When legendary musician-actor Joey “Pepe” Smith succumbed to his third stroke at age 71 on Jan. 28, 2019, there were comments on social media— “Buti nga umabot sya ng 71 (It’s good that he made it to 71). Considering his ‘rakenrol’ lifestyle. Quota na ‘yun.”
There’s a general perception that rock musicians die young, or don’t live into middle age, like the 27 Club members Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain.
Pepe Smith, considered as one of the fathers of Pinoy Rock, survived his 27th year and lived for another 44 years.
Pepe Smith played with a band he named after himself after Juan dela Cruz band took a break. Photo by Totel V. de Jesus
“Rakenrol” connotes wayward, devil-may-care lifestyle, yet more than the vaunted drug adventures, Pepe Smith stood for his compositions that helped define Pinoy Rock—“The Father of Pinoy Rock,” critics dub him.
With lead guitarist Wally Gonzalez (1949-2021) and bassist Mike Hanopol of Juan de la Cruz band, Smith gave birth to the genre upon the release of Himig Natin in the early ’70s.
An OPM classic revived and reinterpreted by hundreds of musicians, the song, its simple lyrics laden with existential undertones, continues to remind us about helping one another, embracing one’s identity, supporting OPM, championing Filipino culture.
Veteran journalist Eric Caruncho, perhaps the only credible chronicler of Pepe Smith’s life, in the June 2005 Sunday Inquirer Magazine story, The Resurrection of Juan de la Cruz, wrote about “the exact spot where Juan de la Cruz Band invented Pinoy rock.”
“I wrote it in the toilet. Twenty minutes before going onstage,” Smith told Caruncho. “I was on acid at the time—Pink Elephants.”
In other accounts, Smith was quoted as saying he wrote it, to be exact, in the ladies’ comfort room because “because the door to the men’s toilet was broken,” and he needed privacy.
Caruncho reported, the concert was titled Himig Natin, held at the Rizal Park Observatory on Dec. 5, 1972, produced by rock impresario, Dodie Gonzales (Wally’s brother). Smith had joined the band three months earlier after his flight to Tokyo was cancelled upon the declaration of Martial Law.
Wally recalled the moment some in the audience fell silent, not knowing what to make of rock ballad in Filipino
In the Rizal Park concert, Juan de la Cruz Band was the main act at a time when the crowd was used to cover songs from foreign groups, or songs written in English by Filipinos made to sound like foreign bands. Wally recalled the moment some in the audience fell silent, not knowing what to make of a rock ballad in Filipino.
The trio composed more songs in Filipino, and released, in 1973, the second Juan de la Cruz album, expectedly titled Himig Natin. It was a total departure from the group’s debut album. There was the pre-Pepe Smith-Mike Hanopol six-member Juan de la Cruz band that recorded and released Up In Arms, which had all English songs and a cover of Frank Zappa’s Mystery Roach.
More songs by the trio have become rock anthems—Rak En Rol Sa Ulan, Titser’s Enemy No. 1, Mamasyal sa Pilipinas, Kagatan, Panahon, Balong Malalim, No Touch, among others, covered by the likes of Razorback, The Dawn, Wolfgang, Teeth, and the torch bearers of Pinoy Rock of the next generations.
In the 1960s before joining Juan de la Cruz band, Smith was an OFW, playing with different groups doing the rounds of bars in Saigon, Hong Kong and Japan. He also played with bands that served as front acts for The Beatles and Pink Floyd.
With Wally and Hanopol, he had the Tokyo-based Zero History, followed by the D’ Downbeats, which would be remembered as the front act for The Beatles during their controversial concert in Manila on July 4, 1966.
Another band was Speed Glue & Shinki, considered by some close observers of popular music as among the pioneers of psychedelic rock in Japan. Its Eve was released on June 25, 1971 by Atlantic Records in Japan. The low album sales left the trio demoralized; they called it quits. The next year, however, though no longer performing as a band, their self-titled, 72-minute double-LP album, was released upon the initiative of Smith.
