Eraserheads frontman Ely Buendia shared his candid reaction to a fan who impersonated him in a noontime show's talent competition.
On the Kalokalike segment of It's Showtime last Sept. 5, Alvin Camacho posed as Buendia with wavy dark hair, black sunglasses, black long sleeves, blue jeans, and black shoes. He also donned an electric guitar.
During his appearance, Camacho sang Magasin and, as if he were Buendia, talked about his upcoming solo album Method Adaptor, new song Bulaklak sa Buwan, the United States leg of the Eraserheads world tour, opening act for the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), record label Offshore Music, favorite Eraserheads song, i.e., Ligaya—and even his longtime girlfriend, fellow musician Audry Dionisio.
In an Instagram Reel, Buendia shared a video juxtaposing snippets of the Kalokalike episode and a third-person video of him, his bandmates, and their friends during rehearsals for the UAAP opening watching the segment through a laptop that Dionisio was carrying.
"P***** i**, di ko naman kamukha 'yan eh!" he said, prompting everybody to burst into laughter.
The video cut to the tail-end of the Magasin performance of Camacho, whom Buendia noted was intentionally singing off-key.
"Sinasadya niyang sintunado eh," Buendia said as others were still laughing. "Patay, andiyan pa naman si Jugs."
He was referring to Jugs Jugueta, the Itchyworms frontman who's his friend and one of It's Showtime hosts and Kalokalike judges.
The video then jumped to the interview segment where Camacho as Buendia talked about his love life.
"Ayun okay naman, okay naman kami ni Audry," Camacho said which made everyone burst into laughter anew except for Buendia, who just cracked a smile. Asked for a message for Dionisio, Camacho told her, "rock and roll."
Aside from the laughs, a voice can be heard commending Camacho for doing his "research" for the interview.
In a separate Instagram post on Sept. 5, Jugueta shared a photo with Camacho, tagging Buendia and Dionisio.
"Hello daw, [Ely] and [Audry]!!!" Jugueta wrote with three hug emojis.
Buendia commented, "Congrats lodi!" while Dionisio wrote, "roll and rock?? haha."
Introduced in 2012, Kalokalike sees three contestants impersonating a local or foreign star. Their appearance includes an introduction, a monologue, and a talent performance.
The hosts and judges will also interview them, even as audience members share their opinions about them.
The winner, known as the "Kalokalike of the Day," will take home P50,000.
Camacho won Sept. 5's episode alongside a contestant who portrayed Filipino hip-hop artist Skusta Clee. Another contestant portrayed singer-actor Billy Crawford.
Eraserheads—comprising Buendia, Raimund Marasigan, Marcus Adoro, and Buddy Zabala—was formed in 1989. The band got its name from the 1977 David Lynch film Eraserhead.
They rose to fame in the '90s following BMG Records' three-year record deal offer.
Eraserheads released their debut album Ultraelectromagneticpop! in 1993, which included hits like Pare Ko, Ligaya, and Toyang. They sustained the momentum in their next albums Circus (1994) and Cutterpillow (1995), producing more hits like Alapaap, Minsan, Magasin, With a Smile, and Ang Huling El Bimbo.
They disbanded in 2002 but would remain popular even to newer generations of listeners. They held reunion concerts in 2008, 2009, and 2022.