The final curtain: Man stabbed to death as My Way Curse strikes again

curse

The My Way Curse has struck again, after a man stabbed his neighbour over who should get to sing the Sinatra classic.

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Over the years law enforcers have noticed the song has featured in numerous deaths related to videoke sessions, to such an extent that ‘My Way Killing’ is recorded as a distinct category of crime. 

In the latest case, reported by GMA News’ Balitambayan, 61-year-old Jose Bosmion was stabbed by his neighbour, Rolando Cañeso, aged 28, during a birthday party in Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte.

The musical drinking session turned deadly when Bosmion grabbed the microphone from Cañeso just as he was about to sing the cursed ballad. 

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This action soon escalated into a brief fist fight, which ended after they were separated by friends.

However, rather than shaking hands and carrying on with the evening, Cañeso allegedly produced a knife and began stabbing the victim.

According to a report by regional radio station RMN, Bosmion was taken to Zamboanga del Norte Medical Centre, where he was declared dead.

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Cañeso has since surrendered to the police and remains in custody.

Last New Year’s Eve, we reported on another My Way killing in Tondo, Manila. In this case a barangay chairman was gunned down by motorcycle riding assassins as he sang the song in a blonde wig. Ironically, before picking up the microphone he had joked about his dangerous choice of song.

Nobody knows why choosing to sing My Way so often proves fatal. Some maintain it is simply statistics — the song is so widely sung, it stands to reason that it’s more likely to feature when videoke and murder collide.

Other say there is something in the nature of the song that projects a confrontational arrogance.

Butch Albarracin, owner of Centre for Pop, a Manila-based singing school, backs what he calls this “existential explanation”.

I did it my way — it’s so arrogant,” he said. “The lyrics evoke feelings of pride and arrogance in the singer, as if you’re somebody, when you’re really nobody. It covers up your failures. That’s why it leads to fights.”

Whatever the reasons for the phenomenon of My Way Killings — whether it’s the song itself, simple statistics or some sort of curse — it’s probably not worth the risk of facing the final curtain.

Read more about the My Way Curse here.

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