singing and dancing to Korean pop with Renzie Baluyut. It’s undeniable. “Nobody” by The Wonder Girls is everywhere. See, it’s Christmas party season in the Philippines, and it’s customary for offices and schools and groups of friends everywhere to have real festive Christmas parties, involving lots of food, gift-giving, as well as singing and dancing. […]
Tag: Renzie on Music
Baz Luhrmann’s “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)”
Share This Post: listening once more to the Mary Schmich-Baz Luhrmann collaboration, with Renzie Baluyut.
About ten years ago, I remembered pushing for this song to get more airplay at the radio station I was working for then.
The song was “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)” by Baz Luhrmann. It came out in one of those international samplers the station subscribed to, and I loved it the first time I heard it.
It was inspirational, it was different, it had a positive message to it, and it made for great listening. At the time, the prevailing rumor was that it was taken word-for-word from a Kurt Vonnegut commencement speech he gave for the graduating class of MIT.
Much later, it turns out that Kurt Vonnegut had nothing to do with the song. The original piece of work was by Mary Schmich, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune.
From Wikipedia:
Luhrmann explains that Anton Monsted, Josh Abrahams and he were working on the remix when Monsted received an email with the supposed Vonnegut speech. They decided to use it but were doubtful of getting through to Vonnegut for permission before their deadline, which was only one or two days away. While searching the internet for contact information they came upon the “Sunscreen Controversy” and discovered that Schmich was the actual author. They emailed her and, with her permission, recorded the song the next day.
However, “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)” wasn’t radio-friendly- the single ran for more than 7 minutes (you can play 2 songs in 7 minutes), and it wasn’t backed up by any significant marketing effort from the local recording companies.
I managed to sneak the song in several times within some of my special programs, but Baz Luhrmann’s “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)” unfortunately, never saw the heavy radio rotation I felt it deserved.
Nevertheless, the song remains very inspiring even to this day. So here it is, along with the spoken-word lyrics to it. I hope it inspires you too.
Continue reading “Baz Luhrmann’s “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)””
Hey, You Wanna Win an iTouch?
a chance to win cool stuff with Renzie Baluyut. Yes you can get your grubby little fingers on your very own iTouch, courtesy of our friends from the Filipino-British rock sensation Firefalldown! You may have already heard of Firefalldown, or read a little bit about them online. So why not get to know Firefalldown some […]
Red Box Now Has Nintendo Wii Games!
Insights in Business Innovations with Renzie Baluyut. I think it’s a great idea. Here’s a business that really has its customers in mind, coming up with new and innovative ways to keep them coming back: Red Box Karaoke. As it is, Red Box is still one of the best places to go if you want […]
10 Ways to Relax on a Rainy Day
by Renzie Baluyut
It’s the rainy season at around this time of year in the Philippines, so you can expect the usual downpour in the afternoons and early evenings. There’d be times when it would be raining all day, and if you’re really lucky, you’ll find yourself in the path of the occasional tropical storm.
It’s that time of the year when it’s most prudent to bring an umbrella with you everywhere you go. You take your chances if you’re planning an open-air event, and you always have to plan for contingencies when making out-of-town trips.
When I used to deal with events for the old radio station I was working for, this was the time of the year when we would plan a lot of indoor activities. I would have a preference for events and promos involving spas, restaurants, hotels, movies and lots of shopping. Of course, you do your best to come up with more creative executions of all kinds of below-the-line activities.
So if you’re looking for a few ways to just kick back and take it easy on a rainy day- something that doesn’t involve a PC or your workstation in any way possible- here are a few tips that might just hit the spot.
Renzie Baluyut Online 