The Cult sang about it. Poet Wallace Stevens said there are 13 ways of looking at a blackbird. Blur recorded "13" in ’99. There were 13 people in the Last Supper (whether one of them was Mary Magdalene is anybody’s guess). Wilt Chamberlain wore the no. 13 on his jersey. (Whoever guarded The Stilt on the day he scored 100-plus points in one game had a really unlucky day.) Egyptian mystics say 13 is the number of steps between life and death. Scooby Doo saw 13 ghosts in an animated flick. In Judaism, the number 13 signifies the age of maturity.
Thirteen signifies a crossroads of sorts, the same for the NU Rock Awards now on its 13th year. In the words of NU 107 network operations head Cris Hermosisima, "Binata na ang Rock Awards!" Ah, all those years characterized by maximum rock n’ roll for the top bands in the land, minimal clothing for bold-star presenters, and monolithic surprises for music fans. The 2006 NU Rock Awards will be held on Dec. 1, Friday at the World Trade Center, Pasay City.
"The only thing you can expect at the Rock Awards is the unexpected," says NU 107 head honcho Atom Henares, the brains and the brawn behind the annual rock shindig, which rewards the best and the brightest Filipino rock musicians.
Ah, the unexpected. You could count as many unpredictable bits at the past NU Rock Awards show as there are startling metaphors in Tom Robbins’ novels, or the word "like" in Hilary Duff interviews. (Like we give a rat’s ass about Duff’s phony teenage anthems.)
"You never know what’s going to happen at the Rock Awards – you can be sure of that," Atom says with a laugh. (The presenters in this year’s show, according to Hermosisima, include Asia Agcoaili, Katrina Halili and Tony Gonzaga, as well as performances from Sandwich, Parokya ni Edgar, Itchyworms, Pedicab, and US-based Lokomotiv, featuring Wolfgang drummer Wolf Gemora and Razorback guitarist David Aguirre.)
What is not astonishing is how rock music has insinuated itself into everyday existence. Bands are endorsing products left and right, coming up with jingles for loads of products – from beer to shampoo, from fast food to fast cars. Atom considers this a good thing.
"This is a case of rock’s commercial side finally catching up with the artistic side," he says by way of an observation. "The public has given rock n’ roll a chance. This is because the infrastructures are in place for Pinoy Rock to flourish – other radio stations are playing rock music, MYX and MTV are always doing features on rock bands, and you have clubs like 6Underground and Saguijo. We have a good environment for rock n’ roll."
NU 107 is one of Pinoy rock music’s biggest supporters. Most of us remember listening to NU as an antidote to other radio stations during a time when songs by the Introvoys (nope, they didn’t survive), acoustic ballads (the moonlight doesn’t shine brightly in Paris anymore), novelty songs (‘yung otso-otso wala-wala na ngayon), or revivals (it became truly ridiculous when lazy entertainers started doing covers of ’90s songs – the ‘90s, would you believe?) were the apple of the ears of listeners.
Now that rock is the new pop, NU hasn’t wavered in its commitment to crank up the volume and kick out the jams.
"NU 107 and the Rock Awards have been on the scene through thick and thin," Atom says. "In the future, whether the other organizations stick around or not, we will still be there. We’ve been through good times and bad times, anyway (laughs)."
In conclusion, Atom says the concern about the past Rock Awards has always been about security. What does one expect to see in a rock gig, anyway – a bunch of nuns watching foreign acts resurrect their ancient MOR hits in an archeological dig of a concert?
"Let me assure rock fans that we have everything in place in order to make the event safe for everyone. The only dangerous thing about the NU Rock Awards is the music."