A versatile artist, Miko Pepito’s spoken word creations are grounded in his affinity for music. His multifaceted pieces mix poetry with music, movement, and a touch of madness. Tastefully offbeat and highly original, his music, matched with his playful yet poignant poetry and trademark maneuvers, morphs each performance into a head bobbin’, foot stompin’, finger twitchin’, funkadelic experience. Get to know a little more about this artist from his Q & A.

Thank you for giving us this interview.

PTM: Where are you from?
I’m from Quezon City, Philippines.

PTM: Tell us a little about yourself?
Miko Aguilar: I am Miko Aguilar; my stage/pen name is Miko Pepito. I’m a music producer; most of my clients are performers and game developers here in the Philippines and around Asia. I also play bass for a singer/songwriter named Nityalila (http://nityalila.multiply.com). I produce/direct videos and live shows. I am an improv actor. I give creative development workshops. I lead an inter-disciplinary group of artists called B.I.T.A.W. “Bitaw” in English means to let go. We represent and spread a lifestyle of creative freedom. I also have a B.S. in Architecture, hehehehe.

PTM: When did you know you wanted to be a writer? Was there something in particular that got you interested in writing?
Miko Aguilar: Being a writer was a subtle realization and, at the same time, a surprise for me. I’ve always wanted to be a musician, ever since Pearl Jam came out. From that point, I steered my life towards being a musician. I even wanted to be the singer! But sadly, when God gave out the gift of a good voice, I was at home sleeping, so instead I started writing. In most of the bands I have been with, I helped in the song writing. I was attracted to all these bands and singers because of their song writing. But I really wasn’t writing a lot, until four years ago when I discovered the art of spoken word. My dreams of holding the mic onstage were awakened with a big slap on my ass. Suddenly, I saw this stage being built for me, so I picked up my journal and started to walk towards it. All this time I was ignoring the fact that I was already a writer, but it was also good that it happened that way because I had time to develop my writing and music-making. Both skills had a long engagement, but it was worth the wait because now the marriage between the two is running smoothly, and they’re expecting their first child—my debut album is coming out this April!

PTM: What is your biggest struggle with your writing?
Miko Aguilar: My biggest struggle when I write is staying within my subject. It’s like I get too excited when I write—my mind starts vomiting with ideas, leaps to different trains of thought. It’s like I’m just starting to write, but my mind is already on the middle or end part of my piece. I have so many things to say that sometimes I end up writing two pieces at the same time. So with this “dilemma,” when I write, I write everything first and organize and edit everything after. It’s kind of like editing a video or laying out a magazine page. I put out everything first. With this interview, I started this question an hour and a half ago, but I’m still here hehehehe.

PTM: What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?
Miko Aguilar: For me, the most important element is the concept, whether in theme, topic, style, structure, point of view, etc. When a really good concept is in there, it really stands out and catches attention. It’s like a sniper; you don’t know it’s there, but it will get you.

PTM: Who has been your biggest influence outside of the writing world?
Miko Aguilar: Every now and then I run into different people, from street kids to rich kids, prisoners to politicians, workers to rich clients, and have the healthiest conversations with them. I looooove exchanging wisdom. I would rather have coffee with them than hang out and drink in a bar or go clubbing (I’m not really a fan of alcohol, especially the concept of drinking to get drunk). So I guess everyone who has something to say has influenced me in one way or another. Even if it’s something negative, there’s ALWAYS a positive point of view.

PTM: What books have most influenced your life most?
Miko Aguilar: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Music Theory by Michael Miller and The Everything Home Recording Book by Marc Schonbrum. HAHAHAHA! Those two books are my “bibles” in my studio. Seriously, I love all of Paolo Coehlo’s books and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series… yes, I’m a Potter fan! There are also two Filipino writers whom I admire. One is Bob Ong. He has this series of books with essays that are like journal entries of his everyday experiences. His style is so casual, it feels like you’re hanging out with him, and his comedic timing is so perfect! Another one is Pol Medina. He’s actually a comic strip artist. He created Pugad Baboy (Pig’s Lair), a series of strips with really fat characters and a talking dog, depicting social, political, and cultural issues here in the Philippines.

PTM: How has your environment/upbringing colored your writing?

Miko Aguilar: My environment plays a big role in my writing. I’m an observer. I spend time just watching people. That’s where I get my concepts.

PTM: Do you have a specific writing style?
Miko Aguilar: My writing style is very basic, rhyming and playing with words. I’m not comfortable when my pieces don’t rhyme. Like with my piece, A Man’s Marriage, Bow, the rhyming part just came out automatically. Also I write in beats and meters, and my favorite is the 4/4 beat with a tempo range of 90-120.

PTM: In what genre are you most comfortable writing?
Miko Aguilar: Comedy is my comfort zone; it just flows naturally for me. And I tend to write about social issues, because that’s what I see and what affects me the most. I’m a visual writer, and I write pictures that I want to show people, let them realize and accept that this is what’s happening and do something about it.