In a 2011 article by Caruncho, also in Sunday Inquirer Magazine, titled The Joey Smith Chronicles, Chapter VII: Made In Japan, Smith recalled how in one gig, they opened for Pink Floyd: “We were always billed with the heavy community. We opened for Pink Floyd in Lake Hakone, at the foot of Mt. Fuji, for the All-Young Nihon festival. It was a three-month thing that we toured around, with Buffy St. Marie, Janis Ian, the 1910 Fruitgum Co. and Pink Floyd. They had just released Atom Heart Mother, and I remember their opening number was Careful With That Axe, Eugene.”
At the time, Caruncho wrote, Smith was also dating a Japanese model for designer Kansai Yamamoto (1944-2020), known for his avant-garde stage costumes for David Bowie, Elton John and Lady Gaga. (The string of A-list models, actresses, society “it” girls who fell for Smith would probably be worthy of a book on how to be a rock star.)
But up to the end, he was still playing the guitar and trying to sing
Barely more than a month after celebrating his 71st birthday on Christmas Day in 2018, Smith passed away. I learned that he suffered two strokes in 2017, which affected his speech and singing. But up to the end, he was still playing the guitar and trying to sing. According to reports, he was playing the guitar the morning of Jan. 28, 2019, when he felt difficulty in breathing and was rushed to the hospital.
I was in the throng of fans at his wake at Loyola Memorial Park in Paranaque. That night, I remember, apart from coffee, there were cases of San Miguel Beer Pale Pilsen coming in, courtesy of San Miguel Corporation. Smith was the “brand ambassador” of the only authentic Filipino brewed beer, and so were the National Artists Fernando Poe Jr. and Nick Joaquin. Right outside the chapel, there were impromptu performances by well-known musicians and fans. Someone brought an acoustic guitar, another a pair of “tabla” hand drums, still another was doing the harmonica, the violin and so on. There were star celebrities, painters, artists, just lost in the crowd, no star power. It was a celebration of life.
I had one too many beers and smokes, turned in right before sunrise, woke up mid-afternoon, and thus missed the last rites.
I would learn from a writer-colleague, who was in the last rites, that Smith’s remains were cremated, following his wish, according to Beebop Smith, one of his six children, in the eulogy.
Urban myths surrounded the life and memory of Pepe Smith, hilarious, sometimes surreal. One was about how rocker-businessman-concert producer RJ Jacinto would book Pepe Smith, the show’s main act, in a hotel or inn near the venue. Jacinto would task someone to watch over him, the story went, because if the venue happened to be near bars and pubs, Smith would wander around, mingle with musicians, fans, even strangers, and eventually forget about the show.
Monet Pura, wife and manager of another Pinoy rock legend, Chickoy Pura of The Jerks, also handled shows of Juan de la Cruz band. At the time, Smith was based in Baguio City with his wife. Monet recalled for TheDiarist.ph a special show at the Cultural Center of the Philippines where the band was to perform. Monet booked him and the wife in an apartment hotel near CCP. A few hours before the concert, Monet got a frantic call from Smith, saying he and his wife were already at Sogo Malate but they weren’t let in. It turned out, Smith was in the wrong hotel. Monet tried to humour an agitated senior-citizen rock star—“Hindi kasi dyan, sa iba kayo na-booked, hindi rin kayo papasukin dyan at baka may age limit. (I booked you in another hotel. Besides, they won’t let you in there because they probably have age limit.).”
Smith was known for a kind heart. He was generous to fans and friends, sometimes to a fault
Over and beyond such tales, Smith was known for a kind heart. He was generous to fans and friends, sometimes to a fault. When Juan de la Cruz band took a long hiatus again, Smith formed a band he named after himself, tapping session musicians.
In one provincial gig in a fiesta of a small, sleepy town south of Manila, the Pepe Smith band was told by the organizers that they were short of funds and asked if the band fees could be in the form of farm produce instead. Smith agreed, sensitive to the plight of the provincial folk.
So, in the wee hours, on the drive back to Manila, the band members packed themselves in the rented van filled with fruits, vegetables, sacks of rice, native chickens, and according to one story, a goat.
This story had many versions. One said Smith brought the goat home, saying it was enough to cover his “talent fee”— “Ok na sa kin ‘to, mga repapips, para sa bahay, may ka-jamming ako sa damo (This is OK with me. At home, at least I’d have someone to jam with and share grass),” he was quoted to have said.
