Spolarium



Songs are created by songwriters to express their feelings, to tell their stories, and to say their disappointments for something. All of the songs are meaningful - they may expressly or impliedly say something from within.

One of our viewers suggested a topic to me through e-mail. She asked me to create an article on a song with a hidden meaning on it or backmasking. I became interested, so I begun searching songs with hidden meanings. There were many, but only one caught my attention - the Spolarium of Eraserheads.

The Song



The song Spolarium was written and performed by the Eraserheads, and was included in their album - Sticker Happy. The song was allegedly hiding something puzzling behind the poetical lyrics. People who hear it might not understand instantly what was in there if they don't know the story. On the other hand, people may also misunderstand the song if not gently inspected and studied.

Now, let's have the lyrics of the said song.

[Taken from Internet:[1]]

Spolarium
By: Eraserheads

Dumilim ang paligid
May tumawag sa pangalan ko
Labing isang palapag
Tinanong kung okay lang ako
Sabay abot ng baso
May naghihintay
At bakit ba pag nagsawa na ako
Biglang ayoko na

At ngayon di pa rin alam
Kung ba’t tayo nandito
Pwede bang itigil muna ang pagikot ng mundo

Lumiwanag ang buwan
San Juan
'Di ko na masasakyan
Ang lahat ng bagay ay gumuguhit na lang sa 'king lalamunan
Ewan mo at ewan natin
Sinong may pakana
At bakit ba tumilapon ang gintong alak dyan sa paligid mo

At ngayon 'di pa rin alam
Kung ba’t tayo nandito
Pwede bang itigil muna ang pagikot ng mundo

Umiyak ang umaga
Anong sinulat ni Enteng at Joey dyan
Sa gintong salamin
'Di ko na mabasa
Pagkat merong nagbura ahhh…

Ewan mo at ewan natin
Sinong may pakana
At bakit ba tumilapon ang spolarium dyan sa paligid mo?

At ngayon di pa rin alam
Kung bakit tayo nandito
Pwede bang itigil muna, ang pagikot ng mundo
Pwede bang itigil muna, ang pagikot ng mundo
Pwede bang itigil muna, ang pagikot nga mundo

Spolarium
By: Eraserheads

The surroundings dimmed
Someone called my name
Eleven(th) floor(s)
And asked if I was okay
While handing me a glass
Someone was waiting
And why is it when I’ve had enough
Suddenly I don’t want it anymore

And now, I still have no idea
Why we're here
Can we please just stop the earth from revolving

The moon shone
San Juan
I may not be able to ride (on it)
Everything is just drawing a line (trailing) across my throat
You don’t know and we don’t know
Who did it
And why did the golden liquor spill all around you.

And now I still have no idea
Why we are here
Can we please stop just for now, the world from revolving

The morning cried
What did Enteng and Joey write
In the golden mirror
I can’t read anymore
Cause someone erased it ahh…

You don’t know and we don’t know
Who did it
Why did the spolarium spill all around you?

And now I still have no idea
Why we are here
Can we stop it for now, the world from revolving
Can we stop it for now, the world from revolving
Can we stop it for now, the world from revolving



Meaning of Terms



The title Spolarium (misspelled from the real term Spoliarium) was actually a 19th century painting of our hero - Juan Luna. The painting is now displayed in the Malacanang Palace. It depicts a picture of a scene in a Roman Coliseum with soldiers dragging cadavers of gladiator out of it. The painting signifies the death or absence of freedom or the loss of hope of a country.

The Spoliarium, in Latin, is a word referring to the basement of the Roman Colosseum where the fallen and dying gladiators are dumped and devoid of their worldly possessions.[3]

Other than that, there were also other obvious words in the song that might imply something important.

According to a website[1], these are the words he considered are important facts of the song.
  • San Juan
    This might refer to a place. The verse 'Di ko na masasakyan (I may not be able to ride on it.) might tell you a clue of a jeepney routing to the place named San Juan.

  • The word gumuguhit
    Gumuguhit came from the simple verb guhit which means to draw. However, the song didn't really mean to draw. Gumuguhit is actually a kind of feeling - sensing something sharp that trails across your throat, especially if you're drinking a liquor.

