Take heart though. This year you can give yourself and all your friends who also love Rex, the enjoyable present of having Rex Navarrete available whenever you want him to perform for hours and hours and hours. The Philippine-born stand-up comedian has recorded three CDs over the past five years. But these were then only available in America. Then last month, EMI acquired the rights to the Rex Navarrete catalogue and released all three albums–Badly Browned, Husky Boy, and Bastos–at the same time.
I assure you, listening to these CDs is like getting a front row seat in a Rex Navarrete show. Each one is a virtual anthology of riotous gags. In fact Badly Browned alone has 25 cuts! These are also the most familiar, probably because this set was Navarrete’s first recording and was where he introduced his Pinoy prototypes. The jokes straddle the fine line between the local humor and its Americanized version. The effect can be pathetic, ironic, sad or downright funny. But whatever the reaction, it is a fact that everything Rex jokes about is real. He takes his materials experiences of Filipinos living in the US and acclimatizing themselves to the ways of America. This results in that unique individual, the Philam. He takes their language, their idiosyncracies, their hopes and dreams, everything about them, and then takes aim for the funnybones of everybody.
The Philam experience is something that Rex is personally familiar with. He was born in the Philippines but moved to the US as a child. His biggest influence as far as being comedian is concerned is his mother who is even funnier than he is. He started performing in public when he was 19 and hasn’t stopped since. Given the way his mind works and the way the Filipino reacts to everything, I do not see any chance of Rex running out of materials soon. But to better understand what he has in store for his fans in the future, it is best to check out the past. And this means the CDs Badly Browned, Husky Boy, and Bastos. I say give yourself the gift of laughter this Christmas Season.
The album is titled Muling Balikan, and it is made up of Filipino hits from the past 30 years which have now been given that distinctive Aegis style. The first single releases are Dukha originally popularized by Judas and Father & Sons’ Miss Na Miss Kita. Then there are also Bulag, Pipi, Bingi, Himig ng Pag-ibig, Laki Sa Layaw, Pagsubok, Ang Buhay Ko, Lupa, Panahon, and Baleleng. The best of the lot though is Bayan Ko, the classic composition by Constancio de Guzman and Jose Corazon de Jesus, which is ideally suited to the group’s plaintive singing style.
So ready now, "Spagheti pababa, spagheti pataas, Merry Christmas."