The Itchyworms’ frontman vocalist Jugs Jugueta has constantly reinvented the wheel. In his episode of Rolling Stone Philippines’ Greatest Hits, the band’s rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and noontime TV host of It’s Showtime walks through a catalog defined by sharp observations of television culture, odd timing, and a stubborn belief in melody.
He opens with a game-changer that is “Akin Ka Na Lang,” the song that turned The Itchyworms from another bar band into a household name. Written by drummer Jazz Nicolas while still in high school, the track struggled to find its footing until The Itchyworms cracked its shuffle groove, borrowing the songwriting momentum from Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” Once it locked in, Jugueta knew they had a hit song on their hands. Without it, he admits, the band likely would not have lasted due to the dominating nature of heavier genres at the time.
“So in the time of 2001, everyone was either emo, or nu-metal, or acoustic, sila Nyoy [Volante]. Mga ganon,” Jugueta tells Rolling Stone Philippines. “We were in the middle [of the scene] na parang we didn’t know where to go, because we were a band and we could play. We can do distorted guitars, but our songs are melodic. It was kind of hard.”
Birth of Noontime
The Itchyworms did not fit cleanly into any lane or community at first. They toured relentlessly anyway, navigating radio stations, mall shows, and noontime programs that often required bands to play behind celebrity singers. That frustration of being exposed to the public under those terms sparked an idea that would later define them: turning the machinery of showbiz itself into subject matter. That thinking led to Noontime Show in 2005, a concept album that skewered local television culture while celebrating musicianship. The title track became a calling card, anchored by a now-legendary moment.
“Bakit ‘yong mga magaganda’t mga pogi ‘yong kuha niyo e wala naman silang talent. Ang kunin niyo ‘yong mga may talent; that’s the whole message of Noontime Show,” he says. “So nung gumawa sila ng [It’s] Showtime based purely on talent, at kung tinitignan mo ‘yong mga hosts ng Showtime aside from Anne Curtis, wala ‘yong mga sobrang pogi.”
Jugs secretly recorded voices from friends and peers, then pulled off the impossible by reuniting all four Eraserheads members on “Gusto Ko Lamang Sa Bahay” at a time when that felt unthinkable. It was playful, pointed, and deeply aware of its place in rock history. Moreover, collaborations thread through the episode. “Lutang,” written with Eraserheads frontman Ely Buendia, stands as a secret favorite for Jugueta — a song that began when Jugueta kept begging Buendia to work with him on a song on the downlow.
“Every year, I would greet him on his birthday, November 2. ‘Happy birthday. Do you have an unfinished song that you can give us?’,” he says. “For more than 10 years, I did that. And then one day, he said, ‘Yes, I found a song.’ So I guess, he was waiting for us to be worthy of the song.”
Their biggest hit ever, “Beer,” born from advice to write in Tagalog for people drinking on street corners, became an unlikely anthem. When it was first premiered, the single was trimmed for radio, but the song took off andit was a huge hit, thus retaining its six-minute length. “Beer” became an irresistible song to sing live, reflecting the band’s uncompromising attitude to never dilute their ideas for convenience.
Jugueta’s story closes where it began: a belief that talent matters more than being good-looking. Whether onstage with The Itchyworms or on television with It’s Showtime, he keeps returning to the same argument. Good songs, played well, last longer than image ever will.
You can watch Jugs Jugueta’s episode of Greatest Hits now exclusively on the Rolling Stone Philippines YouTube channel.
