In Wake Up With Jim & Saab‘s latest podcast release, Ely Buendia had a revelation about the real story behind Eraserheads‘ famous song Spoliarium, which has drawn reactions from Netizens.
Netizens who claimed to be avid fans of Eraserheads were not surprised by this revelation because according to them–they already knew about this a long time ago. Others, however, still chose to believe in the myth.
Masyadong nagpapaniwala mga bata ngayon sa kung anong nababasa at naririnig nila. Ni hindi na inaalam ang totoo. Hey kids, para sa inyo 'to.
https://t.co/zaFz9wyLZj
— louis (@rudolphlouis__) March 10, 2021
gulat kayo, 'no? ehe
proud ako na i've known this for a long time na
https://t.co/pf636PJVBx
— rikki 𓆈 | ia uni (@rikkid_) March 10, 2021
https://twitter.com/tapsilogues/status/1369578521098522624?s=20
https://twitter.com/LunaAlyeska/status/1369577246801817600?s=20
"I kinda like the myth"
Subtext: You guys did it! Generations upon generations of Filipinos continuously hear Spoliarium and get to know the story that inspired it (Pepsi).
Hey, this is just me and my thought.
https://t.co/acjQHkn52G
— j-a
(@ja_RPh) March 10, 2021
Di mo kami maloloko HAHAHAH https://t.co/p5bTEtdOjW
— tetaaaan (@SuayanTetan) March 10, 2021
proud podkid HAHAHAHA WUWJAS MADE IT TO THE NEWS Y'ALL
and the comments on Facebook are hilarious ayaw pa rin maniwala hmpfff
https://t.co/4qiN6EyMmV
— abi (@chillabichill) March 10, 2021
@zycatli pointed out that every listener has their song interpretations, but the real story should rely on the artist’s motive.
https://twitter.com/zycatli/status/1369585690682523652?s=20
According to Buendia, the song was just about getting drunk, far different from what many people have come to believe.
“‘Spoliarium‘ is one of those cases where really the myth has sort of taken over the facts and I kinda like it. I kinda like the myth. Because the actual meaning of the song is also again, just really mundane… So, we were drinking that (Goldschläger) and that gintong alak.. that’s what it meant. It’s all about getting pissed drunk,” Ely said.
In the lyrics, part of it says, “Anong sinulat ni enteng at joey diyan, sa pintong salamin, di ko na mabasa, pagkat merong nagbura”.
Due to the lyrics, people associated the song with Vic Sotto; since he is known for his role in Enteng Kabisote.
However, Buendia said that the ‘Enteng and Joey‘ they included in the song were their managers.
“They were roadies. Kaya first time ko nabasa ‘yun, that urban legend, sabi ko, ‘Wow, okay ‘to ah.’ There really is, sometimes, ‘yung mga coincidence like that, you have no power over that. It just happens,” he said.
The local myth says that Spoliarium talks about the rape case of the 80’s sexy star Pepsi Paloma.
To recall, Paloma accused Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon, and Ricardo ‘Richie D’Horsie’ of rape. However, she was compelled to drop the case against them. Though the suspects denied the accusations, they had a public apology and asked Paloma for forgiveness. Paloma also signed an Affidavit of Desistance which is why the case was dismissed.
Ely acknowledged the listener’s creative thinking and he knew that even though he already clarified the real meaning of the song, others will still choose to believe in the myth.
“We were just drinking. It’s about the hangover. But you know, whatever people wanna think about that song, it’s fine.
“That’s the beauty of it. But that’s one of those songs that I’m really proud of. You know, I’m really proud of it if I sing it live all the time.
“Are you disappointed? Pero pustahan tayo kahit sinabi ko na ‘yan, the myth will still go on.”
The title of the song was inspired by Juan Luna‘s famous painting, Spoliarium.
