nuno sa pu(n)so

i've mentioned before (or not) that proximity is a factor in the way i handle relationships with people. it's also why i get closer or more intimate with people i know and strain or lessen the intimacy with the people i've known before but with whom i haven't been in close contact with (due to the distance). many say it's a factor in romantic relationships, which i don't believe in, since love should be able to eclipse the distance; but then, that shows my immaturity as i've not been able to reconcile the two. anyhow, before i lose my point, i'm just saying that my new obsession is the result of proximity, though not in a physical manner. that is, i see most of this obsession nowadays, that it has, well, graduated into just that, an obsession. haha! now, i'm embarassing myself. but i meant to write this for my blog so i'm posting it anyway. so this time, it's a man. not just any man. i've seen him and his band thrice on cable TV, almost a half-hour straight showing of their videos (thank someone for this jap channel - yup, the website says: musicair.co.jp so i couldn't read the skeds listed up on their website). those three times were all the same of a series of the band's videos. i saw him another time on the guitar legends festival in seville, spain which, upon researching on the net, i found out to be held around 1992 or a year earlier. that's where i got to know him first (oh my, i'm talking like a infatuation-stricken highschool girl from teenage hollywood) and sigh, his silky long hair. he's from extreme, the band who shot to popularity thanks to their melodic single more than words, a song which doesn't speak for the music they usually play, but which, coming from a band that plays songs which they describe as funky metal, and one which has won accolades in the hard rock/hard metal category, is really a surprise and a treasure because you get to see the extent of their guitarist's talent and skill. i'm talking about the portuguese-born nuno bettencourt. yeah, guitar god. he's got real mean fingers strutting on the fretboard. he could really shred and then in the next song or in the ending of the same song, play some folk-sounding spanish/irish tune on a classical guitar. extreme disbanded in 1996 and nuno went solo before forming new projects - mourning widows, population 1 and now dramagods. a side note (and this is important, hehe) nuno isn't as goodlooking in his pictures nowadays as in the older ones (at least to me). there's been much change, and i appreciate the younger him better. he even had a brief acting stint, i've got some stills later. he really had very nice hair - my utter weakness, i'm sorry, and combined with those portuguese looks, i think that's my perfect physical man. yes, i've just recently realized that that kind of image is what attracts me. if i could just post some pictures of my two other objects of infatuation today, you could more clearly see what i mean. but as i don't have any, content yourself with nuno's pics of which i'm planning to put in quite a lot. and did i mention he's won the best instrumentalist for a number of times in the boston music awards (boston being the hometown of extreme)? that's not to say he's the only glowing star in the band; gary cherone is also a great vocalist, and without pat greary (drummer) and pat badger (bassist), would nuno be exposed to the whole wide world?

by the way, nuno was here in pinoy country last year, june 9, for a clinic courtesy of washburn guitars (he's been endorsing this brand since the early 90's). here's more about him from the news at the yupangco website, "During his years as a teenager Nuno began playing drums, bass, and keyboards, but ultimately chose guitar as his primary instrument. As a guitarist, one of Nuno's earliest influences was Eddie Van Halen, however, as he developed his craft as a guitarist and songwriter, his influences ran the spectrum of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Prince, Queen, The Pat Travers Band, and many more." yes, magazines have touted him as the next eddie van halen (besides the band's song jump, i know nothing else about eddie or his band van halen, except gary cherone is the new vocalist for the band).

so well, i'll stop here before i expose all my feelings to the world. here are some pics:

      Nuno Duarte Gil Mendes Bettencourt (b. September 20, 1966)






nuno and his dog max






early ad for washburn



                 


some stills from his movie (wasn't specified which) from a site (still have to dig up which one this is) - photos courtesy of scott bernstein






and another one from a diff. movie, playing a pizza delivery guy






when he married suze from the australian band baby animals (from same guy)






nuno and extreme






Extreme






nuno and gary (this was taken from the site of krissa, from her living room daze album. she's got a few more pics of extreme there, dating back to '87






nuno and pat badger - also from krissa






at the guitar legends festival hosted by brian may with joe walsh (of the eagles), joe sat and steve vai






nuno and top choice clique, a rap band under his color blind records






Nuno appears wearing only a guitar in a four full-page photo layout in InterView magazine's Bruce Weber Issue. Bruce handpicked the subjects from people he found inspirational. -- nuno-bettencourt.com






poster for the once-in-a-lifetime extreme reunion concert coming this june






his new band dramagods --> click to see their myspace profile

so well, i'm obsessed with the 90's era nuno (that astig latino look), not the one we see today. although i'll forever be fan of his guitar-playing :)