It’s a harsh world out there for writers. It’s a 24-hour job gathering life experiences and praying for inspiration for depressingly lamentable pay. To top it off, writers are at the bottom of the artistic food chain, underneath the suave musician, the cool filmmaker, the swanky photographer, and the mysterious visual artist.
And yet, writers strive and continue to push forward. Heaven alone knows why. Despite seemingly overwhelming odds, the wordsmith drinks the punishment and chums out poems, stories; and plays that make sense of this world, that make us see the mundane as something romantic, something more.
It’s a thankless job, but someone has to do it. The secret, I’ve been told, for writers . to cope with the stress, is beer. It seems to be an elixir to soothe literary muscles and renew vim and vigor. Nine out of 10 writers i’ve asked highly recommend it.
It may be a harsh world out there, but it’s a good thing that there are watering holes around the metro that support your friendly neighborhood writers consequently keeping the Filipino literary scene going strong.
CONSPIRACY GARDEN BAR
59 Visayas Avenue, Quezon City
The most notorious of these writers’ paradises is Conspiracy. Put together and co-owned by the heavyweights of the alternative music scene: Gary Granada, Joey Ayala, Bayan Barrios, Cynthia Alexander, Cookie Chua with a pantheon of shareholders, Conspiracy serves as an escape from the hustle and bustle of the fast-moving city life.
The place is a rented-out two-story house with a garden. Patrons can choose to sit at the bar, stay in the music room where performances (often by any of the bar’s owners) are held, or drink under the stars in the garden. Manager and shareholder Tita de Quiros — wife of newspaper columnist and writer Conrado de Quiros — doesn’t quite know why writers have infested their garden bar. “This place attracts kindred spirits,” she says. “We hold alternative musical performances, have a gallery for the painters, and writers hold poetry readings here.”
Originally, Conspiracy was a place for alternative musicians to hang out and drink. They happen to have friends in other artistic fields, who in turn have turned the Conspiracy into a tambayan or a hang-out place. “We’re a friendly place,” de Quiros says with a smile. “Anyone and anything is welcome here.”
Tuesdays at Conspiracy are poetry nights. Food rates are reasonable and five bottles of beer come with a free dish of sisig or baked tahong. There is a relaxed ambiance to the place. Conspiracy regularly holds film showings and gallery exhibits. On Saturday mornings, visual artists hold nude sketching sessions. “I like to think we’re a mini cultural center in Quezon City,” says de Quiros, and I agree that anyone with an artistic bone in their body should really join in on the conspiracy.”
MAG:NET CAFE
335 Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City
It comes as no surprise that a place like Mag:net Café should exist in the crosshairs of UP Diliman and the Ateneo de Manila University. Both universities boast of a healthy stock of artists and writers alike. Mag:net provides a central point of convergence with good Filipino dishes, reasonably priced drinks, and a vibrant artistic space.
Owned and managed by artist and entrepreneur Rock Drilon, Mag:net’s first floor is home to an ever changing, art gallery where accomplished and budding visual artists can showcase their masterpieces. On the second floor is the bar and performance room that, depending on which night of the week, would hold musical performances, poetry readings, or book launches.
“Mag:net means magazine network. We used to just sell magazines,” explains Drilon. “Later on, I thought to go beyond magazines and branch out into art, which is my passion. Then it turned into Mag:net Café, which isn’t just a café but a living, evolving space.” Five years running and still going strong, Mag:net is alive indeed. None of the art in Mag:net is purely decorative. This place is the result of artists taking matters into their own hands, holding an estimated 40 live artistic performances per year.
Happy Mondays hosted by Palanca award-winning poet Joel Toledo are held every first and third Monday of the month, where it’s open-mic night for poets. Second Mondays are reserved for Lunduyan ng Sining that showcases lesbian poetry. Fourth Mondays are presided by award-winning writer Vim Nadera and centers on poetry readings in Filipino. Books, independent films, and music albums sold at Mag:net are mostly made by its loyal patrons. The goal, says Drilon, is to keep the artistry flowing. Mag:net caters not only to accomplished artists but encourages new blood to produce their own works of art.