  • Enteng and Joey
    Enteng is a name presumed to be Vic Sotto, as it was his name in his popular fantasy movie, Enteng Kabisote. And Joey is Joey De Leon. They are two famous comedic icons in the Philippine entertainment scene or more appropriate mass culture. (You can still watch them every noon of Monday to Saturday on Eat Bulaga in GMA Channel 7.)
  • The Alleged Story



    Some people said that the song was actually telling us the story of Pepsi Paloma who was said to be a rape victim. They said the rapist was Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon and Richie D'Horsie.

    She was given a liquor till drunk. When her consciousness was lost, she was raped.

    The case happened in 1982. Joey de Leon along with Vic Sotto and Richie D'Horsie made headlines when underage actress Pepsi Paloma accused the trio of gang raping her. The case was settled out of court and the trio made a public apology to Paloma. According to Pepsi Paloma, it was mainly Tito Sotto who coerced her to sign the affidavit of desistance to throw out the filing of the rape case, which is punishable by death penalty at that time. Justice was stopped from moving when the comedians humbly made a public apology to the judge to where they admitted to the crime committed to the starlet. Paloma committed suicide by hanging herself afterwards in 1985, due to the trauma she experienced from the hands of the comedians.[2]

    There were rumors that Pepsi didn't actually committed suicide, instead she was killed to stop her from testifying in court.

    As the Spolarium resembles an absence of freedom, Pepsi's death indicates the absence of justice.



    The True Story



    It wasn't actually about the case of Pepsi Paloma. Yes, the story of the song did happen but wasn't connected to the prior sad story.

    In fact, it was telling us about how a drinking spree started.
    It was evening, Ely Buendia was about to go home. Then he was called out by somebody on the eleventh floor of a condo in San Juan (particularly in Unit 1108 of that condominium). He was asked if he's alright (as it was our habit, saying Kamusta? or How are you?). Somebody hand him a glass of liquor. He stayed there till morning.

    The gintong alak (golden liquor) is a Goldshlagger. Enteng was one of the Eraserheads' roadies that time; Joey a.k.a. Cowpunk, a classmate of Raims, was a member of the Eraserheads' posse. Thus, the song didn't have any connection with Vic Sotto as Enteng and Joey as Joey de Leon. What the two wrote using their hands in the mirror was Ely's true name but slightly erased. So he can't read it properly.


    Last Updated: April 08, 2014

    Source:
    [1] http://aragonasten.wordpress.com/2008/06/29/spolarium-by-eraserheads/
    [2] http://www.istorya.net/forums/general-discussions/550586-pepsi-paloma-and-meaning-behind-song-spolarium-eraserheads.html
    [3] http://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/nationalmuseumbeta/Collections/Spoliarium.html

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    Comments

    1. Spot on with this write-up, I truly think this web site needs far
      more attention. I'll probably be back again to read through more,
      thanks for the advice!

      my site ... Buy Elier

      ReplyDelete
    2. It is better to be an open sinner than a false saint.....

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      Replies
      1. pero mas nakakairita na yung iniidolo mo e isa palang kriminal eww

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      2. Mas nakakairita na yung sinasabi mo ay di naman napatunayan

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    3. Busisiin bawat istorya.huwag agad maniwala..

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    4. well thats the end of this urban legend!!tnx sa info sir,,,,,hope marami makabasa pa....para hindi maligaw ng mga kwentong barbero,,,!!!

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    5. People who believed the connection of the Pepsi Paloma case to the trio are fools, how can Enteng be Vic Sotto when Enteng Kabisote only appeared in 2004 and the song has been there before that. Philippine people are very easy to coerce.

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      Replies
      1. Entengg kabisote galing sa okay ka fairy ko..batang bata pa si aiza non,mga 3 to 4years old..so noon pa sya enteng kabisote..oh baka di mo na nadatnan ang original na okay ka fairy ko?

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      2. Isip isip naman dyan. The song was written in the 90s. Enteng Kabisote was already a household name in the 80s.

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      3. I looked up Bryan Posas' profile and he looks very young. Meaning, when Okay Ka Fairy Ko aired, either he's still not in his mother's womb or he was just a toddler when it aired.

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      4. okay ka fairy ko premiered 1987.

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      5. Bryan Posas - you were born yesterday. Get into a topic you know something about. Either you're too ignorant or just stupid.Enteng is Vic Sotto's name in okay ka fairy ko since the 80's. Okay ka lang ba pare ko. Tikom mo na lang bibig mo, nagmumukha kang tanga eh.

