Rex Navarrete - Media Projects

Many fans have always wanted me to talk briefly and candidly about the creation of both my CD's and I have never ever gotten around to it until now. I know that I will never give up every detail about all the bits of material that have now gone to take its place in Filipino American comedy.

Bits from 1998's BADLY BROWNED like, "Mrs. Scott's ESL Class" to "Lola's Rosary" to "Sally Struthers" to "Maritess Vs. the Superfriends" (which I ever rarely do anymore...a bit of a feat for me) have now become bits that I have grown to admire personally and make me sit back every now and then and go, "dang, did I really write that shit?" And then after seeing how many of you folks dig it time and again makes me go, "shit, I really did write that stuff." Now where does all of this twisted storytelling come from? I would say it's been within me, it's been within all of us. The magic combination of me, the performer, and you, the audience, has been the catalyst for the creation of this material.

I believe the climate of comedy is changing us and I know that audiences are becoming very sophisticated thinkers, almost rediscovering their repressed imaginations...remember how you had to use this in childhood when there were no toys around? Without imagination, none of my stuff would work for anybody including myself.

Now how did the whole stand-up and CD thing begin? To every present, there's a past. I have been doing comedy live since 1989 where I got my first stab in front of an audience of 800 people at UC Santa Cruz. My buddy and former collaborator, Allan Manalo, couldn't do that gig for some reason due to another booking so I tell him I'm up for the spot. In a nutshell, I first experienced "dry heaves" and "air vomits" right after doing quite well. I know I have that on video and may be able to put it up on my website soon and title it "How Not to Do Stand-Up".

The years after that went by slow and horribly, playing for really bad showcases and really struggling with coming up with my definitive style. Hooking up with a few other Pinoy comics, namely Al Manalo, Kennedy Kabasares and Ron Muriera (the Kuya of Pinoy Stand-Up), gave me strength as a performer and a writer in the early 90's. We would support each other at gigs in and around the San Francisco Bay Area, sometime carpooling to fabulous Fresno, Ca. Collectively, we came together and founded the sketch comedy group along with Joy Bagnol, TONGUE IN A MOOD, which still plays sold-out shows in SF with Al leading an all brand new cast. I'd say as solo performers, each of us stood on our own ground.

Ron started in the mid-70's playing at SF clubs, only in his late teens, sharing rooms with other comics like Robin Williams, Dana Carvey and Rob (yep, he's Pinoy) Schneider just dropping in to do a workout set. The atmosphere for comedy in this city has always been one of support and learning between those who saw this art form as really special and a craft. Ron still remains to be a great teacher of not only stand-up, but staying true to your gift. He works with young people trying to get into college these days.

Al was the first Pinoy stand-up I have ever seen. I actually first met him near the end of the semester in comedy class at SF State University that we were in together. I sat up front and he in the back. Weird shit. I got a lower grade than he did, by the way. The first time I saw his act, I cried my eyes out laughing. From there, I knew I had to take my stuff seriously now. Since then, Al has gone on to tour the entire country on the college circuit and has recently taken on the Directorship of Bindlestiff Studios, the epicenter of Filipino American performing arts. Never miss the opportunity to come see a production there and hang out afterwards with the new blood of young Pinoy/Pinay stage performers.

Kennedy has got to be one of the coolest guys you'll ever meet. He was on Margaret Cho's pilot episode of the now cancelled, "All American Girl" and has now traded in his stand-up act for more theater in the LA area. Look for him in the short Indie film, "Much Adobo About Nothing".

Since the mid 90's, I chose to focus on my solo material. This was the point in my life where I actually made plans to quit doing it as well. I didn't like what I was writing, I wasn't getting the gigs I wanted, plus the local comedy club scene only wanted more of the same kind of comic, a goofy twisted slacker white-boy. I can say I was at least three out the four. But I never lost touch with some of the up and coming comics on the local scene. Kevin Kataoka, a Japanese American comic from Berkeley, gave me a lot of pointers about writing and doing homework. I consider him to be the best Asian American comic working out there right now. Phil Nee from New York was also and inspiration to me too. Rob Schneider was always a cool guy in person and on stage. Andy Bumatai and Frank De Lima rounded off my island flavor style early on as well. But nothing pushed me in the direction of stand-up more than listening to the live albums of Tito, Vic and Joey and of course Eddie Murphy.

Then in late 1997, Kormann Roque of Classified Records and I came up with the same idea, why don't we experiment and record a live show of mine and see how it sounds? So we did. My buddy, Elrik Jundis, produced a venue and a show for me at UC Berkeley's International House on November 1st, 1997. A one-night only, two show evening. This was where "Maritess" was taped. The best thing about accomplishing that feat was helping one of my best friends give birth to her son, Lakas, earlier that afternoon. I became an instant godfather. I named one of Q-bert's tracks after him on BADLY BROWNED. I'd say that that day had to be one of the most blessed days of my life and my career.