Two decades ago, on June 11, 2005, I had a chance to do a one-on-one with Smith, then 59 years old, days before the Pagkalas concert at World Trade Center.
Smith, Wally and bassist Mike Hanopol were rehearsing in a private studio in a gated village in Pasig City. With a hand-held video camera I borrowed from my brother, I was documenting my interviews, such as the Lav Diaz memorable interview I wrote in TheDiarist.ph.
I had done the same with Smith, who was willing to do it. He was having a hamburger, eating it in small bites, waving it even. My notebook and shirt, the long chair we were sitting on, had bread crumbs and bits of patty at the end of the interview.
The excerpt:
Would it be OK if I ask you about your health?
Smith: Type na type ko `yan.
I eat corn flakes sa umaga (in the morning), whipped cream, oatmeal, wheat bread, ganun lang (that’s all)
What health drugs are you taking now, I mean, like vitamins?
Yero, gulong, bakal (Steel, tire, iron) (laughter). No, not really vitamins. I eat corn flakes sa umaga (in the morning), whipped cream, oatmeal, wheat bread, ganun lang (that’s all).
Do you still eat meat?
I am meat. Without the S. I am Pepe Meat (laughter). That’s number one on my list.
Na-ha-high blood po ba kayo kahit minsan (Do you suffer from high blood)?
I only get high but no blood (guffaw.) No, not at all. Seriously, if someone or something pisses me off, na ha-high blood ako. Natural lang. I got a healthy heart.
Is it true that about 10 years ago, straight from prison, you had a mandatory medical exam and you got a clean bill of health?
Yeah that’s right. After two years in prison, there’s the required medical test. Even the doctor was surprised, rather, disappointed. We were waiting for the result in his clinic and while looking at my papers, he shook his head in disbelief. He actually said he can’t believe it. He was a bit angry pa ata kasi binagsak n’yang padabog yung papers sa table nya (he dropped the papers on his desk, as if in tantrum). Parang newborn baby daw ako (I said my health was like that of a newborn). No trace of sickness. Blood pressure 120/80. We were all laughing. Wow, I was very much thankful to the Lord. I was surprised and very happy also because I was expecting that the side effects of the drugs I took over the years would come out. Akala ko lalabas `yung mga nagtatagong sakit sa mga ugat ko (I thought the illnesses hidden in my veins would come out). I was proud. S’yempre lagi na lang tayong napapag-isipan e. Ngayon pwede ko na silang sabihan na,`o ano’? Anong pinagbibintang n’yo sa akin (Of course, we had been the subject of talk. So now I could ask, so what have you been accusing me of)?
How many hours of sleep do you get now?
Wow…in Baguio for the past four years, eight o’ clock or nine o’ clock pa lang ng gabi tulog na ko (at night, I’d be asleep).Then I wake up at five or six in the morning.
Do you still smoke?
Yeah, pine tree, hinihithit ko yan (I inhale that).
How many sticks a day?
Mga 3,000 sticks a day (guffaw). Kidding aside, one or two packs a day.
How about exercise?
Climbing stairs and roads. Kasi in Baguio ang daming hagdanan at paakyat ng mga kalsada di ba (Baguio has a lot of uphill climb)? Which is OK, it’s a natural exercise.
You don’t have difficulties climbing stairs?
Syempre `pag walang nakatingin, gapang (Of course, when nobody’s looking, crawl). No, naman. Kaya naman (No, I can do it.)
Do you feel pain, like signs of arthritis and rheumatism?
I feel something painful in my fingers and my back but I don’t know if it’s arthritis or rheumatism. Dapat balikan ko `yung doctor na nag-checkup sa kin e. Papagalitan ko (I should go back to the doctor who did my check-up, and scold him) (guffaw). Once in while, I got fever, cold or cough. Wala naman akong (I don’t have) major ailment. I feel cool. I feel great. But of course, I think I need another checkup. I need someone to look into my systems very soon.
Is it true that you survived a vehicular accident last year (2004)?
