The Pen Story

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King of Pop, Charlie’s Angel Died

Michael Jackson (June 26: Cardiac arrest) and Farrah Farrah Fawcet-Majors (June 25: Cancer) passed away. Icons like them are truly priceless.

 

Music @ SM City Northwing

Band @ SM CIty Northwing

 

Playing hits from the 1960′s to the present, mall goers sing and dances with the music. It’s fun to be at SM City Cebu.

My Way or His Way; A Fact or Fantasy

“My Way”, the song, is undeniably one of, if not the most, popular classic song in every karaoke bar in the Philippines. That, I must say, every hand that holds a bottle or glass of beer-on-the-rocks can sing that song even while crawling on the floor and regardless of all the words ending in “ssshhhh”. 

 

It is that popular! …. But not until the unfortunate and un-called-for related incidents of violence … perhaps incidental or coincidental to the song … that the disks that bear the supposedly melancholy and meaningful song is forced to retire and sidelined to privacy … and marked UNAVAILABLE!

 

I love the song … Know It by heart … I have to agree with ianne when he said:

 

“Personally, I don’t think so it’s about the song at all, it just happened that the victim sang it & the crazy drunken bad guy killed him. Karaoke is just for fun & it should stay that way.”(sic)

 

“My Way” is a positive song … it’s about being strong facing all the odds in all his might … and it encourages all.  And yes, what negative vibes will come out from such a beautiful song.  Yet, the thing is … the “mystery of the incidents”.

 

So, to satisfy my itch to find other factual records (other than those I came to know, read and seen in the breakfast news ) I googled “my+way+song+philippines”, and these I got among the hits … … not one, but many …

 

 

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Barrita: My way

By Eddie O. Barrita

Small Bites

 

“A man shot and killed his cousin in a Mandaue City videoke bar after the latter refused to yield the mike and kept him from singing Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”.”

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2008/06/18/oped/eddie.o..barrita.small.bites.html

 

 

 

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Farmer killed for singing ‘My Way’

By Bong Garcia

 

“A YOUNG farmer who was singing “My Way” died after he was shot by another customer in a videoke house. 

xxx The Zamboanga Peninsula Police Office (ZPPO) reported that the incident occurred last week in the village of Tipasan, Lapuyan, Zamboanga del Sur.

 

The ZPPO identified the victim as Alvic Masilid, 25, while the suspect was Dodong Legados.

The victim succumbed to three bullet wounds from a caliber .45 pistol.

“Investigation disclosed that Masilid was inside a Videoke House located at said place (Tipasan) and singing a “My Way” song when suspect (Legados) occupying an adjacent table got irked with the groggy voices of the victim and pulled out a handgun and shot him dead,” the ZPPO report stated.”

 

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/zam/2008/02/24/news/farmer.killed.for.singing.my.way..html

 

 

 

Friday, September 22, 2006

Serna: Trimedia feted

By Roger Serna

 

“Commentator Choy Torralba rendered a Visayan translation of the song My Way. Was it intentional on Choy’s part to go vernacular to avoid another shooting incident? Joke!

 

The song is very notorious for inciting violence in videoke bars and even in simple gatherings where singing is staple fare. Why remains a mystery not only to this columnist but also to most of people out there. Would you know?”

 

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2006/09/22/life/serna.trimedia.feted.html

 

Southeast Asia

SERIALIZATION:  The Traveler and the Gate Checkers

“Manila My Way, Boss”

Part 1: The elusive Miss Belgium

By Ted Lerner

 

“The song “My Way” is perhaps the most preferred song when the drinks start flowing and the karaoke gets turned on. The song is so popular, and singing it is taken so seriously, that dozens have literally died because of “My Way.” Perhaps someone laughed while a buddy was singing during a drinking spree, or someone didn’t like the way the guy at the other table clapped after he tried to imitate Frank. It’s always a ridiculously stupid reason but, no matter, out comes the fan knife or the pistol and wham!-it ends in a liquored-up flash, another senseless death due to “My Way.” I wondered if Frank was aware that so many had died because of that song.”

