If you don’t already know, Confessions of a Partyphile, my
radio show, is ending this Wednesday. It has been a glorious four-year ride on
the show but times are changing and I have to do something for myself. To
celebrate the end of a wonderful era in my personal and professional career,
I’m counting down the most unforgettable moments on the show. Here they are:
10.) The first-ever Confessions of a Partyphile show: How
can I forget? I thought about the segments for weeks and weeks and it was
finally time to execute it. I came up with some segments that I still use until
the last day of my radio show like the DRINK OF THE WEEK and EVENT UPDATES. I
had a very limited play list as party music was just on its way to going
mainstream. I remember the first show included Don’t Stop the Music by Rihanna
and Insomnia by Craig David. Yes, it’s been that long.
9.) I got a message from an African-American New Yorker: I
know this doesn’t seem very grand, but an African-America New Yorker dropped me
a message on Facebook telling me that he had been staying in the Philippines
for a couple of weeks and he religiously listened to Confessions of a
Partyphile for two reasons: 1.) His girlfriend was a huge fan and 2.) My show
reminded him of home. According to him, Confessions of a Partyphile sounded
like it was right out of New York radio. It was a very proud and humbling
moment for me because it gave me the sense that I was doing something right.
That Confessions of a Partyphile actually measured up to international standards.
8.) Steve Midnight saying bye bye: I was on the air with
Steve Midnight for over two years and there is no doubt that he was the best
on-air partner I had ad he became such a dear friend. His departure changed the
whole dynamic of the show and really felt like half of Confessions of a
Partyphile left with him. In the end, I truly believe that th show was as much
his as it was mine.
7.) Debuting Make It Better: It was Alessandra de Rossi’s
first single off her first album. We debuted the song before anyone else in
Philippine radio; and it was extra special because Alessandra is a good friend
and the type of music she made was not very radio-friendly. I felt like having
the opportunity to play a song that is not very radio-friendly was a big deal
in advancing her musical career as well as introducing a new genre of music to
the local audience. Plus, Alex took time out of her busy schedule to tune in
the whole time.
6.) Having Chef Bautista on the show: Chef Bautista was a
guest chef for Marco Polo Davao’s French food festival. His usual clientele
included some of the 100 richest people in the Philippines and he got his
culinary education in Le Cordon Bleu; arguably the finest culinary school in
the world. And because I am me, I asked him to share pulutan recipes. I just
find it funny how I had such an amazing and cultured chef on the show and the
only thing I asked him for was the simplest pulutan recipe he had that went
well with beer.
5.)
4.) Having Chef Sharwin Tee on the show: Chef Sharwin Tee is
the host of Lifestyle Network’s Curiosity Got the Chef. Because I am a fan of
the show, the network, the chef, and food in general, it was a really thrilling
experience to have Chef Sharwin on the show, sharing his recipes and
culinary-know-how with our listeners.
3.) Drink of the Week: Bastard Series: The Bastard series is
a five-drink menu that includes a starter (Gin Fizz), The three bastard drinks
( Suffering Bastard, Dying Bastard, Dead Bastard), and a closing drink (Bastard
in Heaven). This five-set cocktail menu is the most lethal drink combo you can
ever consume. It is set that only a special breed actually make it to the
fourth drink. We gave the recipe out on the air, and I had the most
overwhelming response from the listeners who wanted to get the recipe.
Consequently, my blog post which contained the recipe for the Bastard Series
became one of the most popular ones on my blog.
2.) Having 2,000 Online Listeners: This made me realize that
people actually listened to my show. There was an episode of Confessions of a
Partyphile where we actually reached 2,000. During that episode, we started
with about 800 listeners, and by the time we ended we had more than 2,000. Once
we ended the show, the number of online listeners gradually decreased to 500.
What made it special is the fact that they actually listened and partied with
me for the duration of the show; and that told me that people were actually
responding to the show.
1.) Debuting Happiness by Alexis Jordan: Happiness by Alexis
Jordan was released on September 7, 2010. We started playing it on the show the
same day it came out, September 8 in the Philippines. Everybody loved the song,
and it started to pick up. They started playing it in Manila clubs six months
after, and I even heard it played in a club in Dumaguete a year after. I’ve
always felt like Confessions of a Partyphile helped bring the song in the
forefront, or we just got really lucky to be the first to debut a song that
would become an instant dancefloor classic.