Yes, that’s true. My friends and I came from a party and we had too much to drink. There was a 10-wheeler truck before us that stopped instantly, our driver failed to step on the brakes on time, and we hit the truck from behind. I was sitting in front. I forgot to put my seatbelt on. Upon impact, my jaw hit the dashboard, near the aircon. I got a broken jaw, right here (pointing both sides of his face). Now, robot na ako (I am a robot). The doctor had to put some platinum plates to connect my jaw to my face. It was painful to eat during the first few months. OK na ngayon (now). And thankfully, my voice wasn’t affected at all.
There were many times when I passed out I felt Death coming in, but he left as fast as he came
After that, do you consider this life as your second?
No, third na yata or fourth (laughter). There were many times when I passed out I felt Death coming in, but he left as fast as he came.
Are you still sexually active?
(laughter) Oh, I’m not going to lie. Am not gonna hide anything. Yes I am.
How did you survive the ’70s, when everyone was heavy on sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll?
Actually I wasn’t there. I was hiding under my bed all the time (laughter). Drugs would fall down from someone else’s pocket and roll down under the bed, and I would pick `em up and take them. Then I discovered the Philippines! (guffaw).
No. Seriously, yun na nga ang masakit dun e (that’s the saddest part). That’s the hardest thing. Yung reputasyon mo (The reputation). Ang tingin sa yo, ganun (How people look at you). If people see me and my speech is kinda slurry, they would conclude, ayan si Pepe, bangag na naman yan (that’s Pepe, stoned as usual). Then you hear this balita (news). But all they have to do is approach me and ask me. Siguro in the `70s (Perhaps in the ‘70s). Noon yun (That was then). I was jamming all around. I was a young roller then. Pero (But) I kept my cool over these things—a puff of this, a pill of that, a tablet of this, then a ton of ano (what) (laughter).
Mind-expanding drugs you took?
LSD, mescaline, cenoxybine mushroom, all those psycho-traffic drugs.
Did you ever get suicidal?
I think I’m a ghost (guffaw). Did I ever get suicidal? No, never. There were some bad trips. There was a time I was heavy on downers, I passed out. I had a friend who I used to shoot barbiturates with, like xeconal in his room. Those were the days. Am so glad I went through that and I survived. Am not gonna do that again. Well, if I’m given another life, probably I’m gonna shoot some more (laughter).
Now, before performing, do you still take something to warm you up?
No, natural na. `Di na ako bata (I’m no longer young), man. All those drug adventures and all that. They were way, way back. I won’t be able to reach this stage and age if I am still heavy on drugs, man. Wala na yun e. Natatawa na lang ako pag may nakakakita sa kin tapos sasabihin, `Ay si Pepe o, bangag na naman yan (That’s all in the past. It amuses me now when people say, Pepe is stoned again). But now, if I have to be up onstage, I’m completely normal, 100-percent normal. Normally stoned (guffaw). No, never.
Do you still find pirated copies of Idiosyncrazies?
Wala pa (None). `Yung Juan de la Cruz, there are a lot. In Baguio, sa Session Road, nakahilera (all in a row). Whenever I see pirated copies of our albums, I talk to the vendors. I beg them to spare our albums. If they have to do that, sabi ko `yung sa iba na lang (I say, do the others). I explain to them na I earn nothing from that. Talo kami (We lose). If piracy continues, pare, time will come no one will go into recording anymore.
Do you still get royalties from your former recording companies?
With Vicor, wala na nga e (nothing anymore). Dapat tingnan nila `yung mga nakaligtaan nila sa amin (They could look into what they overlooked). Like ring tones. There are about six or seven songs from Juan de la Cruz used as ring tones. We were asking for some formal reports, but there’s nothing. Si Wally (Gonzales, Juan de la Cruz’s lead guitarist) nga, he’s very much pissed off. He’s the one handling all the legalities for Juan de la Cruz.
Do you see yourself living up to what age? Say 30 more years?
I think am gonna last until 150 years (guffaw). No, seriously, my grandmother died when she was 88 or 89. I think I can do that. Ang hirap sabihin no (Hard to tell)? I think I’ll go past that age. By that time robotics na siguro ako, puro bakal na ko sa kamay (I’d be all robotic, my hand all steel) (doing puppet-like arms movement), howdy-howdy-howdy.
I don’t know, pare, but minsan, nagdadasal na lang ako, `Lord, kunin mo na ko, nakakainis na dito’ (Sometimes, I pray, Lord take me, things here piss me off).
