By Ruben Nepales
ON my drive away from the Greek Theatre where my wife and I just watched our ka
babayan Arnel Pineda and his Journey bandmates stage the first of two very succ
essful shows in LA, I stopped by a gas station.
As I pumped gas into our car, a young white woman approached me and asked if I
just came from the concert. When I said yes, the woman said she watched the sho
w too. Then she peppered me with questions, the gist of which boiled to one thi
ng: she wondered if the many Filipinos who trooped to the Greek Theatre that Su
nday evening knew the songs of Journey.
Although the lady said she knew that Neal Schon first saw Arnel when the former
came across a video clip of Arnel singing a Journey hit on YouTube (back when
he was doing Journey tribute songs in the Philippines), she appeared baffled th
at people in the Philippines know Journey. I told her that I was familiar with
those Journey anthems in the 1980s. She asked me if I was born in the US or in
the Philippines. I said I was born and raised in the Philippines and I was back
home when I first heard those Journey tunes.
(Editor's note: Here's one of the video clips on YouTube that perhaps got Journ
ey's attention.)
I am disappointed that the âRâ factor would be mentioned in writing about Pined
a. I am not aware of major american media suggesting racial undertones about Pi
nedaâs popularity. In fact, even the encounter about the white woman did not ne
cessarily suggest racism or any relevance to the R factor title. Of course ther
e will always be racial prejudice, but for the media to dwell on it doesnât hel
p. Why canât we just write that Pineda has overcome prejudice and that maybe th
e critical mass of americans and journey fans are beginning to be color or race
blind and recognize only real talent? Why canât we write positively instead of
adding intrigue and speculations on one of the most successful Filipinos ever
on the international scene? Why canât we just be happy for Pinedaâs success? Kn
owing the mediaâs penchant for negativism exemplified by the Rolling Stones mag
's focus on Pinedaâs âcurseâ comment, it would be tragic if the mainstream medi
a will pick and blow this âRâ factor up and claim another Filipino among its un
fair victims.
There are a lot of people that me and wife bumped into here in WA state (Ukrani
ans and Africans cab drivers especially) and ask us why we Pinoys speak English
fluently. We just simply tell them it's our second language.
I've watched Journey band in August 14th in their Jones Beach Theatre concert i
n NY. Despite of the heavy rain, JOURNEY fans stayed and watched Arnel Pineda's
great performance. There was quite la arge number of Asians who watched the sh
ow, but I have noticed that not only Filipinos were present that night but, alo
t of them were Koreans, Japanese and Chinese. These groups of Asians came in gr
oups, with boyfriends and family members. I have come to realized that Asians a
re also rock music lovers and the band JOURNEY is quite popular among Asians. M
usic lovers, in general, know how to appreciate a good song, a good band, not t
o mention a good singer in Arnel Pineda. I think that the rest of America shoul
d now realized that the kind of music American rock bands produce is widely acc
epted in Asian culture.
Don't feel bad about the lady wondering if Journey songs were played in the Phi
lippines. When I first came to the US, I always felt bad about questions like t
hat. However, after finding out the customs of other countries like china and
north korea (that have major censorship), etc. I found out that it was actually
a legitimate question since not all countries are democratic and not all of th
em have western influence which we had when the US colonized us. Americans do n
ot have Philippine culture or Philippine history in their curriculum, so do not
take it against them if they are surprised or even amazed at us having the sam
e experiences in pop culture and such. I just don't want my kababayans back ho
me to think that Americans are mean or trying to be offensive with comments or
questions like that. They are simply unaware.
Very good write up about our kababayan singer Arnel.
I am from Navotas City but I lived in Bangkok, Thailand for almost 40 years but
when I saw Arnel on YouTube when he was still unknown to the world, i was real
ly amazed.
Thanks for sharing your good news about RP.
Boy
This completely defeats the argument that originality is everything. Martin Ni
evera said it best when he lamented that it took him all that he did to get to
Las Vegas and still he's nowhere near what Arnel Pineda has got for himself now
.
