What I've Learned: Jim Paredes

It takes a different level of artistry and musical genius to write the great APO Hiking Society songs that are now in the annals of Philippine music history. Songs like Batang-Bata Ka Pa, Panalangin, When I Met You, Yakap sa Dilim, American Junk, Blue Jeans, Mahirap Magmahal Ng Syota Ng Iba, San' Na Nga Ba'ng Barkada Ngayon, and Nakapagtataka, among many others, are already considered OPM classics.

But did you know that Jaime "Jim" Paredes, one-third of the Philippines' most popular trio and the songwriter behind the above-mentioned hits, only acknowledged his talent later in life?

"It took me a long, long while to be able to take a compliment," he tells Esquire Philippines in an interview held at his Quezon City home. "If let's say you come up to me and say, ang ganda ng When I Met You, I would say thank you. But in my mind, I always doubted and thought, siguro bebentahan ako nito ng encyclopedia or tupperware or something. Parang I wasn't comfortable."

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It was only during his midlife crisis that he came to terms with his musical gift. "The whole thing was so spiritual," he shares about the turning point in his life. It was also during this period that he took up Zen and discovered more about himself. From then on, he decided to devote himself to music, as an artist, composer, and teacher.

We got to know the man behind the music more deeply through this interview.

I didn't study music, but I just knew there were parts where I gave my own understanding of it. Music was like food to me.

I was very shy when I was younger. I couldn't make eye contact, especially with girls. But I could play the guitar. The guitar for me was like a parallel language. I was able to express my angst. Even up to now, I can say what I want to say by singing.

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You'll never completely learn about women. They truly are one of life's mysteries. As the saying goes, "Can't live with them; can't live without them." But I can live with my wife. (Laughs.) Women are inspiration, perspiration, charm, and poison. They are something else. I think you only become wise about that in your 70s. Throughout your life, it's like you don't understand. Or you think you do. And even in your 70s, you'll have lapses. You'll think, "Oh, I should have done this. I should have done that."

PHOTO: Joseph Pascual

The magic of being an artist is creating something from nothing, especially if you're a songwriter. Some people work with tangible, physical things, but I work with the sounds I hear in my mind. I need a guitar to express these sounds. It's almost magical. I can create good songs that people identify with, which become the theme songs of their lives. And I can make bad songs, too.

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When everybody likes something, don't go there. That's always been my philosophy in music. If you do, you'll sound like everybody else. So, I never buy top 40 music. I want my influence to be untraceable.

It was easier to be a music artist before. There were very few actors. People had a longer attention span for music, so you could have intros lasting 45 seconds. Ngayon, wala nang attention span. Siguro 15 to 20 seconds na lang yun. So, even my songwriting sort of adjusted to that. Although, when you think back to the past, songwriters who were great then already knew that you had to take off quickly. Some people never took off.

Take your audience to a place where they've never been. I think that's the whole idea of being a creator, a writer, or a lecturer. You can achieve this, as Hollywood has shown, through surprise and delight, or shock and awe.

I had father hunger. My father died when I was five years old. I didn't understand why it happened to me until much later on. I was always looking for my dad, even up until high school. I was blaming him for my life situation. I remember in grade three, there was a parent-teacher meeting. Everyone had a dad there. I didn't have a dad.

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For me, money is important. I worked very hard and saved diligently. I always said that I would never let my children starve. I also told my wife that I would always take care of her. For every P1,000 that I earned, I saved P950. During work trips, I didn't even buy candies because I felt it was a luxury. When we order in a restaurant, my family orders whatever they want, but I always choose the cheapest option. Even up to now, I still order the cheapest. It's out of habit.

You raise children for them to outgrow you, not to be a mirror of you. They have their own gifts. Biologically, you are my son or daughter, but you have your own life.

The death of romantic love allows true love to enter. The reason why so many couples separate is because they think love is about the thrills, about hearts skipping a beat, and blushing over flowers and diamond rings. The physical aspect and the thrills of love will be gone, and you won't need those anymore. Ang kailangan mo lang ay yung presence niya. Hindi mo na kailangan sabihin na, "I need you," pero alam niya na kailangan mo siya.

Our family was very political, and we always expressed ourselves at the table during meals. We're liberal democrats, so the Bill of Rights is very important to us. Human rights are very important to us. We were raised with middle-class values. My mother always said, "When you borrow money, pay on time. Kapag may binayaran ka, tama dapat yung sukli." And then you read about corruption. So when People Power came, I was very gung ho. And we actually won. I thought we were very unique because there was no bloodshed and all of that.

PHOTO: Joseph Pascual

We were rebels. We took artistry to the point where, if you have to be a rebel, then you be a rebel. Hindi tayo gumagawa ng ikebana na magpapaganda lang ng mundo. All respected artists like Pablo Picasso and Charlie Chaplin stood their ground. And maybe that's what it means to have integrity as an artist.

Story: Rhia Grana
Photos: Joseph Pascual
Makeup: Xyrene Eugenio
Hair: Mutya Cabrera
Production: Mig Mabanta
Video: John Mariano
Creative Direction: Igi Talao
Editor-in-Chief: Paul John Caña