforementioned The Philippines is its own worst enemy observation), this lockstep move towards jingoism asserted itself concurrently in the nations music industry. Throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, a number of homegrown artists such as Ryan Cayabyab, Smoky Mountain, Pops Fernandez, Lea Salonga, Jose Mari Chan, Hot Dog and Gary Valenciano began to within their own repertoires rely slightly less on cover material from American and European sources and instead opted to record and produce like minded original material of widely varying quality. All of which eventually was collected somewhat indiscriminately and marketed under the banner of OPM, or Original Pilipino Music. Never mind the level of artistic merit at hand (although most of the aforementioned artists had a number of worthwhile tracks to their credit). What was of paramount importance under the OPM banner was the second letter. It didnt matter if the artist was good, incompetent, rock, jazz, easy listening or whatever. All that mattered was that the artist was from the area, as if the area itself (or others residing in it) had anything to do with their artistic growth and development. It was rah-rah self congratulatory provincialism at its worst (not unlike that often found amongst contemporary American college football audiences); a point often lost on the audience of the late and supremely brilliant musical comedian, Yoyoy, who frequently made light of such extreme nationalism in his own work. Throughout it all, Audrey persevered with her trademark optimism and pursuit of excellence, giving only minimal deference to the atmosphere of jingoism that availed itself around her (and ironically, throughout her entire grade school and high school career, she had failed only one class, which was her class in Tagalog, the native language of the nation; on the other hand, she consistently got high marks in her English classes). She graduated from Saint Scholastica Academy in 1977 with honors. Inspired in part by their long time friend, Rosanna (who currently works in the dental profession in suburban Toronto, Ontario), Audrey and her two other closest friends (both of whom are named Teresa) then decided to follow suit and enroll in nursing school. For Audrey, that meant a move to Manila to begin her college career. During that period, she stayed with her mothers sister, her Aunt Aida Cayetano. Aunt Aida was an entrepreneur, who owned a successful chain of department stores in the area. However, after struggling for a year, Audrey came to the conclusion that nursing school and the medical profession were simply not for her. Inspired by her Aunts success in the retail industry, Audrey switched majors and eventually graduated from Assumption College with a degree in business management. That move proved to be an astute one for Audrey. Upon graduation, her Aunt offered her a position as Senior Vice-President of Human Resources for the department store chain. It was a career move that Audrey relished, and she soon set out to implicate reforms that continue to set a standard of excellence in the business environment. To wit, her Aunt Aida steadfastly maintained that a happy staff is a productive staff, and she made it a company policy to treat her employees with the utmost courtesy and generosity. Audrey followed suit and became a hands on executive, often offering assistance to employees in need and traveling from store to store to encourage them accordingly. During that time, Audrey also co-founded (with her cousin) the hugely successful Aggies bakery, which continues to flourish in metro Manila to the present day. However, the business successes that Audrey, her aunt and cousins were enjoying in Manila belied the challenges that most of the nation continued to face under the Marcos regime. Things had deteriorated back home in San Fernando, Pampanga to the point that Audreys dad Alfred migrated to the Los Angeles area (where he stayed with his sister Aileen, who had moved to Southern California in 1963) to seek greener pastures. By decades end, Audreys mom Lita and her five brothers had followed suit, with only Audrey remaining behind in Manila. And while the oppression of the Marcos regime continued to foster growing hostilities (exacerbated considerably by the aforementioned assassination of Benigno Aquino Junior), the musical artists under the OPM banner continued (however unintentionally) to provide escapism for the frustrated masses. Record sales were up considerably in the mid-1980s, as was concert attendance. Most ironically, it was one forward thinking, prolific and supremely innovative trio of musical upstarts who espoused that jingoism to the extreme, yet who were ultimately an integral force in Marcos eventual downfall. Beginning their long and prolific career in 1969 as the Apolinario Mabini Hiking Society, the venerable trio (comprised of Jim Paredes, Boboy Garrovillo and Danny Javier) shortened their name to Apo Hiking Society. Over the next forty-one years, Apo Hiking Society released nearly two dozen albums of primarily original material of unwaveringly superb quality. Like Harpers Bizarre and the Four Preps, Apo Hiking Society espoused a genial, upbeat, harmony rich persona in their self-penned