Sure, it would be good to have a song to sing that's your own, an identity all
your own, but for now, being a part of a resurgent Journey makes Arnel's sacrif
ices of aping Steve Perry all this time, all worth it for him.
When I was a young kid back in one of the rural areas in the Philippines, I had
my impressions that all Americans are knowledgeable and superior in everything
.
When I first came to the United States in the 80's, I worked as a cashier at a
grocery store. One of my co-workers a middle- aged lady checked out a customer
who said, she was from Oslo. My co- worker did not know where Oslo was so I s
aid, Oslo is the capital of Norway. No one believed me!
That was my first encounter with some ignorant Americans. Needless to say my i
mpressions over the years have changed as I come to know more and more of this
country and its people.
The Philippines is still a young kid compare it with the United States, it has
a long road to travel before it can get to where the U.S. is in now or any deve
loped countries. I do not believe much in miracle but with hard work and perse
verance the Philippines can achieve what it wants to achieve. Already we are se
eing good signs as I have witnessed during my recent visit two years ago.
Go for it the Philippines my native land!
When I was an innocent young kid in one of the rural areas back in the Philippi
nes, I had the impressions that all Americans are knowledgeable and superior be
ings in everything.
When I first came to the United States during the 80's, I worked as a cashier a
t a grocery store. One of my co-workers a lady in her middle years checked out
a customer who was from Oslo. My co-worker did not know where Oslo was so I s
aid, Oslo is the capital of Norway. No one believed me!
That was one of my many encounters with some ignorant Americans. Needless to s
ay my impressions have changed as I come to know more and more about this count
ry and its people.
The Philippines is still a young kid compare it with the United States, it has
to undertake a difficult and long passage to get where the United States is in
now considering its history. But with a lot of hard work and perseverance it c
an achieve what it wants to achieve. Already we are seeing good signs as I hav
e witnessed during my recent visit two years ago.
We were on this concert sitting on the 3rd row and we had a chance to meet Arne
l and Jonathan before the concert. They attended the VIP party and they signed
authographs and had photos with us. One thing I noticed though. Arnel was a lit
tle bit shy. We were among the 25 VIPS and 5 were filipinos. I am proud of Arne
l. WE should always follow our dream and we don't not stop believin'.
Yes, you're right Mr. Nepales but you're not really a JOurney fan. You;re just
riding the bandwagon, too. For in your article in PDI, you mentioned that "Only
The Young" is a new song. any JOurney fan will tell you that it's not. hee- he
e.
We have a Pampagueno sitting president.
Is it just a coincidence that many Filipino- Pampaguenos are making internation
al debut? The fact does not matter to me, I happy for them!
Yes, Mabuhay ka Arnel.. Really you made it as the 2nd Steve Perry. You revived
the famous "Journey" during the 1980's and I am proud you are a Filipino. Many
of our Filipinos had a gifted of international voice but they are not given a c
hance or break, because they are just only poor.Unlike "most" of the celebriti
es who does "not deserve" to be a singer, their names becomes famous and popul
ar because of some connections to the network and producers.. These people are
call "TH".. Arnel is really a true singer and will become a legend in the mus
ic industry both domestic and internationally.....
The title of your column, "Race Is A Factor" can be misleading, because your pl
aying the race card without explaining it. Ignorance of the country and of peo
ple isn't necessarily racist.
Yes, there are true blue racists in North America, some of it subtle and some o
f it overt. Filipinos, unfortunately, tend to be racist against their own fell
ow coloured people (Asians, Blacks, Hispanics).
There were only a small contingent of Filipinos who knew the Journey. When Arne
l surfaced as the lead singer, everybody jumped in and became Journey's avid an
d long time fan. The truth about Arnel is that he isn't recognized as he is. He
is there to represent Steve Perry. Fans love Steve and they appreciate Arnel f
or singing on Steve's behalf. When he sings, people see Steve Perry, not him. H
e can't get a name of his own until he get solo. Journey is only about Journey
and Steve Perry.