TAMBAYANAN 1962
8 Scout Madrinan corner Scout Tobias, South Triangle, Quezon City
Located a stone’s throw away from the main Quezon Avenue thoroughfare, Tambayanan 1962 is a relatively hidden, quiet watering hole perfect for the writer who enjoys his privacy, his peace of mind, or just the company of his friends.
Because of its proximity to one of the major TV stations, Tambayanan,formerly known as Newsdesk, inherited a journalist-dominated clientele. It retained Newsdesk’s original two-story design, with the open-air ground floor and an air-conditioned second floor that also holds cultural performances. “The only thing that changed is that the owners became better-looking,” jokes Marc Tanlu, president and general manager of Tambayanan. Around us, a squad of the jolliest and most friendly fratmen I have ever encountered adds to the jokes and the general good-natured atmosphere of Tambayanan.
Co-owned and managed by eight Alpha Sigma Fraternity brothers—Tanlu, Emerson Perez, Robert Tolentino, Emil Ocfemia, JP Amistoso, Allan Tienzo, Chrysler de Guz-man, and Reynold Munsiac— the new management goes to great lengths to make their patrons feel at home and part of the gang. Every night is open-mic night and the reservation fee for private functions is consumable. This, along with Tambayanan’s progressive and liberal ambiance, is most likely the reason why writers flock in droves.
Boasting of such house specialties like the sizzling litid, crispy mojos, and beer-all-you-can promo, Tambayanan not only serves as a hang-out place for friends, but likewise acts as a refuge for artistic recluses and anyone who is looking for an alternative to the mainstream bar and club scene from writing patrons to bikers and car fanatics requesting for their own time within Tambayanan’s welcoming space.
TAUMBAYAN
40 T Gener Street corner K-1st near Kamun¬ing Road, Quezon City
“Saan po ang Taumbayan?” (“Where can I find the common people?”) I asked a group of tricycle drivers in an intersection in Tomas Morato. The moment the question left my lips, I realized how naive I must have sounded. Surprisingly, and without missing a beat, the tricycle drivers all pointed the way, giving me detailed directions on how to get to the writers’ hotspot in the heart of the Morato area.
Taumbayan’s set up is simple: an open-air ground floor and performance space, a cozy second floor bereft of chairs or tables that force close friends to get even closer on the banig and throw pillows, and a balcony area perfect for customers who want their quiet introspection. Co-owned and managed by theatre writer Joel Saracho, Taumbayan has attracted its share of customers from the fields of theatre, writing, television, music, and visual arts. No matter how high-profile the customer, in Taumbayan, they can mingle and be treated like one of the common people.
“Coming here is like going to your auntie’s house for drinks,” explains Saracho. “You feel at home, you’re re-laxed, then a friend of yours drops by and joins you at the table. And then another friend comes over, and soon, you’ll be with your whole barkada, singing videoke on Thursday nights, and eating home-made pulutan.”
Indeed, Taumbayan seems like a crash course on the Philippine’s culture of community rolled into a bar and restaurant. Taumbayan means both ‘common people’ and literally the people of this country. It is unsurprising that Saturdays are open¬mic acoustic nights with Taumbayan providing an in-house guitarist and songbooks for anyone who wants to sing.
There is an open-mindedness and unconventionality to Taumbayan that is uncommon in most mainstream bars and restaurants. “Above all, Taumbayan does not condone censorship,” insists Saracho. The artistic performances held in Taumbayan shy away from no topic—from politics, sex and gender, to religion. Despite its modest appearance, Taumbayan’s real charm is in the people who bring the local color and energy to the place. “It’s nothing fancy,” says Saracho, looking around his modest but well-loved bar. “We’re a very proletarian space.”
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Tags: alternative music, artistic food, cookie chua, life experiences, music room, musical performances, newspaper columnist, thankless job, watering holes, wordsmith