Sometimes, you just have to chase your dream, damnit. For Bernard Badion, telling stories was always an integral part of him and has been a life-long pursuit. Growing up in Sunnyvale, California, the acclaimed Filipino American creator longed to tell stories that people can relate to. And in so many ways, he has already written, produced, and directed a lot of our stories for the world to watch, including his upcoming animated series SUN CHASER!

In this TFAL episode, Joe sits down with Bernard to discuss his journey in the creative sector. Listen as he talks about his penchant for stories of all kinds, his foundation in the Filipino college club scene, and his trials and tribulations making it in Hollywood. And of course, we get into his newest project, Sun Chaser, co-created by TFAL Alum, Bobby Pontillas.

If you haven’t seen the first episode of Sun Chaser, watch it on YouTube ASAP. And please support their Kickstarter and help them make more episodes!

It’s been a while, we know. Life has been life-ing so we haven’t recorded much lately, but we continue to march on. Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on ThisFilipinoAmericanLife.com, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever your favorite podcasts are found.

What stories do you want to tell? Is there one that should be a movie or series? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected].

Is hopia a dessert? What started out as a random argument Elaine and Producer Mike had snowballed into a whole TFAL mini-episode about random Filipino food questions. Listen as the TFAL crew discuss and debate questions like: What is the most overrated Filipino dish? The most underrated? Do you f-ck with Filipino fruit salad? Why is there so much hate towards raisins? These questions and more will be answered once you click play!

Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on ThisFilipinoAmericanLife.com, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever your favorite podcasts are found.

Got an opinion on anything we discussed? Do you have a random Filipino food question? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected].

If you are into comic books, then you must absolutely know Hot Tropiks, the leading distributor of Filipino comics and children’s literature in the United States. The owner and co-founder, Angelo Mendez, together with his wife, Nadine, began Hot Tropiks to bring the bold, imaginative stories of comics to a global audience. In this TFAL episode, we discuss the journey of Angelo Mendez, co-founder of Hot Tropiks. Listen as Joe and Angelo discuss their shared roots at UC Santa Barbara, his hustle as an entrepreneur in hip hop and tech both in the U.S. and in the Philippines, and his take on the Filipino American comic scene today. Be sure to take a listen to this harrowing (to borrow a common comic book adjective) episode. Same TFAL time. Same TFAL channel.

Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on ThisFilipinoAmericanLife.com, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever your favorite podcasts are found.

What comics are you into? If you had to create your own comic franchise, what would it be about? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected].

Today’s the day! “Eraserheads: Combo on the Run” is releasing throughout North America across over 60 screens, one of the biggest and widest releases of a Filipino documentary ever.  And while the exploits of the band are well detailed in the film itself, we thought it would be worthwhile to sit down with Director Diane Ventura and Eraserheads Lead Singer Ely Buendia himself to talk in more depth about what it was like to dig through the Eraserheads archives, explore how the band and their music connected with the broader diaspora, and most importantly… get a little nerdy about music .

Speaking of which, Ely continues to make music and support others in their own musical journeys through his label, Offshore Music Philippines, which you can learn all about at at offshoremusicph.com.

And definitely check out Diane’s other projects at www.dventproductions.com.

Should Diane (or anyone else) make a documentary about the Original Pilipino Music (OPM) scene? Was Joe or Producer Mike’s fanboying super obvious in this interview? Please comment on all our socials, rate us anywhere you find us (5 stars hopefully?), listen to or download the episode through the embedded player on ThisFilipinoAmericanLife.com, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever your favorite podcasts are found.

In the 3rd edition of our Eraserheads-themed mini-series, Les the DJ and Producer Mike reminisce about road trips to the tune of “Overdrive”, and can’t get enough of silly love songs like “Ligaya”.  But what songs are Les and Mike listening to now?  Listen and find out!

As a reminder, on April 24th, Combo On The Run, a documentary chronicling the rise of the band Eraserheads, is set to hit movie screens across North America.  And to truly end our Eraserheads-themed series with a bang,  on that same day we’re going to release a special conversation with…

Well you’ll just have to find out then!

And while this may be the last episode of “Original Pilipino Musings” for now, who knows what the future holds?  Do you want to hear more music nerdery from Les and Mike?   Please comment on all our socials, rate us anywhere you find us (5 stars hopefully?), listen to or download the episode through the embedded player on ThisFilipinoAmericanLife.com, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever your favorite podcasts are found.

Audio clips from “Overdrive” and “Ligaya” used with permission from copyright holders coordinated through DVent Productions.

In part 2 of our mini-series “Original Pilipino Musings” with Les the DJ, we dive into two seminal Eraserheads classics, “Toyang” from their 1993 debut album, Ultraelectromagneticpop!, as well as “Alapaap” from their 1994 follow-up, Circus.  Listen as we talk about what the songs mean to us, and debate whether or not it matters if we properly understand and interpret what they (or anyone else) is singing about at all!

And as a reminder, in a few weeks, Combo On The Run, a documentary chronicling the rise of the band Eraserheads, is set to hit movie screens across North America.  Watch it where and when you can!

What do you think of Toyang and Alapaap? What were your first experiences with the Eraserheads?  Please comment on all our socials, rate us anywhere you find us (5 stars hopefully?), listen to or download the episode through the embedded player on ThisFilipinoAmericanLife.com, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever your favorite podcasts are found.