Steve Perry is in the Bay Area walking his dog most of the time by the park. He
doesn't sing no more because he lost his voice. No doubt that because of his v
oice, Arnel will not be famous for it is his style that Arnel tried to emulate.
Arnel could be as famous as SP but SP will still be the reason why the band su
cceeded.
We're proud of Arnel Pineda .My eldest son watched the downloaded videos in his
PC, then bought a new CD album from Walmart. Even its not a blue ray dvd (who
cares) we watched his performance with glee.A white friend who watched with us,
suddenly became a student about the pinoy culture, there we dutifully infomed
him that all over the world, pinoys are not only a music lovers, but wonderful
singers . Thats one of our greatest contribution to the world!
josephine britten is right.me too has the same impression that americans are mo
re superior than filipinos .that change everything when i come here .many colle
ge students can't even spell a simple english word nor understand some english
vocabulary that we often use in the philippines.i.e, a college guy write the w
ord women as "wimen" and worst the past tense of "pay" is payed..lol
I agree with J Britten's comment. I've lived in NYC, Atlanta, St Louis, and Day
ton. Sadly, an average American is not that smart and hardly knows anything abo
ut his country, let alone other countries elsewhere. In fact, I've met many who
have never left the US, especially those from the midwest. I look foreign to t
hem, but I speak better English, and the irony is that I teach them proper verb
tenses. I've stopped feeling offended long ago...
Arnel's international stardom, in contrast to how he was a nobody in his own co
untry, is just another evidence to the observation that a filipino has more cha
nces of getting recognized for his hardwork, talents and education abroad than
in his own country.
Did you really write the following: "An average American is not that smart..."
???
What if someone were to substitute the word "Filipino" for "American" in there?
Wouldn't you consider that to be racist? This "average American" certainly w
ould find it racist and offensive. (By the way, did I use the subjunctive mood
correctly above?)
Just because you lived in several American cities you are not qualified to judg
e the intellectual capacities of 300 million people. Yes, some Americans are d
umb and I'm sure you've met your fair share. On the other hand, some Americans
are brilliant, while most Americans are probably somewhere in between. Are you
a social scientist? How exactly did you determine the IQ of an "average Ameri
can"?
Ease up on the stereotypes. They're not something a "smart" person goes around
propagating.
AP is great and so is SP. From an unbias point of view, I don't think AP is em
ulating SP at all. He only slightly sounds like SP but then he does it only be
cause he does not want to step all over the classics. If you listen to the new
songs, AP sounds so much more deeper and harder than SP. SP is more on the so
fter side and he is ever floating on smooth water. Some likes AP's style and s
ome like SP's. I just think AP is good at singing SP's songs, but he is not ne
cessarily a clone of SP's voice. I don't know if SP is retiring though. After
all the hype of the "New Journey", I hear that SP is making a comeback. Ironic
, isn't it? Personally, I like AP's style better. And that smile he possesses
kills and conquers us all!
will anybody answer please... why is it that the album of journey "revelation"
here in the Philippines don't have the DVD which features their vegas concert?
i need to have that DVD!!! Go AP!!!
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| November 28, 2010 2:59 AM
I agree with you. You have given to us with such an large collection of information. Great work you have done by sharing them to all
I've met many who have never left the US, especially those from the midwest. I look foreign to them, but I speak better English, and the irony is that I teach them proper verb tenses.
Material from their Wal-Mart-only release âRevelationâ stands up well alongside the clas sics; album is tailor-made to attract fans of the Steve Perry era of the band. At the second of two sold-out shows at the Greek, Pineda proved he has crossed the line from Perry Karaoke master to respectable lead singer. That the new alb um taps into the energy and blueprint of Journey's hitmaking era makes for a cl ear formula for Pineda to follow and simultaneously gives a band an opportunity to maintain a focus in a career-spanning set.
