Friends remember Manny Amador as the intense musician

We will never forget how Manny Amador played guitar with the rock band Breed: It was so l-o-u-d you ended up squirming in your seat and wondering if he’s challenging your capacity to have fun.

He also had this peculiar tic, in which his head would nod like he’s always grooving to earthshaking rock ’n’ roll.

But most of all he was a joy to talk with, a very opinionated guy who could convince you of the validity of his views on issues that matter to him.

But we won’t see any of that anymore since Manny has joined the “great gig in the sky” after he was found dead, reportedly from cardiac arrest, on Friday in his rented house in Cebu, where he had relocated to pursue work as an IT professional.

Manny, 49, was sometimes referred to in the world of local theater as the brother of stage/film actress Pinky Amador and the nephew of Repertory Philippines founder Zenaida Amador. But in the rock music scene, he was his own man.

According to friends, Manny already had the makings of a talented musician and songwriter during his college days at the Ateneo de Manila. He wrote and directed a musical, “I Dream of Hexadrine,” which was staged at the Meralco Theater in 1984.

“He was a very intense musician during college,” said Bernie Cortez-Kimmerle, a schoolmate of Manny’s and colleague at Repertory. “Everything had to be perfect. Perhaps he got his traits from his famous aunt Bibot Amador.”

“Rock ’n’ roll became the glue that bound us together as ‘brothers,’” said Johnny Besa, another schoolmate of Manny’s and Breed bassist. “When the band broke up, we parted ways for a few years, but we inevitably wound our way back to each other, first agreeing to disagree then shaking hands and trading hugs as brothers once more. During the period that we were apart, I felt that something was missing. When we got back together (during the band’s reunion), I felt a sense of wholeness again. His passing away confirmed those feelings.” Pocholo Concepcion