Usapang Gen X (Part I)

Since the first decade of the new millennium is coming to a close, I decided it’s time to look back and write about my generation – the so-called Gen X (Generation X, para ‘dun sa mga may gatas pa sa labi) of the 1990s. I realize that by the next decade, say 2011, Nirvana’s groundbreaking album Nevermind (released in 1991) will be officially considered a classic, since it takes 20 years for something to be called “classic” or “old-school.” (By the way, the baby's name in the Nevermind cover is Spencer Elden. He's probably a teenager by now. It's amazing to think of the part he played in music history without ever having experienced it.) The same can be said for the Eraserheads' long lost demo tape Pop-U (made in 1991, the precursor to 1992's Ultraelectromagneticpop).

Ibig sabihin sa susunod na dekada magiging “retro fashion” na ang mga “in” noong 1990s. ‘Tangina, malapit na palang maging old-school at retro ang generation ko. Mauuso na naman kaya ang, Sperry Top-Sider, Bulldog shoes at DM’s (Doc Martens)? Eh ‘yung sobrang faded at tight na Levi’s 501 button fly jeans na naka-fold sa ibaba? Fashionista na naman ba ang lalakeng long hair (a la Steven Seagal o kinky a la Slash) at may hikaw sa magkabilang tenga? Teenagers would probably refer to the music of grunge bands like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden as classic rock. Old-school RnB na rin siguro ang Boyz II Men at siyempre old-school HipHop na si MC Hammer. Who knows, maybe the next generation of teenagers would look at the music of the Eraserheads the same way as the Apo Hiking Society? Parehong old-school, parehong pang-Standard section na lang sa Odyssey o Music One.

Anyway, going back to Gen X. People say that Gen X came from the fact that our generation is indefinable. We were living proof that the Post-Modern Age has finally reached mainstream consciousness. Almost simultaneously, all schools of thought failed. Christianity, or Catholicism (Filipinos’ concept of Christianity), has failed us. I mean, we’ve become more and more spiritually bankrupt. Our generation can still remember the mantra of corporate America in the 1980s: “greed is good,” or so Oliver Stones says in his 1986 film Wall Street. Ang resulta – globalization. ‘Di ba mas trip kainin ng mga Pinoy ang imported na SPAM kaysa Bentong Footlong? On the other hand, Communism has failed as well with the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Idol ko pa naman si Karl Marx at Mao Zedong. Pero ispatan mo ang Russia at China ngayon, free market economy na sila. Pati ‘yung mga naging presidente natin noong 1990s, mula kay Cory Aquino, Fidel Ramos hanggang kay Erap Estrada, eh wala namang nagawang matino. Jovito Salonga and Raul Roco could have been 2 of our greatest presidents after Cory but, unfortunately, majority of our countrymen chose a former martial law enforcer and coup plotter (Ramos) and a former movie actor (and if I may add, a terrible one at that) and perpetual womanizer and alcoholic (Estrada). Pati si Bill Clinton, na akala ng marami sa Amerika ay kasing husay ni John F. Kennedy, ay nakipag-sex sa intern niyang si Monica Lewinsky sa loob ng oval office, with matching props na tabako.

What I’m saying here is that we belong to a generation with no real heroes to look up to. After going through a very idealistic and anti-establishment period in the 1960s, our parents in their middle age became the very people they hated and fought with when they were young. As for us, the children of the Baby Boomers, we had no role models to emulate. Instead of trying to be like our parents, we turned to Kurt Cobain, Eddie Vedder, Bono, Kim Gordon, Courtney Love, Alanis Morissette, even Madonna and Axl Rose. At siyempre kay Ely Buendia, Dong Abay, Cooky Chua, Myra Ruaro, Basti Artadi, Rico Blanco, Chito Miranda at ang walang kamatayang si Pepe Smith. They became our heroes because they felt what we felt. We grew up with them and we understood each other. They became our voice. When Bono sang, “We’re one but we’re not the same. We got to carry each other,” we all wanted to live in that kind of world. When Alanis Morissette sang, "It was a slap in the face. How quickly I was replaced and are you thinking of me when you fuck her?," every woman of my generation felt her pain. At ‘taga-ibang planeta ka na lang siguro kapag hindi mo memorize ang lyrics ng Pare Ko. Lahat ng lalakeng sawi sa pag-ibig eh siguradong kinanta (o sinigaw) at one point in his life ang “Oh, Diyos ko, ano ba naman ito? ‘Di ba, ‘tangina. Nagmukha akong tanga. Pinaasa niya lang ako, letseng pag-ibig ‘to!” habang tumutungga ng either of the following: gin pomelo, Tanduay Rum ESQ, gin bulag, or your basic San Miguel beer.

OR… Is it possible that Gen X, like any other label for any generation, is actually a marketing tool in order to sell Levi’s, DM’s, Sperry Top-Siders, Coke, Pepsi, political correctness, Grunge Rock, Alternative Rock, etc? Similar to what they’re doing now with American Idol and Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition. I guess the answer is yes. But nevertheless, I love my generation. I love the 90s. Our generation gave birth to the Internet and digital technology, to Kurt Cobain and Sonic Youth and Ely Buendia. We were the first to put environmental and ecological issues to the mainstream. The same goes for gay and lesbian issues. Like our parents in the 1960s, we were a generation of romantics who tried, and are still trying, our best to change the world.

As we enter our mid-30s, let’s just hope we don’t end up like our predecessors. After all, we now know that greed is NOT good.