PTM: Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?
Miko Aguilar: Oh, yes! My medicine of choice for this is to not write. Leave it and work on something else. I find that when I force myself to finish writing something, I end up scrapping it. I just write a word or phrase, and then leave it like that until another word or phrase comes. Sometimes I go out and observe things, stare at something, tinker with something and see how it works, talk to a child, play video games, and—my favorite—watch CSI!

PTM: Is there a side of yourself that you didn’t know existed until you started writing?
Miko Aguilar: I didn’t know I was really in love with my culture until I started writing. Before that I just believed in being a Filipino; now I’m doing something about it.

PTM: When did you “become” a poet? When did poetry become part of your everyday life?
Miko Aguilar: I embraced poetry when spoken word was introduced to me by my mentor, Jourdan Sebastian. I’m a performer at heart, so I only really started writing when I found out I can perform [what I write,] as well.

PTM: Do you feel it’s vital for poets to have gone through some of the things they write about?
Miko Aguilar: Yes, because expressing comes naturally if it’s a first-hand experience. The details become crisper, and then your audience will get a secondhand experience, so the emotions are still fresh.

PTM: How has geographic travel played a role in your poetic life?
Miko Aguilar: Travelling helps in giving different perspectives: you see a lot of things, you meet people, and you experience new realities. It gives you a wider range in details and sub-topics. It would really be healthier for an artist in general to see everything first before they translate a message in their package of choice. We are all responsible for our works. We shouldn’t mislead our audience.

PTM: You write in your native language and English. Which presents the most challenge and why?
Miko Aguilar: I find that I can’t express myself fully in English. Like I said earlier, my mind gets excited, so I tend to mumble and stammer a lot when I speak in English. And when it comes to writing, I have a hard time finding the right words or phrases. I feel that I’m too proper, and I’m not comfortable with that. I mean, I’m aware of the current slang or terminologies but I don’t know how to use some of them.

PTM: How’s the spoken word scene in the Philippines?
Miko Aguilar: Spoken word here is still a child. There are only a handful of poets here in the Philippines. In an estimate, maybe 1 of every 100,000 Filipinos here knows that there is a medium of expression called spoken word. In most of the shows I have done, people think that what I do is rapping. “Shocked” would be the best description of people’s reaction to what I do. But it’s moving forward, slowly but surely.

PTM: Which do you get greater joy out of: performing onstage or writing a great piece?
Miko Aguilar: For me, a piece I’ve written wouldn’t be complete without the performance. I’m a Leo, so I love having the spotlight on me, and yes, I admit, I’m a stage whore. Having butterflies in my stomach is a rush for me.

PTM: Once a month you organizes an open mic event called Open Spoken. What’s the reaction from the people?
Miko Aguilar: People find it refreshing. That’s the only show they go to without knowing what to expect. Even we, the organizers, have no idea what kind of performers we’ll be having for that night. Open Spoken is not just for poets; it’s open to all performers. We’ve had beat boxers, magicians, ventriloquists, stand-up comedians, film makers who share stories, broken-hearted kids who vent out and never come back to our show, celebrities who want to try new things. We’ve had disturbing performances, like this one time when this 14-year old girl went on stage just to tell us that she has fantasies of making love with her father. Some go there just to try out new material before they perform it somewhere else. There was also this one time when this guy came with his guitar, amp, and a bottle of rum. He came alone and was just drinking in one corner. When his turn came, he told everyone that he was reaching 40, and it was his life’s dream to perform U2’s With or Without You in front of a crowd, and that’s what he did! He started plucking—he was so nervous, by the way, I think that’s what the rum was for. Technically it was not the best performance, but it was all heart, and some of the people in the audience cried during his set. He never came back. (http://openspoken.multiply.com)

PTM: Could you explain the B.I.T.A.W. movement—what it means to you, and the importance of it to spoken word in the Philippines?
Miko Aguilar: B.I.T.A.W. is short for being inspired through active wonder. We are an inter-disciplinary collective of artists who push for creative development and freedom for everyone. Primarily, we just go out either as groups or individuals to inspire others. We believe in breaking down walls that stop us from being, and spoken word is just one avenue in that mission. It just so happens that spoken word is a common thread for most of us; that’s why we started Open Spoken. We want to reintroduce spoken word to the general public, and remind them that speaking is an art form, expression is essential, and communication is vital. (http://bitawcollective.multiply.com)

PTM: Outside of writing and performing, what do you like to do?
Miko Aguilar: I like going to shows of other artists and taking pictures of them. I love capturing those millisecond moments where a performer is really into his/her performance and is all heart. I also like giving improv workshops, especially to kids, because we just play the whole time! I also like travelling with my fiancée or just spending time with her. Sweetheart moments are precious moments hehehe!

PTM: Anything you want to say to the supporter’s, friends, fans and family?
Miko Aguilar: Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For updates, please visit my website: www.mikopepito.com, and my blog: mikopepito.multiply.com.

PTM: I am grateful for your time. Any final words?
Miko Aguilar: I am Miko Pepito. *bow*