 

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/EE20Ae03.html

 

 

Karaoke Fan Killed For Singing Out Of Tune

Philippines Man Shot By Guard At Karaoke Bar For Refusing To Stop Singing

MANILA, The Philippines, June 2, 2007

© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

“Alas, it does not seem to be a rare occurrence. So many fights and even deaths have occurred in Manila when patrons sing out of tune that the popular Frank Sinatra tune “My Way” was reportedly taken off many karaoke bars’ song lists.”

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/02/world/main2877951.shtml

http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=62817

 

 

 

nationmaster.com

Other Popular Culture References

May 2007

 

“My Way” is one of the most popular songs sung in karaoke bars in the Philippines to the point that it has been reported to cause numerous incidents of violence and homicides among drunkards in bars.”

 

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/My-Way-(song)

 

 

 

Taipei Times

World News Quick Take

AGENCIES

Sunday, Nov 06, 2005, Page 7

¡½ Philippines

`My way’ sparks stabbing

 

“Sherwin Gatutua, 23, was singing Frank Sinatra’s My Way at a bar in Dalaguete town on Wednesday when Bara Quilaton, 32, showed he had had enough by taking over the microphone. A fight then broke out resulting in Quilaton stabbing Gatuta with a sharpened iron bar before fleeing. The victim was rushed to a hospital where doctors managed to save his life. The song has gained some notoriety in the Philippines due to the brawls it apparently sets off. Last month, a fight broke out in a bar in a Manila suburb after a waitress refused to play the song while another man was fatally stabbed last month while singing it. One man was also shot dead and another wounded outside a Manila karaoke bar after they failed to contain their laughter at a performance of the song.”

 

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2005/11/06/2003278990

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oops, My Way Did It Again!

“yes, i did it my way” …… and so the song ends ….

“My Way” Paul Anka wrote it. Frank Sinatra popularized it to immortality …. but the mortality rate has risen since then … why? some men-with-bullets-in-their-fingers in the karaoke bars, videoke bars, sing-along bars and KTV bars just did it their way … shoot the singer!

It’s not so often these days that such shooting incidents land in the front pages of the local tabloids in the Philippines. But for a time, the heads rolled and curtains fell on those who dared to sing the song in public … yes, only the “amulet-bearing-men” would even dare press the buttons, hold the microphone and mouth the first notes of Paul Anka’s “My Way”.  And if they ever did, it’s the silver against the spell … and all hell would break loose …. 

It’s not really clear why the supposedly heartwarming song would trigger the trigger! They said it’s the race to the song; to some, it’s the fight for the microphone (first to sing); the toppling of each others’ score; the one-My-Way-singer-night only; the side table’s self-appointed judges (playing Paula, Randy and Simon in American Idol); or simply, owning the song at the particular bar (i thought it’s Paul Anka’s or Frank Sinatra’s?); or the ”i-requested-it-first” song.  Too many reasons … but what reasonable reasons can we get from high-leveled-alcohol-drowned-brains unbridling all inhibitions, washing out all sense of fear and boosting the belief of immortality. Could it be just the alcohol? or maybe, incinerated by pride infused with a bit of proving one’s singing prowess or boasting the ego always wrestling the others’ edge down the table to the cigarette ash tray. 

Whatever the reason, there really is something in that song … like what the lunar eclipse does to the animal instincts we all possess. It always causes the red-blood-rush and the fingers to wriggle that metal hanging by triggling the hammer in banging that pin in the shell detonating that silver rocketing against the barrel groves into the head of whoever holds that note modulated by his daring vocal chords vicious enough to ring the ears of that man-in-the-corner in wait … yes, doing it his way!

So, would i dare sing”My Way” in a public sing-along bar? nah! i would not want to be in the newspaper …. i mean … “covered” by a newspaper. 

Anyway, I’ll be fine with bottles of light beers and nuts …. and perhaps, a wink from that lady in the corner! … oops … that could be another news story for the tabloid guy … who knows? … perhaps, that’s what bar life really is … fun and dare! … I’ll leave the song to some daring guys! Would you?