Pineda’s Journey (2)

Fanaticism, like love, is blind and fans cannot see. And what makes this whole Arnel Pineda sensation a virtual festival of the blind is the revelers’ tendency to misconstrue their idol’s act as the hallmark of Filipino identity and the triumphant torch of Pinoy pride and talent. They would like to believe that the rock clone is now a great artist, a musical demigod poised to take the nation and the world in an uplifting, well, journey.

Well, a closer scrutiny will reveal that the hosannahs are misguided, and if voice and singing-style could be patented or copyrighted, the stamp proudly Philippine-made would certainly invite legal action unfavorable to Pineda.

At the bottom of this Pineda fanfaronade is the idea of a successful Filipino whose talent impresses the world and whose hard work has paid off. Nothing wrong with that except that this whole idea, when gleaned from or in the context of the Pineda experience, is a misconception, a faulty assumption based on a misappreciation of circumstances and weak understanding of culture and society.

There is no argument that Pineda sings very well – every note is sang with musical precision, every melody filled with emotion. But this talent becomes problematic when viewed from the perspective of originality and purpose. It becomes an issue when this talent is used to imitate another, especially a popular one, and pass it off as good as if not better than the original.

Pineda was hired as Journey’s frontman not because he is distinctly Pineda, but because he sounded like Steve Perry – every note, every melody. I would like to ask – would they hire him if he sang like Justin Timberlake or John Mayer? Or, let’s not go far, would he be the vocalist that he is now if he looked and sang like Yoyoy Willame? I wonder how Journey would be received by fans in the audience if a John Mayer wannabe sang Open Arms. I wonder if they would record an album to revive the group if his singing resembled that of Timberlake’s. And I wonder if Pineda’s fans would still be in ecstatic rapture the moment a Yoyoy Willame look-alike and sound-alike belts Faithfully.

Seen from this, Pineda’s talent in singing is actually a talent in imitating. And this is what endears him to his fans – his ability to sing the songs they love, in a manner so close to the version they care to listen to. They love him for the covers he does, be it Survivor’s or Journey’s. He can sing Heart’s Alone really good, but where will that take him to? Not a frontwoman stint in that band I am sure.

The truth is, Pineda is admired not for singing his own songs – he has some originals I understand – but for recreating Journey’s hits as popularized by Steve Perry. Another truth is, he is really talented – and I believe he is – but he should strive to become his own and develop his musical artistry outside of the Perry mold. This should be the true measure of Pineda’s talent, not the musical costume his fans love him to wear and gauge with their copycat barometer.

An analogous situation would help explain things. What’s the point in producing a fake Louis Vuitton purse using quality material and excellent labor then pass it off to the world as good as if not better than the original when one could have used the same resources and talent instead in creating something orignal? Where is pride in this sense? What is the Filipino mark in this?

If Pineda is really a great talent that Filipinos are so proud of, why would it take a clone act in a popular band to recognize that talent and make it big? Why was the degree of appreciation by his fellow countrymen during his pre-Journey days not as high as it is now? Why were there no declarations of “proud to be a Filipino” when Pineda was still a small time gig player for God-knows-how-long? Why does that pride surface only now when a popular foreign group has taken him in?

Why do we have to measure our success by our ability to become like others and never by our ability to become our own selves? We have talent, so rich and so abundant, yet we would rather waste it endlessly trying to copy – literally – what others have already achieved.

Which brings us to the issue of Filipino identity. What is Filipino in Journey’s songs? What is Filipino in Steve Perry’s voice? What is the Filipino music and culture being promoted by Pineda’s singing talent? Whatever Filipino identity Pineda has in his journey is one by accident – being born in the Philippines – nothing more. And that is not the true measure of being Filipino.

Of course Pineda is a Filipino. I did not say he is not. But he is only by nationality. And it simply ends there. Of course Pineda is also proud to be a Filipino. I do not doubt that. But his pride does not emanate from identity and consciousness – going by the success story of his personal career. He is, like most of us are, only proud of where he comes from, but not proud enough to proclaim a consciousness of his own people’s distinct arts and culture.

Sadly, he is not representative of Flipino cultural development, or of people’s genuine aspirations. He is not indicative of our collective forward march as a people. He is a poster boy of the sorry state we are in, a testament to our synthetic culture and an indictment of our society.

This is not to hate Pineda. This is to put his story in its proper perspective, see it in real light and cast away its illusions. This not to put Pineda down but to appreciate him and his – well – journey for what he and it is really worth. This is not about jealousy with an individual but a sincere concern with what is wrong with our society.

I assume that this Pineda festival will continue. But, with due respect, let the fans be forewarned, no matter how much it may dash their hopes or dampen their spirits: that by remaining a copycat, Pineda is only as good as the last Steve Perry hit or sound he imitates – faithfully.