Best regards, Alex, CEO of youtube to mp3
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Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on that. And he actually bought me lunch because I found it for him smile So let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch! SEO Companies
I am disappointed that the âRâ factor would be mentioned in writing about Pined
a. I am not aware of major american media suggesting racial undertones about Pi
nedaâs popularity. In fact, even the encounter about the white woman did not ne
cessarily suggest racism or any relevance to the R factor title. Of course ther
e will always be racial prejudice, but for the media to dwell on it doesnât hel
p. Why canât we just write that Pineda has overcome prejudice and that maybe th
e critical mass of americans and journey fans are beginning to be color or race
blind and recognize only real talent? Why canât we write positively instead of
adding intrigue and speculations on one of the most successful Filipinos ever
on the international scene? Why canât we just be happy for Pinedaâs success? Kn
owing the mediaâs penchant for negativism exemplified by the Rolling Stones mag
's focus on Pinedaâs âcurseâ comment, it would be tragic if the mainstream medi
a will pick and blow this âRâ factor up and claim another Filipino among its un
fair victims.
Hi Ben,
There are a lot of people that me and wife bumped into here in WA state (Ukrani
ans and Africans cab drivers especially) and ask us why we Pinoys speak English
fluently. We just simply tell them it's our second language.
I've watched Journey band in August 14th in their Jones Beach Theatre concert i
n NY. Despite of the heavy rain, JOURNEY fans stayed and watched Arnel Pineda's
great performance. There was quite la arge number of Asians who watched the sh
ow, but I have noticed that not only Filipinos were present that night but, alo
t of them were Koreans, Japanese and Chinese. These groups of Asians came in gr
oups, with boyfriends and family members. I have come to realized that Asians a
re also rock music lovers and the band JOURNEY is quite popular among Asians. M
usic lovers, in general, know how to appreciate a good song, a good band, not t
o mention a good singer in Arnel Pineda. I think that the rest of America shoul
d now realized that the kind of music American rock bands produce is widely acc
epted in Asian culture.
Don't feel bad about the lady wondering if Journey songs were played in the Phi
lippines. When I first came to the US, I always felt bad about questions like t
hat. However, after finding out the customs of other countries like china and
north korea (that have major censorship), etc. I found out that it was actually
a legitimate question since not all countries are democratic and not all of th
em have western influence which we had when the US colonized us. Americans do n
ot have Philippine culture or Philippine history in their curriculum, so do not
take it against them if they are surprised or even amazed at us having the sam
e experiences in pop culture and such. I just don't want my kababayans back ho
me to think that Americans are mean or trying to be offensive with comments or
questions like that. They are simply unaware.
Very good write up about our kababayan singer Arnel.
I am from Navotas City but I lived in Bangkok, Thailand for almost 40 years but
when I saw Arnel on YouTube when he was still unknown to the world, i was real
ly amazed.
Thanks for sharing your good news about RP.
Boy
This completely defeats the argument that originality is everything. Martin Ni
evera said it best when he lamented that it took him all that he did to get to
Las Vegas and still he's nowhere near what Arnel Pineda has got for himself now
.
Sure, it would be good to have a song to sing that's your own, an identity all
your own, but for now, being a part of a resurgent Journey makes Arnel's sacrif
ices of aping Steve Perry all this time, all worth it for him.
Rock on, Arnel! You deserve it!
When I was a young kid back in one of the rural areas in the Philippines, I had
my impressions that all Americans are knowledgeable and superior in everything
.
When I first came to the United States in the 80's, I worked as a cashier at a
grocery store. One of my co-workers a middle- aged lady checked out a customer
who said, she was from Oslo. My co- worker did not know where Oslo was so I s
aid, Oslo is the capital of Norway. No one believed me!
That was my first encounter with some ignorant Americans. Needless to say my i
mpressions over the years have changed as I come to know more and more of this
country and its people.
The Philippines is still a young kid compare it with the United States, it has
a long road to travel before it can get to where the U.S. is in now or any deve
loped countries. I do not believe much in miracle but with hard work and perse
verance the Philippines can achieve what it wants to achieve. Already we are se
eing good signs as I have witnessed during my recent visit two years ago.
Go for it the Philippines my native land!
When I was an innocent young kid in one of the rural areas back in the Philippi
nes, I had the impressions that all Americans are knowledgeable and superior be
ings in everything.
When I first came to the United States during the 80's, I worked as a cashier a
t a grocery store. One of my co-workers a lady in her middle years checked out
a customer who was from Oslo. My co-worker did not know where Oslo was so I s
aid, Oslo is the capital of Norway. No one believed me!
That was one of my many encounters with some ignorant Americans. Needless to s
ay my impressions have changed as I come to know more and more about this count
ry and its people.
The Philippines is still a young kid compare it with the United States, it has
to undertake a difficult and long passage to get where the United States is in
now considering its history. But with a lot of hard work and perseverance it c
an achieve what it wants to achieve. Already we are seeing good signs as I hav
e witnessed during my recent visit two years ago.
speaking of steve perry...where is he now? What is he doing?
We were on this concert sitting on the 3rd row and we had a chance to meet Arne
l and Jonathan before the concert. They attended the VIP party and they signed
authographs and had photos with us. One thing I noticed though. Arnel was a lit
tle bit shy. We were among the 25 VIPS and 5 were filipinos. I am proud of Arne
l. WE should always follow our dream and we don't not stop believin'.
Yes, you're right Mr. Nepales but you're not really a JOurney fan. You;re just
riding the bandwagon, too. For in your article in PDI, you mentioned that "Only
The Young" is a new song. any JOurney fan will tell you that it's not. hee- he
e.
Mabuhay Pilipinas!
We have a Pampagueno sitting president.
Is it just a coincidence that many Filipino- Pampaguenos are making internation
al debut? The fact does not matter to me, I happy for them!
Mabuhay ang Pinoy!!!
Yes, Mabuhay ka Arnel.. Really you made it as the 2nd Steve Perry. You revived
the famous "Journey" during the 1980's and I am proud you are a Filipino. Many
of our Filipinos had a gifted of international voice but they are not given a c
hance or break, because they are just only poor.Unlike "most" of the celebriti
es who does "not deserve" to be a singer, their names becomes famous and popul
ar because of some connections to the network and producers.. These people are
call "TH".. Arnel is really a true singer and will become a legend in the mus
ic industry both domestic and internationally.....
The title of your column, "Race Is A Factor" can be misleading, because your pl
aying the race card without explaining it. Ignorance of the country and of peo
ple isn't necessarily racist.
Yes, there are true blue racists in North America, some of it subtle and some o
f it overt. Filipinos, unfortunately, tend to be racist against their own fell
ow coloured people (Asians, Blacks, Hispanics).
There were only a small contingent of Filipinos who knew the Journey. When Arne
l surfaced as the lead singer, everybody jumped in and became Journey's avid an
d long time fan. The truth about Arnel is that he isn't recognized as he is. He
is there to represent Steve Perry. Fans love Steve and they appreciate Arnel f
or singing on Steve's behalf. When he sings, people see Steve Perry, not him. H
e can't get a name of his own until he get solo. Journey is only about Journey
and Steve Perry.
Steve Perry is in the Bay Area walking his dog most of the time by the park. He
doesn't sing no more because he lost his voice. No doubt that because of his v
oice, Arnel will not be famous for it is his style that Arnel tried to emulate.
Arnel could be as famous as SP but SP will still be the reason why the band su
cceeded.
We're proud of Arnel Pineda .My eldest son watched the downloaded videos in his
PC, then bought a new CD album from Walmart. Even its not a blue ray dvd (who
cares) we watched his performance with glee.A white friend who watched with us,
suddenly became a student about the pinoy culture, there we dutifully infomed
him that all over the world, pinoys are not only a music lovers, but wonderful
singers . Thats one of our greatest contribution to the world!
josephine britten is right.me too has the same impression that americans are mo
re superior than filipinos .that change everything when i come here .many colle
ge students can't even spell a simple english word nor understand some english
vocabulary that we often use in the philippines.i.e, a college guy write the w
ord women as "wimen" and worst the past tense of "pay" is payed..lol
I agree with J Britten's comment. I've lived in NYC, Atlanta, St Louis, and Day
ton. Sadly, an average American is not that smart and hardly knows anything abo
ut his country, let alone other countries elsewhere. In fact, I've met many who
have never left the US, especially those from the midwest. I look foreign to t
hem, but I speak better English, and the irony is that I teach them proper verb
tenses. I've stopped feeling offended long ago...
