Lessons from Eddie

The man who has logged 36 years in show business as emcee, actor, band singer and director now lies helpless in a hospital after a stroke. Eddie Mercado has undergone a procedure to remove a clot in his nape and had to undergo craniectomy (in this operation, a portion of the patient’s skull is taken out to prevent swelling of the brain).

Now he needs another operation so the surgeons can put back the portion of his skull that was taken out. Hospitalization continues.

His wife, Marivic, is appealing for help and Richard Merk has hosted a fundraising concert called A Song for Eddie to help raise funds for Eddie’s growing hospital bills.

For those who didn’t know Eddie Mercado, the question is how did he figure in local showbiz landscape?

He had his first crack at emceeing at 13 in Teenage Jamboree during the time of DZMB. From then on, he metamorphosed into a seasoned TV host and radio personality.

In time, he not just voiced movie trailers, he acted in some of them.

He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor as the friar in Lupang Hinirang and had a supporting role in Dito Sa Aking Puso, both megged by the late Orlando Nadres. His last was a role in Sabado Nights and Ikaw Naman Ang Iiyak (directed by Joel Lamangan).

Until his brain surgery, Eddie, 65, was still hosting Bingo Panalo for PAGCOR and doing a lot of emcee jobs on the side.

In 1998, Eddie sat down with this writer and recalled his life and times.

He said he would divide his life’s chores into radio days, TV days, freelance days, emceeing days, performing days and the like.

At the time, he still did product launchings, corporate events and once in a while, beauty pageants.

Which ones were the most memorable to him?

He singled out his stints with Channel 11 and recalled a funny incident. "I was doing a TV show but the building was on fire. My singer left in a huff. Before the camera man deserted me, I calmly announced to my viewers that I would pause for a while but I’d be right back. I never did. The building burned down."

In one beauty pageant aired live on the air, he was about to announce the swimsuit category of the competition when he heard yelling backstage. The floor manager signaled him to stretch the segment. It turned out that there was some hair-pulling scene between some candidates because one used the swimsuit meant for the other. While the stage manager was trying to stop the "beauty brawl," Eddie had to spin anecdotes to make the long wait bearable.

Eddie himself could not think of embarrassing moments he went through.

He explained: "Maybe because I have learned the art of covering up: that should an embarrassing moment happen, parang sinasadya. I moved around and could still make a joke about it."

Other memorable moments included doing live shows at the Araneta Coliseum rubbing elbows with the likes of Harry Belafonte, Matt Monroe, Patty Page, Timi Yuro, Jack Jones and Andy Williams.

He did lounge acts and performed here and abroad.

When he once performed in Subic, he would always remember the sight of the marquee with Sarah Vaughn’s name opposite his. In Bangkok, the marquee would read Louie Armstrong 8 p.m. The Ventures and Eddie Mercado, 10:30 p.m.

So he made the rounds of beauty pageants not just in Manila but in neighboring Asian cities.

What makes a good emcee?

Eddie invented the word "humble-lity" which was simply the ability to be humble.

He pointed out additional "do’s."

"Don’t look overconfident. Never look too authoritative. Otherwise it will create apathy or hostility. Just be up there. Be pleasant and look like you know exactly what’s going to happen even if, in some instances, you don’t."

Another thing – an emcee should know the countdown and be ready for any contingency if there is a sudden change of highlight. He added, "You should know the content of the show and be ready where to jump and what to do. It’s like doing something in a pool. If you don’t know the deep part, patay ka."

In this regard, it is not advisable to just pick up someone for an emceeing job without preparation. Eddie said these instant emcees would end up an overnight star or an overnight embarrassment. (I recalled a house concert where an instant emcee said, "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome soprano Nolyn Cabahug").

Does he still get nervous after hosting hundreds of shows and special events?

Yes, he does and he thinks it is necessary.

He explained: "This is something else people don’t realize about stage fright. Let me quote Anthony Quinn when he said, ‘Thank God for stage fright because without it, you are not going to try your hardest."

Did he actually plan to try another life outside of showbiz?

He replied: How can I envision another life when this has been my life?

He concluded: "This is what I have loved so much. This is where I lived and breathed and will die for. So I cannot change it. I just have to keep pursuing. Go for perfection, if you can. Be better than the best and keep going."