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Sandwich vocalist Raymund Marasigan shared his thoughts on the controversial statement made by his former Eraserheads bandmate Ely Buendia.

Ely made headlines last week after a comment he made in March on the podcast "Wake Up With Jim & Saab" resurfaced.

During the interview, Ely said that he and the rest of the Eraserheads “were never close” friends.

The Eraserheads was the biggest local band in the '90s and was composed of Ely (vocals, guitar), Marcus Adoro (guitar), Buddy Zabala (bass), and Raymund (drums).

The quartet from the University of the Philippines churned out the hits “Ligaya,” “Pare Ko,” “With A Smile,” “Ang Huling El Bimbo,” among others, and has risen to iconic status following their breakup in 2002.

Ely's recent statement was to clarify the notion that the song “Minsan,” which was included in the band's 1994 album, Circus, was written about the band's shared experiences during their college days.

“What fans didn't know, what the public didn't know [is] we were never - okay, I don't want to break any hearts again… We were never close, we were never friends, as in tight friends. That's why we broke up,” said Ely.

Raymund talked about the issue yesterday, May 30, on the podcast, "Offstage Hang," which he co-hosts with Daren Lim.

“It's not a secret that we're not close. In this age of social media, if you check for the past 10 years, 20 years, our feeds as individuals, you will easily see who we were hanging out with. It's not a secret ever since,” Raymund said.

“I will not speak for the band, I will not speak for Buddy or Marcus or Ely, [but] I consider everybody my friend in the band.

“We are not close, I'm also aware of that. Ibig sabihin [we're] not close that we don't text each other. I have their numbers [but] we don't text each other.

“Si Buddy we've gone closer over the years which is odd kasi nung roommates kami lagi kaming nagbabangayan.”

Each of the band members has their own set of friends back in college, something that can also be said during their heydays as the top band in the country.

“We would meet and play and jam, and you don't need to talk when you're jamming. Meron namang connection din 'yon.”

The Sandwich frontman said that creative arguments within the band were common.

“In the studio, we have very, very strong personalities and it's not a secret na kami naman ni Ely 'yong nagbabanggaan in the studio. Pero it's not even fighting and I think it's part of the chemistry,” Raymund looked back.

“Parang nung pinakinggan ko hindi ko gusto 'yong ginawa niyang guitar [part] dun or the way he arranged it, or he probably didn't like the way I played it. But I think it's part of that magic of that band.”

He added, “I don't think we were enemies. Well, at least speaking for myself.”

Raymund credited the band's longtime producer, Robin Rivera, for being the “glue” that held the band together in the studio.

“I do respect them and I think we all wanted to make things work together [but] we're just not close. Parang after the show we have drinks, celebrate, and that's it.”

Talking about the song “Minsan,” Raymund backed Ely's statement that the song has nothing to do with the band members themselves.

“The song I think is about Ely's roommates. We are not batchmates in Kalayaan [dorm]. So he was talking about those guys who I know din kasi barkada niya 'yon, e. Those are the people that he talks about in 'Minsan.' It's not about the Heads.”

Raymund said it's possible to work creatively with people whom you are not necessarily friends with as in the case with the Eraserheads.

“I think hindi required [to be friends]. You can do music and art, but it's not fun. 'Yon 'yung secret and I think I've said it many times here in our podcast na the greatest lesson that we've learned from the Heads is to take care of your friends.”

Raymund mentioned the closeness within his current bands Sandwich and Pedicab that they treat each other as a family more than just merely bandmates.

“So it's not required but it does not also guarantee hits - but it's fun.

“Parang in the end of the Heads nakakapagod na because parang after the shows you're off, iba-iba na kayo, or coming to the show mami-meet mo na lang sila on stage,” he looked back.

“Yeah the money was great, the fans were great, the shows were big. Pero after how many years, I don't know, nine years, 10 years, I lost count, it took its toll and it probably spread us more apart pa.”

Take a look at the Eraserheads's journey in this gallery: