Mother Lily, may naiwang offer kay Martin; naranasang maging Mickey Mouse ang boses sa concert

May naiwan palang movie offer si Mother Lily Monteverde kay Martin Nievera.

“The only one who is ready for this... The only one who offered me a movie.., like lately, was Mother Lily,” pag-amin ng Concert King.

Ahh anong movie ang nagawa mo for Regal Films?

Maria Went to Town?

“No, no, but something with Maria. You’re right. Maria Went to Town was a good movie. I love that movie. That’s my best role. Wala pang Jim Carrey, ginagawa ko na ‘yun. Manood ka ng Maria Went to Town. Yeah, because my idol is Jerry Lewis. And years later, meron tayong Jim Carrey. Sinong idol niya, Jerry Lewis. No, but Mother Lily wanted me to be the ex-husband of Maricel So­riano in some movie, but Maricel was so busy. I said, me? ‘Kaya mo yan, Martin. Kaya mo ‘yan.’ Ganun si Mother Lily. ‘Kaya mo ‘yan. Kaya mo ‘yan.’

“Never happened. But I don’t have time for a movie right now. Do you really want to see me in a movie?” sagot pa ni Martin nang tanungin namin kung balak pa niyang balikan ang pagiging actor.

Naka-ilang films ka? One lang ba?

“No naman. I have a few, like 6 to 8 movies. And the best ones were comedies. Mother Lily never lost money with us because she always had smorgasbord just in case the Martin and Pops (Fernandez) thing didn’t work out. With Martin-Pops, Manilyn (Reynes), and Janno (Gibbs), and two others, William (Martinez)... So it’s like a trilogy, just in case. That movie took one year.”

One year?

“Because Mother Lily kept changing the title. You know what it ended up becoming? Because of some martial arts movie called Magic to something...She called it Magic to Love,” pag-aalala pa ng one and only Concert King nang makausap namin sa The King 4Ever media conference last week.

Bilang 42 years na siya sa showbiz, may pagkakataon bang nawalan siya ng boses?

“Right now, actually, because back in the day, I used to do shows almost every single weekend. There was even a time at the Music Museum when I did two shows a night. That’s six hours of singing. So my voice was Mickey Mouse.

That’s why na-burnout ka? “No, not burnout. Pagod, yes. Paos, yes. But after the six hours of si­nging, my voice was Mickey Mouse. Then may duma­ting na ibang singers. So less shows for Martin, less shows for us, ‘di ba. So I’m singing less. So the vocal cords are not stretched, and I don’t vocalize daily. I never had to. I had so many shows, right? So now, like now, I’m jet lagging. This is different. But when I get a little cold, a little sick, or a little sip, it affects my throat. So what is the cure? Rest. Because your body has to push the voice. Never mind this. But if this is tired, walang lalabas dito. Huwag ka na lang kumanta.”

Pero may concert ka na nawalan ka totally ng boses?

“Yes. In Los Angeles, California, I made the mistake of arriving the day of the show. And I had a few hours, so I said, I’ll just take a nap. Wrong move. Paggising ko, oh my God.

“Guess what I learned that day? That should have been the end of my career. Sold-out show, Valentine’s dinner.

“It’s a small place—maybe a thousand, less than a thousand people—but the tables and chairs—you know what I learned that day? Stand-up comedy. You know what I joked about. Back then, it was my recent separation. So being the crappy husband that I was, I was joking about what I did to deserve where I belonged. But my voice was like this.

“I had no voice. I sang, but people were croaking. So I told them, I can cancel or I can sing with this voice. ‘It’s up to you.’ They said, “Sing.” Bahala na. Imagine a Broadway medley na walang boses. But the more we pushed, the later the night became. Remember, I’m singing at 4 o’clock or 3 o’clock in the morning in the Philippines time zone? ‘Yung paggising ko for the show. So there’s that too. So never again ako nag-arrive... That’s my new rule now.

“I don’t arrive on the day of the show anymore. And no naps,” pag-amin niya sa nasabing karanasan nung nawalan siya ng boses.

Ay may pangako siya sa mga manonood ng kanyang 42nd anniversary concert sa Smart Araneta Coliseum sa Sept. 27, 8:00 p.m.

“After forty-two years of my career, I will bring you back to nostalgia. I will bring the ‘80s back with every song I sang and the last 42 years. Sana, we have enough time for 42 years of music with a lot of special guests I invited to name a few: Gary (Valenciano), Regine (Velasquez), Ogie (Alcasid), and Pops. Even my son, Robin, is flying from Chicago with my grandson just to be part of this concert,” sabi ni Martin na hindi bothered kung nag-iba man ang landscape ng music industry at marami na ang mas batang singers at followers sa social media.

Stage director si Paolo Valenciano and musical director si Louie Ocampo. Produced ang The King 4Ever ng Team-A ni Ogie Alcasid with Cacai Velasquez.