Rico J. Puno

Hear Direk Freddie Santos

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He was so ugly they couldn’t put him on the cover of his own album. At least, that’s the story according to Rico J. Puno and when you do look at his long-playing vinyl record, the best you get is a contraluz silhouette shot of him standing against a sunset.

But the refreshing audacity of his singing style, his naughty irreverence for anything romantic (or chaste) made him a sensation and a year after his Taglish version (English and Tagalog together) of The Way We Were tore through the local Top 40, garbed in a pink blazer, he was the ultimate poster boy of the 70’s, no longer in silhouette but in the brightest of studio lights.

More than the playing around that he did with the lyrics, I loved the texture of his voice but since he was in the lounge and nightclub scene, a million miles away from the theatre, I never thought he and I would cross paths.

Years went by and as my name rose in the theatre (small market), his began to slowly wane in the music scene (huge market). He had gotten into the printing business and after securing several lucrative contracts, he was making it big in the private sector…too big for the erratic music industry, one would suppose. But once bit, never shy, and in the early 80’s, he decided to make a comeback.

At that time, I was starting to direct concerts and singer Joey Albert’s sister/manager Marissa Albert hooked me up with Rico’s people and next thing I knew, I was face to face with The Man in his condo on Roxas Boulevard overlooking the ocean. We had met to discuss the show and within seconds of entering that condo, I knew I was in for one heady trip.

This had to be one of the most lasciviously-decorated residences I had ever seen…shag carpeting (a no-no in tropical Philippines), heavily padded beige leather furniture (a no-no in humid Philippines) and a full-body capsule-shaped clear glass panel allowing anyone in the living area full view of the shower and anyone in it (no no NO!).

The chosen venue for the comeback concert was the Folk Arts Theater, an 8,000-seater that was rushed into being within 77 days (or 90, whichever website you believe) at the behest of then First Lady Imelda Marcos who wanted it to serve as the setting for the 1974 Miss Universe Pageant. It was thoughtfully designed by National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin to have constant natural ventilation even without air-conditioning and by the 80’s, it was the ultimate concert venue for any singer worth his song. For a fledgling director like myself, this was stepping into the big time.

Budget? Minimal. Credential? Massive!

Plus, we’re talking Rico J. Puno and crazy ideas were normal to him. Nothing deep, nothing surreal, he basically wanted his nightclub act multiplied a hundred times, dirty jokes and all, and he had no intention of holding back.

I, no thanks to my drama background, wanted it all to be…well…bigger than that. I wanted it to be Vegas, he would be Dean Martin. Didn’t take long for me to realize I was actually mirroring what his first album’s producer did years back…keeping him in silhouette. After he told me earthy stories I found my sophisticated self laughing at, I saw it had to be Manila, and he had to be Rico, see-through bathroom and all.

For sets, I had to be inventive. With no money to play with, I erected (perfect word for this man) 4 scaffolding towers and, using rubber hoses filled with small running lights, spelled out his name, one letter per tower. I had a couple of platforms on either side of that 60-foot wide stage just to give him some levels to play with and that was it.

For technicals, I was blessed with Sagay, the resident Technical Director. Sagay was not only knowledgeable, he was sooooo patient with me. I had this thing about the lights being just right – in focus, in color, in timing – and I was picky, picky, picky. I didn’t know enough to handle the computerized Lightboard myself but Sagay got earfuls from me for every major cue. Through it all, Sagay just nodded and did what had to be done.

With barely any theatricality except in a couple of numbers, Rico took over that stage and allowed his personality to become the set. The whole country was still under Martial Law but Rico knew enough to bring his spiels to within inches of obscenity without crossing the border and incensing the Censors. The audience couldn’t stop screaming…or laughing. And thank goodness, my messing around with the technicals never got in the way.

Best of all, my parents were pretty proud. Father was tickled no end and all mother could say was “Hijo…ginawa mo lahat yan?” (Son, you did all that?) “Wow.”

Decided not to tell them about the see-through bathroom in the condo.

Direksions:

1. Connect, Connect, Connect Some More – there are many outstanding things about Rico J. Puno not the least of which is that fiery voice, but if there’s one thing most singers can learn from the guy, it is his ability to connect with his audience. Whether he knows them or not, he likes them, and since he knows he’s no good-looker, he doesn’t bother to try and seduce them. He treats them like buddies at a beer joint and the chemistry between performer and audience is downright real. His songs become the pica-pica (beer food).