YOU think The Beatles’ three-part, six-hour “Get Back” documentary massive enough to transcend the limits of creativity?
Think again, fellers.
Danny “Sir John” Isla, my fellow Beatlemaniac and the former Lexus Manila president, is about to rival that Disney+ blockbuster with his epic five-part take on CTL (Cesar T. Lee), the enduring founder of Toyota Alabang Inc. Here’s Sir John’s latest obra on CTL.
“CTL and I are both fond of listening to good music. Nung kalakasan pa in the early 90s, CTL would always tag me along to Music Lounges, Hotel Lobbies and bars. Basta may singer or band playing, papasadahan namin yan because we both have critical ears for good sounds.
“Our auditory senses were even enhanced by Hennessy X.O, the only alcoholic drink na pasado sa panlasa ni CTL. He would always have ample stock of that bottle in his office. Mula noon, naging suplado na rin ako when it comes to drinks. Na-influence ako ni boss. Pati sa yosi he’d tell me to throw away my local Marlboro, replacing it with a US blue seal pack of Marlboro Reds para kung magka-cancer daw ako, sosyal ang dahilan.
“CTL would also tell me not to drink Fundador. Panghugas ng paa yan. Minulat nya ako sa kasosyalan. Mula noon, suplado na rin ako. Tulad nya. Ha ha ha.
“We also went to sing-along bars. One of his favorites was the Bacchus at Intercon Hotel. People would go there to unwind by singing, karaoke style.
“The place was, of course, classy [hindi pwede si CTL sa chipipay na lugar]. Bacchus had compartmentalized bays, such that you wouldn’t see who was singing because of the partition. We went there to consume an X.O bottle and enjoy listening to different singing styles. Pag nasa mood si CTL, babanat sya ng kanyang walang kamatayang ‘Let Me Try Again’ by Frank Sinatra.
“One time, while we were casually dining and drinking, may kumanta na sobrang napakaganda ng boses. We were craning our necks to check her out, but we could not see her because of the partition. We asked the waiter kung kilala nya yung kumakanta. Customer lang daw and he didn’t know who she was. Because she was so good, we wrote song requests coursed thru the waiter. As usual, yung requests may nakaipit lagi na crisp new bills with Ninoy’s sad face.
“After a series of requests, the waiter told us na ‘medyo napipikon na yata yung kasamang guy nung singer.’ We felt bad because there was no malice in our gesture. We were simply awed by the way she sang.
“Annoyed, we billed out and while on the way out, sinalubong kami nung guy introducing himself as a son of a governor.
“Medyo malakas ang dating kaya I introduced myself this way: ‘Nice to meet you, son of a governor. I’m Danny Isla and I’m a son of a bitch.’
“Dali-daling hinila ako ni CTL palabas to avoid trouble. Malakas lang loob ko noon kasi kasama namin si Kid, bodyguard ni CTL… LOL.
“Guess what? The lady singer turned out to be Lani Misalucha!!! Kaya naman pala!! She must have been in her late teens or early 20s at that time.”
PEE STOP The sudden virus spike recently has thrown us again in virtual disarray. My entire brood went for the anti-gen test last week—twice. By God’s grace, we were good each time. But a couple days later, my wife and I had dry coughs and stuffy noses. We wanted the RT-PCR but all testing centers we had called up were fully-booked. Irked, we stopped calling—protected by the thought that we didn’t have fever, body aches and fatigue, and difficulty in breathing, the omicron’s chief triggers. As I write this, we all feel fine. With God, the road is safe.