On April 20th, 1998, the same production team, now with full support from Classified Records, came together to bring to SF State's McKenna Theater the live taping of BADLY BROWNED in a packed, standing room only house of 700 plus fans. This was so awesome, I never thought so many Filipinos would dig Flip comedy this much and this intensely. Nevertheless, we finished that night exhausted and a couple months later came our with that first live comedy CD. It featured scratch tracks from DJ Q-bert from the Invisibl Skratch Piklz which gave it a Def Comedy Jam kind of feel to it. It still remains to be a great seller online and at my gigs, thanks to your support. I think BADLY BROWNED contains some of my most favorite material to that point in my career. But then came HUSKY BOY.

In October of 1998, the wife of the Philippine ambassador to the US, Mrs. Raul Rabe, decides to throw a dinner roll at me at a show in Washington DC at the annual NaFFAA (what do they do by the way, besides conferences?) conference because she didn't like my stab at the Philippine president, Joseph "Erap" Estrada. And in doing so, she incites a riot in a ballroom of about 600 well-dressed of the who's who in the Filipino American community. One side was booing me, telling me to get off the stage (in Tagalog), then cuts my microphone and the other side were more second and third generation Fil-Ams screaming for me to continue my act. Never will there ever be a moment like this where you would truly see where our so-called community really was at that point. I'd rather play a baptism or funeral than ever do another NaFFAA gig. Take my advise, if you're a performer and you see bread coming at your head fast, get the fu*% out! Take your battles elsewhere. The great thing though is Mrs. Rabe has now legitimized the work of every subversive Pinoy/Pinay performer out here...our shit can be dangerous.

So in April of 1999, I returned to SF State and recorded the second live album aptly named, HUSKY BOY, released in August. Another great show. I hope to put together the behind the scenes video shot by my buddies, Elrik and Joselito. I always wondered, why is that all my life I have always been a husky boy, a husky teen, and still now a husky man? I figured that the world contains two types of folks, the models and us. All my life, most of my personally influential men have been husky. Stocky and compact, intelligent, funny, strong as oxes, fast as hell and sexy to boot.

Favorite husky role models of mine include Sammo Hung, Joe Pesci, Buddha and the X-Men's Wolverine. So in honor of this rare breed of man, I include myself, why not just come right out and say what I truly am? A husky boy! You can't imagine how many husky boys have come up to me during and after a show thanking me for that move. I have a whole army of husky boys out there who got my back. Oh well, guess I can never trim down for that GQ shoot. Take us as we are, damn it!

Anyway, HUSKY BOY the CD took a lot out of me. It is an hour of just straight to the point material about everyday family stuff like "Grandpa" and "Mom" to the more "Aren't White People Funky?" material like "Oriental Aisle/Yokojons" and "Can't Techno'mo".

And for those of you who haven't yet discovered on the CD, the hidden Tito Boy sings "Ipasok Mo" at the very end of the CD itself. Yes, DnH does do back up vocals on that track.

Big thanks to Elvin Reyes for turning my humming into a great melody.

In the Summer of 2001, I officially began my own label called Kakarabaw Productions and released my first independent live cd, "Bastos". For those of you who have already heard this one, you'll see that I've gone into new comedic territory sometimes too much for those of you used to the older material. There's alot of sexually explicit stuff on this one so be warned not to play it for your kiddies. This is the type of albums to come, so put on your seatbelts...it's gonna get even raunchier. Please visit Tatak Pilipino, Brown Jungle for my previous CDs. My latest one, will be available at my primary e-tailers at http://pinoymall.com in Southern California. Hopefully, they'll be carrying my other soon to come line of merchandise like T-shirts and other stuff.

In the winter of 2003, I released my first ever live DVD to fans, entitled HELLA PINOY filmed live in San Francisco. This is the first project that truly captures the best of my material for the hardcore fan. Within it, I include never before seen early standup footage, segments of "The Rex Files" and a behind the scenes making of the concert. This is the biggest project I've ever put out there and I'm quite proud to share with all of you that now have it.

In 2005, came the release of his follow-up DVD entitled, "Badass Madapaka" filmed live at the historic Wiltern LG Theater in Los Angeles. This DVD also contains footage from his tours in Manila, Honolulu and San Francisco. We get a glimpse into his life on the road and the unique audiences Rex gets in front of. In 2006, "Rex In The City" debuted on MTV Philippines airwaves. This is the first ever Stand-up/Sit-com to broadcast in Asia.

Otherwise, I will try to have audio and video available to you the fans via Quicktime or Real Player. Remember to take care of yourselves and be good to one another, it's that simple. And if you didn't already give the gift of laughter to someone, buy my CD's DVD to mail out to them!

Stay Down and Stay Brown,
Rex "Bastos" Navarrete