AND we don’t mean April Boy Regino, who is now a US-based entertainer. Believe it or not, the original Philippine Idol (he used the word “idol” as an expression and incorporated it in all 12 albums) is touring the US, from Guam to Hawaii to Chicago, any place where there are kababayan.  We are reminded of April Boy because in one of those encounters with him when his career was at its peak, he made mention of Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” as a major influence.

However bizarre it may sound, “Wonderful Tonight” may be considered the unwitting great-grandfather of “’Di Ko Kayang Tanggapin” and “Ye Ye Vonnel.” 

And April Boy, like millions of Clapton’s fans, surely availed himself of Complete Clapton, the double-disc, 36-track album released under Universal Music late last year, accompanying an autobiographical book.

Ironically nicknamed “Slowhand” by his former bandmates and the British press, Clapton is considered one of the world’s greatest guitarists and songwriters of all time by music critics. He proved to be an open-minded artist, having collaborated with musicians of various discipline, from the masters like B.B. King, John Lennon, George Harrison and Bob Dylan, to someone like Babyface.

Complete Clapton is a trip down memory lane, or what British rock journalist-author Nigel Williamson described as the soundtrack of Clapton’s journeys.

The first CD contains Clapton’s Cream days hits like “I Feel Fine,” “Sunshine of Your Love” and “White Room.” Characterized by psychedelic guitar solos, which were as essential as the lyrics, one can feel the young Clapton’s verve experimentation. There’s also “Badge,” the opus he did with then-Beatles’ axman George Harrison.

For trivia addicts, Harrison and Clapton were both romantically involved with model Pattie Boyd. For whom many labeled as muse to rock gods, Clapton wrote “Wonderful Tonight,” “Layla” and “Bell-Bottom Blues,” while Harrison wrote “Something.”          

Also included in the album are Clapton’s versions of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” and Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff,” both certified hits that videoke singers nowadays love to mangle into surreal “My Way” level. 

“I Shot the Sheriff” was Clapton’s first hit, eventually popularizing reggae all over the world. And, of course, there’s “Wonderful Tonight” and every drug junkies’ favorite “Cocaine,” which is actually Clapton’s version of an original composition by master guitarist J.J. Cale. Clapton and Cale collaborated on the country music-inspired “Ride the River.”

 Disc Two contains later hits like “Tears in Heaven,” “Layla (Unplugged)” and “Change the World,” three songs that videoke guerrillas also love to massacre beyond recognition. His collaboration with B.B. King, titled “Riding With the King,” is lined up next to the radio-friendly “My Father’s Eyes.”

This year Clapton will tour US cities starting on May 3, after which he’ll perform in Toronto, Montreal, Ireland, the UK, Norway, Iceland and Denmark. It was also reported in various media outlets that he has been invited to perform in North Korea, upon the request of his No. 1 fan: King Jong Chol, the son of the infamous national leader Kim Jong II. Reportedly, Clapton has agreed and scheduled a trip in early 2009.

Here’s hoping that Rep. Mikey Arroyo, the son of our President and best buddy to April Boy Regino, could make the same request. It can be recalled the Clapton already performed here in 1978 with Pinoy Rock Queen Sampaguita as front act.

Above all, Complete Clapton is a musical diary of an orphan who never met his real father, survived heroin addiction, alcoholism, a string of failed relationships and the untimely death of his four-year-old son.

In our Gucci Gang-infested biosphere this summer on the beach or up in the mountains, Complete Clapton is surely a better companion than, ugh, cocaine and the like.

Man of the Moment...And Still Counting

THE turmoil still roils in Brian Gorrell as he drives up to his home in the rain forest at Byron Bay, New South Wales. It is turmoil his voice can hardly contain, as off-the-track as this weather-beaten road very much like those leading to mountainous towns in the Philippines.

Eric Clapton and the sound of April

AND we don’t mean April Boy Regino, who is now a US-based entertainer. Believe it or not, the original Philippine Idol (he used the word “idol” as an expression and incorporated it in all 12 albums) is touring the US, from Guam to Hawaii to Chicago, any place where there are kababayan. 

Gab Fab: Jon opens up about Mariel

JON AVILA seems to be the newest “it” boy in showbiz now. After his successful stint inside the Pinoy Big Brother house, people have discovered that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to this half-Irish model-actor. They have seen how he developed feelings for “special housemate” Mariel Rodriguez.

Briefs: Megan Fox tops ’FHM’s’ sexiest women list

LOS ANGELES—Megan Fox is the sexiest woman in the world—at least according to FHM magazine.

The Transformers costar tops FHM’s annual 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll of FHM readers.

More island flavors

TO conclude our story on a couple of new flavorful discoveries in the island paradise that is Boracay, Courtyard Bistro will no doubt also titillate discriminating diners with well-loved family recipes and steak/seafood delights.

Cascada and cross-cultural cuisine

FOR a while there, we thought fusion cuisine had become a thing—or better yet, a taste—of the past. Fusion cuisine, the term, is as bland as hotel food, and gone are the days when every food establishment used the word “fusion” to add sophistication to their steak and paella swimming in oil.

So you want to be a chef in six hours?

THE home of celebrity chefs, the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA) in Manila proved true what Auguste Gusteau of Ratatouille passionately claims—“anyone can cook”—through its six-hour kitchen-immersion program known as Kitchen Discovery Class (KDC), a short program where students can learn the basics of cooking for the first three hours while dedicating the three remaining hours to the rudiments of baking.

Something Like Life: When letting go is the only solution...

AS Celia woke up that morning, the news bludgeoned her.  At first, she couldn’t make out the words that were spewing forth from her mother’s mouth. “What? What?” she asked, still bleary-eyed and feeling dull from her forever sleep-deprived condition.