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      6. Hahaha antanga nung isa! 2004 lang daw yung enteng kabisote eh 1989 pa lang nadidinig ko na ung enteng kabisote na un hahaha

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      7. Si Enteng Kabisote po ay lumalabas sa Okay Ka Fairy KO! noon pa, sitcom nya po yan nung nasa ABSCBN pa sya hanggang malipat sa GMA7

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      8. nakakatawa nmn... =) parang sablay ung info na binigay mo ser... enteng kabisote is galing sa original na sitcom ni vic sotto na okay ka fairy ko my movie rin po nito... original partner dito ay si alice dixson :)

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      9. Bryan Posas bago ka sana bumanat nagsaliksik ka muna, para hindi ka pinutakti ng komento. Magsaliksik kang maigi ng hindi ka mabuhay sa kamangmangan...

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    6. ^Sir know your details first, Enteng Kabisote is the main character of the sitcom Okay ka fairy ko which starred Vic Sotto way back in 1987. He has been known by that character ever since. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okey_Ka_Fairy_Ko!

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    7. Tanga at bobo naman ng Bryan Posas na yan... hindi ka pa pinanganak siguro nung naging issue ang rape case na yan then you say people are fools?
      Hindi lang naman si Pepsi Paloma biktima ng Joey at Vic Sotto eh (try mo punta ng Multi Nat'l Paranaque may babae dun na 'allegedly' raped by Joey and the gang in the 80's) Impossible naman no connection din.
      Hindi porke't napapatawa nila ang mga tao, wala silang kinalaman sa krimen.

      At matagal ng kilala ng bayan ang Enteng bilang Vic Sotto (See above post)

      Philippine people are very easy to coerce??? coerce is not the right term, replace it with something, kiddo. (Or baka ikaw yan?)

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    8. Bryan posas bago ka mag comment mag research ka muna!oh kaya panoorin mo yung original na okay ka fairy ko para malaman mo kung gaano na katagal yung enteng kabisote!kung may tanga dito ikaw un!hindi mga tao!

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    9. Rest in Peace pepsi paloma.

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    10. FAST FORWARD 2014.WHY IS TITO SOTTO RALLYING FOR THE RETURN OF THE DEATH PENALTY WHEREIN IN 1982 HE DID EVERYTHING HE COULD TO PREVENT HIS BROTHER, VIC SOTTO AND COMPANY FROM BEING ELECTROCUTED??? THIS IS SOMETHING TO PONDER UPON........DAVID DYLAN ELIZALDE PUZON.1V

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    11. If this is the real story behind the song, then why the title "Spolarium"?

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      Replies
      1. "spoliarium" not spolarium..read the bottom part of the alleged story them you'll found out why..

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      2. i have read this article twice. pero if the explanation at the bottom part is true, bakit nga "spolarium" ang title ng song? if all songs are meaningful like what is written sa umpisa ng article na to, does it make sense na sabihing pinili lang ng random ang misspelled word na spollarium (which is a painting na nag eexpress ng injustice), as in for no reason? wala naman akong nakikitang injustice o kawalan ng pag asa sa "totoong storya" na nakalagay sa huli. sa mga may alam ng sagot, please enlighten me.

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      3. Maaaring yung "True Story" ay yun talaga ang meaning nung song, pero pwede ring sinadya ni Ely Buendia na gawan ng double meaning yung song which is yung "Alleged Story".

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      4. SPOLARIUM po is salitang kanto ng "suka". e di ba mag lasing sila nung nangyari yung issue..

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    12. PEPSI....backwards ISPEP....might be a stretch but i think it's brilliant to call the song Spoliarium especially how it was used in the lyrics...spoliarium in old roman era as depicted by the painting meant "stripped of all human rights and dignity"....and in the song it meant that spoliarium was all around the person being sung to.

