MR

1. ...and that someday we would be as big as Bamboo...

   
   Bamboo is a Filipino rock act.
   

2. ...Back in the Philippines, old Journey chestnuts like “Don’t Stop Believing” and “Faithfully” have been jeepney “slow rock” staples since they first came out, and if Arnel’s voice seems eerily familiar, Filipinos need look no further than “Foolish Heart,” a huge local hit for erstwhile Journey vocalist Steve Perry and still on heavy rotation in local “mellow touch” stations, thanks to Nina’s acoustic remake of a few years back.

   
   Jeepneys, originally made from American military jeeps left over from WWII, are popular means of public transportation in the Philippines.
   
   For those who are curious enough, here's Nina's version of Foolish Heart:
   Music video
   Live performance
   

3. “I don’t entertain those comments,” says Pineda. “For me it’s negative energy, and I would rather dwell on the positive comments. Those negative comments make me work harder. They give me balance.”
   
   “Besides, I can’t blame them,” he adds. “I understand where they’re coming from. Even me, I’m a diehard Steve Perry fan, so I would be very, very critical of someone else doing the lead vocals for Journey.”

4. “I’m more of an OFW than a rock star,” he says of his current situation. “I’m just like you guys—I’m working.”

   
   An OFW, in Philippine labor parlance, is an "overseas Filipino worker."

“I’m living like a monk now, as in walang (no) good time,” he adds. “Water, vitamins, health foods, vegetables and trying to get all the sleep I can get.”

“Basta ginagawa ko lang s’ya (I just do it),” he says. “It’s hard to explain. Parang (like a) schizo—nag-iiba ang persona ko (my persona changes) once I hit the stage. Sometimes I would psych myself before a concert: ‘Heto gagawin ko ngayon (This is what I will do).’ But once I hit the stage everything I’m doing becomes spontaneous. Nag-iiba na ang energy ko (My energy changes). Before I know it, I’m doing it and I’m performing like a pro every night. Before I know it, tapos na ang concert (the concert’s over)."

jourmapac wrote:this classic reply from AP on the loons...

“Besides, I can’t blame them,” he adds. “I understand where they’re coming from. Even me, I’m a diehard Steve Perry fan, so I would be very, very critical of someone else doing the lead vocals for Journey.”

faithfullyjourney wrote:Good read and the like but...give it a rest!