Audio clips from “Toyang” and “Alapaap” used with permission from copyright holders coordinated through DVent Productions.

In a few weeks, Combo On The Run, a documentary chronicling the rise of the band Eraserheads, is set to hit movie screens across North America.  It’s not often that a film from the Philippines gets a release and a reception as high profile as this film has been getting, let alone a documentary about an OPM band as varied and enigmatic as the Eraserheads.  So since #TFALheartsOPM, we figured we’d dedicate some time to talk about Original Pilipino Music, including our favorite bands, songs, scenes, and subgenres, and of course about the Eraserheads.

But to do the topic justice, we figured we’d use this moment as an opportunity to try something… a little different!

Producer Mike is hosting, sans the rest of the TFAL crew; you know, the one host that never really seems to say much on most episodes? It just so happens that he moonlights as Waxstyles, an inveterate record collector that occasionally DJs as well. And who better to join him on this journey other than past TFAL guest and friend of the podcast Les the DJ? Les was featured waaaay back on Episode 145 when we were doing the “Social Distance Series”… remember that?!  She is a supreme archivist of all kinds of music, but especially OPM from all eras.

And as a result… this is the nerdiest episode about OPM and music in general that we have ever recorded… one that went so long that we’re spreading it across THREE (!) episodes!

So please join us on a little TFAL side quest that for now we’re calling “Original Pilipino Musings”!

Should we make this a regular thing?  Please comment on all our socials, rate us anywhere you find us (5 stars hopefully?), listen to or download the episode through the embedded player on ThisFilipinoAmericanLife.com, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever your favorite podcasts are found.

Here Lies Love, the play about the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos as the Philippine dictator’s wife during Martial Law is now playing in Los Angeles. The TFAL crew had the opportunity to watch Here Lies Love when it first opened at the Mark Taper Forum a couple of weeks ago. Love it or hate it, the controversial musical is a part of our community, and many folks are watching it. It reflects the talent, labor, limitations, privileges, complications, and discourses in and of the Filipino American community.

In this TFAL episode, the crew gives their honest takes on Here Lies Love. They also hear the insights of Professor Christine Balance, who has been following David Byrne’s work on Imelda Marcos for close to two decades. Given her research background on Filipino American music and performance, we thought she would be the perfect person to talk to about the musical. Listen as they share their various experiences watching the production, discuss its high points as well as shortcomings, reflect on the limitations of representation, and convey the musical’s broader implications and reflections of Philippine history and the Filipino American community in general.

Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on ThisFilipinoAmericanLife.com, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever your favorite podcasts are found.

Did you watch the play in Seattle, New York, or Los Angeles? What did you think? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected].

For more accurate and detailed info on the broader Martial Law period, please refer to these resources:

PC: Los Angeles Times

For 10 years, TFAL has been trying to amplify voices from our community, but particular voices from sectors of our community that have been historically overlooked. We are especially attuned to the voices without glitz and glamor, without state-sanctioned narratives, and without algorithmic egos. For our 250th episode, and on the heels of the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, we wanted to focus on the memories of Martial Law, a period in Philippine and Filipino American history when Dictator Ferdinand Marcos ruled the country. Not the “golden years” that the current Philippine administration and its supporters want folks to believe, but Martial Law was a dark time where civil liberties were stripped away, which led to severe human rights violations, including thousands of arrests, torture, and killings

In this TFAL episode, we talk to CAROL OJEDA-KIMBROUGH, a life-long political activist who came of age during Martial Law. Listen as she discusses her activism in the Philippines, the losses she experienced under the hands of a dictator, and the imperative to tell and remember these historical truths without whitewashing narratives. We also get to discuss our opinions on the controversial musical, HERE LIVES LOVE, which is currently showing here in Los Angeles.

For many Filipino Americans, we are somewhat removed from Martial Law Philippines, but it’s imperative that these stories and memories live on through us, particularly during this dark era we find ourselves in the authoritative United States.

This episode is dedicated to the memory of ROLANDO FEDERIS, who fought and died for Philippine freedom, justice, and love.

You can read more about the life of Rolando Federis here.

Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on ThisFilipinoAmericanLife.com, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever your favorite podcasts are found.

What do you think of the episode? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected].

Have you ever dreamed about a TV show with an all-Filipino American cast? What kind of show it would be? Who would star in it? In this TFAL episode, Elaine, Joe, and Producer Mike dream up their ideal TV show by playing The Fil Am Celebrity Draft! Adapted from a game that Joe used to play with his friends (and Dave Chappelle’s Racial Draft, if we’re being honest), the crew takes turn “drafting” Filipino American celebrities to be cast in their hypothetical shows. Listen to see who drafts Marc Descascos, Olivia Rodrigo, Eugene Cordero, and everyone’s favorite, the man with the epic mustache, Mitch Narito! I’m sure you will root for your favorite celebrities (and shows) as you listen to the episode.

P.S. We, the Filipino American delegation, would like to trade Rob Schneider for a warm bottle of San Mig and a couple of kwek-kweks.

Listen or download the episode through the embedded player on ThisFilipinoAmericanLife.com, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever your favorite podcasts are found.

Which of the crew’s TV shows would you want to watch most? Let us know by emailing us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail on Ryan’s phone. =)

Below are mood boards Elaine created that give you hints of what the crew picked.