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      Replies
      1. Haha... Sir Spoliarium means 'gladiator's morgue' in ancient rome.. Please research first before giving facts. :D

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      2. ikaw dapat mag research sir...tama sinabi nya...yun ang kahulugan ng painting ni juan luna na pamagat ay SPOLIARIUM...read first before you comment

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    13. To those boycotting Eat Bulaga, try to connect with us here>> https://www.facebook.com/kotawinters

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    14. As an artist, I really liked this song and somehow I find its lyrics somewhat unusual. Perhaps this is the explanation to it. and It was only a matter of time till someone unfolds its meaning.
      I felt sad for Pepsi..
      I hope justice is served one way or the other. They will get what they deserved.
      Nice post by the way.

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    15. wow.. ngayon alam ko na.. wala palang meaning yun hehehe im bad

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    16. JUSTICE for this Young girl...

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    17. And why does the philippine tv allowed a 14years old girl to be a bold star at a very young age???

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    18. si papa madaming kwento 2ngkol s grupong yan...khit ung dating bf n dina n nilumpo ng grupong yan..they are young and stupid at that time...

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    19. Knowing Eraserheads parang masyado nmang mababaw kung gagawa sya nang kanta based sa true story na sinabi dito.. parang mas madali pring paniwalaan ung alleged story na hindi nman malabong mangyari at may basehan namang maituturing.

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      Replies
      1. Mas astig nga yun eh. Kasi kahit sa ganung eksena lang, nakagawa na ng malupit na kanta.

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    20. FYI: Ang spelling ay "SPOLIAIUM" hindi spolarium. have a nice day!

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      Replies
      1. ano pinaglalaban mo? eh mali parin nmn pinagsasabi mo

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      2. ahahahaha.......

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    21. baka naman ganun nalang ang statement ni mr. buendia kasi ayaw niyang maging one of the victims nina vic? naisip lang. (:

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    22. Wala talagang justice sa pinas pag mayaman ang kalaban.

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    23. Kung ano-ano nlng maisip pra mtanggal sa ere ang eat bulaga. Too pathetic.

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      Replies
      1. ano pong kung anu-ano lang? that case is a serious issue. pwede bang isantabi ang pagiging fantard and open your eyes?

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    24. 11th floor is too high for someone to notice kung may tumatawag sayo. I still believe that it is related to the Pepsi Paloma rape case. Eheads just ignoring it because it would really be a BIG ISSUE and BIG SCANDAL for Vic Sotto and Joey De Leon whom is respected until now by younger generations.

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      Replies
      1. Plus one bro. It would create a lot of hatebreed for eheads. Very cryptic and sad song

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    25. Actually right now im having my lunch in front of my lappy while also watching eat bulaga and when my classmate posted about the "spolarium"-thingy in facebook and it made me search into google and after i read those blogs. I totally lost my appetite (oh my gosh!). the story, i find it so creepy. Mahirap mag judge hindi natin alam puro gossips lang din kse yan.. walang taong sobrang sama and same as lahat ng tao ay may tinatagong ugaling kahayupan.. right? matatabunan yang issue na yan kung hindi sumulat si Ely ng kanta, it only reminds us na may mga taong hindi na nabigyan ng justice kaya an diyan yang kanta na yan ay para malaman ng tao na dapat kailangan ng justice na sana wala ng maulit pa na ganyan. Let's Pray For Them.. Rest In Peace Pepsi Paloma.

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    26. Allegedly the girl was a bold star, her alleged manager manipulated her how she could have more money. Before an actress can be included in a movie there is what they called a "screening" to see if the girl can really act. They had chance to do different scenes in a room and in the process there was a kissing scene. Somebody took pictures of it with a hidden motive to use it for blackmailing purposes. This was a sort of test to see if the girl can be included in their coming projects. The girl was forced to agree with her manager to blackmail the popular hosts which during those time are earning so much and are very popular. The movie industry has full of dark sided people who will do anything to earn big money. Their dark intentions did not paid off. She was not earning much even though she had already did couple of bold movies, the girl was just a startlet during that time and life during those times are really hard for her. Nobody tells what she had gone through before she can have roles of bold films. Somebody might have taken advantage over her, the producer, directors etc. and that she has already accepted. You cannot do bold films without having experience those sorts of bad experiences. Years passes and plenty things happened to her, she met different types of people, she was allegedly into drugs. Being bold actress did not do her good but only made her to become very degraded and her blackmailing the host did not do good to her which became a nightmare for her career. I still believe that if you do good and your conscience is clean then you will continue to be blessed. Where are the people she accused before? where are they now? majority of things happened to them are good.

