Many years ago, when I first came to Olongapo City, Philippines; two of my new found friends brought me to the beach to watch the beautiful sunset of Subic City bay.
When we got there, I was inspired to write a song when I saw the American warships anchored at the sea.
The song that I wrote was "Ulo ng Apo" (Head of an Elder). It was written in Filipino and my opening verse was is a question, " Oh ho Ulo ng Apo paano na kung wala ng barko?" (O Head of an Elder what will happen it those ships would be gone?
coincidentally, a couple of years later, those ships were gone, together with the nightclubs, bars, and restaurant; the lights, sailors and marines; the bands, waiters, and women; the drugs, liquors, american goods; which are everywhere in the city; together with the music, which is in every corner of the city street and which at the time was my obsession.
I may be wrong, but for me, Americans are the best audience in the world. For the reason that they are easy to please, they loved and understand the music, and they positively respond to it. Seemingly, they'll appreciate your performance not on how good you are but on how serious you are, which at the time is all i was. Playing for them is like a drug addiction, a life's therapy that helped me forget my misery, my ailment, my allocated time, my future.
Reason why, when they left, a part of me died.
At that time, I was a folksinger playing in one of the folk-houses in the city; and one of my audience's most requested song was American Pie by Don McLean. I admit that although I love the song, I never truly understand its true meaning until that day when Olongapo City has become like a ghost town, devoid of light, life, and color; and I am a living dead walking with a heavy heart at the abandoned downtown of Magsaysay Drive.
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