material, which more often than not was contrasted by not so subtle lyrical content with strong political and socio-economic overtones. Audrey and I saw Apo Hiking Society in concert twice, and in each case they more than lived up to the rich accolades afforded them throughout their career. I have enjoyed ongoing dialogue with Jim Paredes over the years, and he remains one of the most insightful and brilliant scholars in the worlds of music, entertainment and social commentary. Sadly, the group opted to retire in 2010 (which was covered extensively in Blitz Magazine at the time), with group members claiming that they had, run out of ideas. However, in 1985, Apo Hiking Society was in the forefront of a revolution that was about to make world news and radically alter the course of the Philippines. It was around that time that Marcos health problems became public knowledge. When combined with the earlier assassination of Aquino, the time had come to take action. Given the obvious consequences of any overt gestures in that respect, Apo Hiking Society fulfilled their role the best way that they knew how: musically. That year, the group gave a concert that was soon after released as a live album, with the deceptively humorous title, The Worst Of Apo Hiking Society. Those with a passive interest in the group assumed no hidden agenda, and bypassed the recording accordingly. But for the faithful, The Worst Of Apo Hiking Society was loaded with more conspiracy clues than the cover of the Abbey Road album. In particular, the group included in that album an extended version of what has ultimately become their signature track, the monster classic single, American Junk. In an outspoken moment of provincialism that nonetheless resonates well with an American audience for the simple reason that the arguments therein are irrefutable (not to mention the songs irresistible hook), American Junk in its original studio form lamented the omnipresence of mainstream American rock music in the mass media of the Philippines (interestingly enough, one particular reference therein was to the music of the Police, who were from the UK, although that is a different story), demanding that the powers that be, Get it out of my system! Got to get back to who I am. But in the expanded, nine-minute version of American Junk on The Worst Of Apo Hiking Society album, the group inserted before the midpoint an extended dialogue that was loaded with clues and encouragement on how to proceed in rectifying the current political crisis. Therein, the outspoken trio invoked such anti-Marcos observations as hidden wealth, hidden health and A view to a kill, and ultimately incited the concert audience to near action with the call for an assassin. By morning on Sunday the 22nd of February 1986, things had finally reached a boiling point. According to Audrey, that morning, the local Catholic radio station, Radio Veritas had begun urging the people to take action, while repeatedly playing the opposition anthem, Bayan Ko (My Homeland). And take action they did. A cardinal and a cadre of nuns were soon joined by nearly two million people in Metro Manila, with Audrey, her mom Lita and Audreys cousin near the front of the crowd. The determined group marched towards Marcos palace, where they were soon confronted about two kilometers from their destination by the Marines, who were fully armed and driving tanks and armored vans. Ignoring orders to halt or be shot on sight, the nuns knelt before the Marines, with the multitudes behind them (including Audrey, mom Lita and Audreys cousin) locking arms to prevent the military from advancing. What happened next could be described as nothing short of a miracle. Realizing that their opposition was comprised of unarmed and determined ordinary citizens, the Marines laid down their arms and joined the opposition without firing a single shot. Word quickly reached Marcos, who made a hasty retreat to Clark Air Force Base (with hidden wealth in hand, including a number of gold bars), where he caught a plane to Hawaii and ultimately was granted asylum by United States President Ronald W. Reagan. Marcos died in exile in disgrace on the 28th of September 1989. In their jubilation, the people of the Philippines picked Benigno Aquinos widow, Corazon as their next president, and the country began to enjoy a renewed prosperity. Audrey returned to her job in the corporate offices of her Aunt Aidas department store chain, and for a brief season, all was once again well. In her later years, Audrey would frequently downplay her role in that landmark uprising. But had it not been for her willingness (and that of many other like minded citizens) to take action, it is quite likely that even her own comfort zone would have eventually been violated, as it had been for so many of her fellow citizens. True to form, Audrey once again gave selflessly, and many were blessed as a result. As for Apo Hiking Society, here are the great Jim Paredes, Boboy Garrovillo and Danny Javier performing the extended live version of the song that ultimately helped depose a dictator, American Junk: https://youtube/watch?v=I7Z3Xap7u7k
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 04:41:43 +0000
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