Arnel's international stardom, in contrast to how he was a nobody in his own co
untry, is just another evidence to the observation that a filipino has more cha
nces of getting recognized for his hardwork, talents and education abroad than
in his own country.
Lea,
Did you really write the following: "An average American is not that smart..."
???
What if someone were to substitute the word "Filipino" for "American" in there?
Wouldn't you consider that to be racist? This "average American" certainly w
ould find it racist and offensive. (By the way, did I use the subjunctive mood
correctly above?)
Just because you lived in several American cities you are not qualified to judg
e the intellectual capacities of 300 million people. Yes, some Americans are d
umb and I'm sure you've met your fair share. On the other hand, some Americans
are brilliant, while most Americans are probably somewhere in between. Are you
a social scientist? How exactly did you determine the IQ of an "average Ameri
can"?
Ease up on the stereotypes. They're not something a "smart" person goes around
propagating.
Steve Perry does not live in the Bay Area, does not have a dog, and his voice i
s just fine,,,
As Arnel is finding out, Perry's changing voice is not the reason Journey brok
e up,,,
As they did with Steve Augeri and Jeff Scott Soto,, they are treating Arnel lik
e hired help,,, And he has NOT been happy
I hope Arnel finds a huge happy career in his OWN wonderful voice ,,, and far,
far away from Journey,,,
Super galing talaga siya. Makes you realy proud to be a filipino. Hat's Off to
you Arnel.
I dol ka anak ko. He is always watching your videos on youtube.
Go go go Pinoy!!
AP is great and so is SP. From an unbias point of view, I don't think AP is em
ulating SP at all. He only slightly sounds like SP but then he does it only be
cause he does not want to step all over the classics. If you listen to the new
songs, AP sounds so much more deeper and harder than SP. SP is more on the so
fter side and he is ever floating on smooth water. Some likes AP's style and s
ome like SP's. I just think AP is good at singing SP's songs, but he is not ne
cessarily a clone of SP's voice. I don't know if SP is retiring though. After
all the hype of the "New Journey", I hear that SP is making a comeback. Ironic
, isn't it? Personally, I like AP's style better. And that smile he possesses
kills and conquers us all!
will anybody answer please... why is it that the album of journey "revelation"
here in the Philippines don't have the DVD which features their vegas concert?
i need to have that DVD!!! Go AP!!!
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I've met many who have never left the US, especially those from the midwest. I look foreign to them, but I speak better English, and the irony is that I teach them proper verb tenses.
Okmulgee Attorney
Material from their Wal-Mart-only release âRevelationâ stands up well alongside the clas sics; album is tailor-made to attract fans of the Steve Perry era of the band. At the second of two sold-out shows at the Greek, Pineda proved he has crossed the line from Perry Karaoke master to respectable lead singer. That the new alb um taps into the energy and blueprint of Journey's hitmaking era makes for a cl ear formula for Pineda to follow and simultaneously gives a band an opportunity to maintain a focus in a career-spanning set.
Best regards, Alex, CEO of youtube to mp3
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he Philippines don't have the DVD which features their vegas concert?
i need to have that DVD!!! Go
I said I was born and raised in the Philippines and I was back home when I first heard those Journey tunes.
Best regards, Katya, CEO of dvd burning software download, configure microsoft iscsi initiator
Very nicely written post it contains useful information for me. I am happy to find your distinguished way of writing the post. Now you make it easy for me to understand and implement the concept. Thank you for the post.
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Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on that. And he actually bought me lunch because I found it for him smile So let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!
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