In the stories of our youth, mankind's origin is closely knitted with the "original sin" concept, which stemmed from Eve tempting Adam into taking a bite of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. This probably spurned the theory that anything "forbidden" arouses the curiosity of almost everybody. The lure of the forbidden makes the object more exciting to sample or explore.

Take for example WHOLESOME, Andrew E's very controversial and of course, "forbidden" album, which according to the self-righteous sectors of society, is an album that should be banned. Parents have spoken up and the verdict is that the album should definitely not be made available for the youth to listen to. In fact, in several provinces, parents have filed a case against him, which they hope would make the radio stations stop playing Andrew E's songs. In Baguio, particularly, the City Council conducted a hearing for a case filed by a private citizen also seeking to ban Andrew's songs from Baguio radio stations.

But thanks to these modern day "moralists," the said album has now returned to the No. 1 spot in sales charts of Odyssey, one of the largest chain of record bars in the country. It has also certified the album platinum, translating to sales figures that soar past 40,000 units sold. For that, Andrew admits he owes the people who talk about the album and create the buzz around it in adding a higher degree of curiosity among the very youth whom they seek to "protect." To Andrew's amusement, he cannot really see why there is a need to tell the radio stations what they can and cannot play, when the listeners themselves are the ones asking for the songs to be played.

But really, what is the fuss all about? WHOLESOME is merely Andrew's way of expressing his humor. Sure it may not sit well with the whole population, but he believes people, especially the kids today, have enough discretion to know what they should or should not listen to, what school of thought they should believe in or toss out the window. He aims to amuse people with those "naughty' lyrics while at the same time pointing out the reality in it, because whether we choose to believe it or not, these things do happen, albeit behind our parents' backs.

He does not encourage kids to do anything they don't want or have to do, but he does point out certain truths in life that even kids have the right to know, lest they be caught off guard. Without trying to rationalize or moralize Andrew's point in bringing up topics most parents consider taboo, ignoring these facts of life as if they don't happen make people more of hypocrites.

In Andrew's case, ang pagkabastos ay nasa pandinig ng nakikinig. Kids certainly get it that his lyrics are out there to poke fun and nothing else. In the album, there has never been a vulgar word, much less curse words that our kids hear from foreign songs anyway. For instance, one Manila station would not play Andrew's song "Maggy," citing the bastos factor, but they do play this foreign single whose lyrics demoralize women and call them mean names. Could it be people just can't understand or simply ignore English slang, even when they are outright bastos and instead pick on a local artist because he just happens to be easier to slam. If parents raise their children well, then the harm would be in making them grow up ignorant. If kids know better, and most of them do, they will not be swayed from their moral foundations.

In truth, most of Andrew's released singles are not playing on some radio stations at all. Andrew does not even attribute the increased sales of his album to radio airplay. Yet, instead of "moralists" putting everyone off and burying Andrew's musical career six feet under, his album is selling hot off the shelves again, and with a vengeance. WHOLSESOME already hit the No. 1 spot in Odyssey's sales charts in the early weeks of its release, but after the holidays, it came right back up. A website devoted entirely to the album gets as many as 20,000 hits a month. His provincial shows draw crowds of nearly 15,000 or more. And while this "morality" battle rages on, the truth is, most radio stations do have a copy of the "forbidden" album, with some of them already putting out and playing other cuts as well.

So therein lies the irony. But after all is said and done, Andrew is still a true crowd-drawer, whether in his shows, movies or the record bars. And the biggest truth of it all is that he tests the waters and rocks the boat, and he loves doing it. And curiously, when he does, people take notice.

PROUDLY BUILT BY CHRIS MASICLAT 2000

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