"Reflections after listening to 'Wild Thing'"
The surrounding is quite noisy because of the speakers
for the clear one there's another video below.
It was last last friday when this writer went to a concert in UP Diliman that featured the "Ukay-Ukay" king and veteran Punk Artist Romeo Lee. And upon seeing him both at front and back of the stage, he seemed to be jovial to some and strange to others as his funny antics made people laugh over it. That one example is his usual singing of his favorite song: WILD THING.
Wild thing...
you make my heart sing...
You make everything
Groovy
I said wild thing...
These words are somehow strange to an average listener of today, except those who kept on listening to The Troggs or Jimi Hendrix singing while playing guitar in it. But Romeo Lee put some comical flavor, plus screaming as he sung the chorus of that said song. Nice as what This writer heard of him singing his "Anthem" of his, that the listeners converge near the stage enjoying and taking some pictures and photos of himself singing with a group of blind players organized by Tado Jimenez.
However, that song Romeo Lee hath sung somewhat affects me enough-expecting that everything faced a wild, weird world that made everyone difficult to move on, that Romeo Lee, as other people think of him remained a Punk, of a strange person living in a crampy house and engaging in painting that others think of it as morbid and dirty; this writer may had been like that, being strange because he writes, draws, having a room that his parents insisted to be organized, to the extent of arguing because of wearing Dr. Martens, speaking of that, what's wrong in wearing Dr. Martens anyway? Was it because it made him strange? Oh God! What a strange world so to speak-as pessimistic people tend to interpret things pessimistically such as sculpture and boots, or even including the music he listened to.
Anyway,
Such artistry, whether it is Music or Visual Art mirrors both the individual and of the society he/she belongs to. That if religious images, pop culture and traditional politicians shaped the imagination of an artist, perhaps the result would be strange that made Andy Warhol famous and Mideo Cruz being scrutinized because of his works featuring artists, sex gadgets and religious figures that obviously mirror the Filipino society itself. So is Romeo Lee that also created strange artworks that would described it as "Wild Things" set upon to canvas including those of religious figures also being made by Lee, that perhaps mirrors the individual's false sense of faith being used for overtly materialistic purposes.
This painting, inspired by religious figures such as the Santo Nino are surrounded by realities such as cartoon figures and apathetic people, perhaps it showed emphasis that the figure of the Christ Child itself is a part of a pop culture since Religion in the Philippines remained dominant same as the current culture what people engaged or compelled upon with. Strange so to speak that painting Romeo Lee hath made, but then it is the reaction coming from an actual reality based in every surrounding a Filipino sought, experienced with.
For sure most people are rather likely to argue regarding this writeup. But then, despite being called civilized in this hell of a kind society are rather trying enough to hid its wildest character. Yes, there are modern buildings, technology, gadgetry, everything that binds humanity itself but then there are noble savages making things...groovy the way Romeo Lee sings Wild Thing in front of the people.