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      Replies
      1. Haba ng sinabi. Lol!

        Tanong: bakit nag apologized ang tatlo on national tv kay paloma? weird ah. Sila na accused sila pa nag sorry? Lol.

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      2. It is because of their naughtiness there are sample scenes which involves like kissing scenes, and since they are all comedians and not dramatic actors on romantic films etc. They felt guilt on taking advantage of it, which was not really needed in their comedy films but even though they are all actors and actress they still apologized on what they did.

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      3. Okay na kuya. Lol.. haba

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      4. We can always believe what we want to...even lies. We can always look on the 'brighter side' though sometimes, the bright side hurts the eye. Humans are too smart that we can convince ourselves on believing our self-made reality.

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      5. nag apologize ba? may video po ba kau? pwde makakita?

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    27. Ely Eleandre Buendia was a Genius. That's it.

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    28. I hope one day that Buendia will unfold the story behind this song.

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      1. The group wrote this song in "retaliation" (sort of) to senator sotto dahil panay ang paninira nya sa eheads for their song alapaap, which the senator saw as a song glorifying drug use and getting high. this was the group's own take of the beatles' "lucy in the sky with diamonds" aka LSD. after this was the issue naman ng backmasking wherein several songs by the group had hidden "satanic" verses in them. after (useless, wasteful, & unnecessary) senate inquiries into this & media sensationalization at the time (which only translated to increased album sales), the so-called "issues" finally died down. and as they (issues) did, the group now released their fruitcake and sticker happy albums, the former having a backmasked intro for the song "fruitcake" which, if i remember correctly, had a hidden message of "merry christmas everybody, happy new year too!"- the chorus of another song from the same album, "old fashioned christmas carol". this was in response to the backmasking thing that the eheads were accused of. after this was ung spolarium naman, which again hinted on the hypocrisy of the "good" senator na akala mo e napakalinis at nag-clean living nung kabataan nila. that is as far as memory and insider info go, because it really has been a while for me. this article just brought back memories kasi hehe

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    29. hehehe.. medyo sablay ser bryan posas... research research muna... :) pano nmin paniniwalaan ang blog mo if d nmn reliable ang mga nilalagay mo po... batang 80's here

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    30. Just want to point out, if it is really about a drinking session how come the official music video for this song shows a girl resembling Pepsi so much? is that a mere coincidence? well, hopefully the truth will come out someday, justice for Pepsi.

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    31. Bakit puro kayo Pepsi Paloma. Nasaan na si Guada Guarin? Di ba nandoon siya? Bakit hindi si Guada ang tatanungin o kamag-anak niya tungkol sa alleged story?

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    32. {\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252
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      \f0\fs26 \cf2 \cb3 \expnd0\expndtw0\kerning0
      \outl0\strokewidth0 \strokec2 Ive been a fan of Eheada since 3. My bro used to listen to them ALL THE TIME. And yeah the song was great, its all worth listening. But lets take a pause: what happened to mainstream music nowadays? Bang-Bang shitty gloryhole, or some twerk ur booty? Im a musician by heart. And i know how it feels back then. So different than today. :( geniuses killed by androids

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    33. Guys, I watched the Spoliarium music video of eheads, the girl looks like Pepsi Paloma. I guess Ely really relates the song to her rape case.

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    34. Sasabihin ni Ely inuman session lang toh pero yun totoo para kay Pepsi talaga yun kanta. Bakit naman yun title Spoliarium diba? Tapos yun MV kamukha pa ni Pepsi.

      Recently Tito Sotto commented on this issue, sabi niya gimmick lang raw toh ede wow. Gimmick lang pala ang rape at death? Tapos may sinabi pa siya na namatay si Pepsi dahil sa drugs. Walang maniniwala sa kwento niya kasi lahat ng tao mas maniniwala sa Spoliarium kesa sa mga pinagsasabi ni Sotto.

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    35. Ako lang ba ang disturbed sa fact na sinabi nya na nasa MalacaƱang ang Spoliarium? This was posted in 2013 but I remember wanting to go to National museum (noong 2013) because of the painting. Nasa National Museum po siya. Anyway, great blog you got here. Despite the comments--- yeah I do think they're right. You should get your facts right before writing anything. Still, everything about this blog is entertaining. I love reading about Urban Legends. :)

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