Comedian Eko has a way with words<\/p>\n
Bruce Emond, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A bunch of excited young women, mostly high school students,
\nstreams into Studio 3 at private station TPI's headquarters in
\nPondok Gede, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
They are the studio audience for the shooting of Ngelaba, the
\nweekly show which has made stars of comedy trio Patrio Group.
\nLike most of the show's topics, this week's focuses on a current
\nissue, the increase in electricity rates.<\/p>\n
Notable guest actors include actress Jihan Fahira, as a
\nmaterialistic wife who just wants her AC and VCD, singer Sarwah,
\nhamming it up as a Makassar student who runs amok when the
\nelectricity cuts out, and child entertainer Mega, the token
\nprecocious kid (granted, she acts better than most of her cutesy
\npeers).<\/p>\n
The regulars, with one notable absence, are Parto, a quiet,
\nrather subdued presence until he switches into a heavy does of
\nphysical humor as a hapless vacuum cleaner salesman, and Eko,
\nbetter known as Eko Patrio, as Jihan's long-suffering hubby
\ntrying to fulfill her every grasping wish.<\/p>\n
It's the extroverted Eko who is really the center of
\nattention, and he keeps his fans happy by showing his classic bag
\nof verbal tricks. He serves up a quick repartee of one-liners and
\nhis famous quotable quotes, most notably catat (\"make a note of
\nthat\") as the storyline reaches its conclusion.<\/p>\n
But the final moments of the shoot, with a fuse box exploding
\nafter the electricity system is overloaded, is a reminder that
\nOctober has been no ordinary month for Eko and the rest of Patrio
\nGroup.<\/p>\n
Eko and Akri, the third member of Patrio, were injured when a
\nbamboo torch flared up and burned them while they were filming a
\nTV commercial. Eko sustained minor injuries to his arms, but Akri
\nwas more seriously hurt and remains hospitalized.<\/p>\n
\"All months are precious for me, but, yes, October has been
\nparticularly special, because there has been so much going on,\"
\nEko said during a break from rehearsal for the show on Tuesday.
\n\"On October 1, I suffered a misfortune, when Akri and I were
\nburned, and then on October 12, I had my marriage ceremony. On
\nthe 26th, we will have our reception.\"<\/p>\n
He says work is now \"busier\" in the absence of Akri, who is
\nexpected to take about two months to recuperate, but he does not
\nsee any omens in the accident.<\/p>\n
\"For me, what happened could happen to anyone, a misfortune is
\nsimply that, misfortune. Before I got married, I was pickpocketed
\nin April, in February my car was broken into. But, maybe, we just
\nhave to be a bit more careful.\"<\/p>\n
Accidents or not, Eko has good reason to be happy. Aside from
\nhis popularity with Patrio Group, he has also made a successful
\ncareer for himself as a TV personality, first as the host of KISS
\non Indosiar, taking over from Indra Safera and making the gossip
\nshow his own, and now cohosting a breakfast TV program with
\ncomedian Ulfa Dwiyanti.<\/p>\n
Tellingly, when the girls arrive in the studio, and also when
\nthey try to sneak into the dressing room, it's Eko, not Parto,
\nwho they make a beeline for.<\/p>\n
Born Eko Hendro Purnomo in Surabaya 30 years ago, he grew up
\nin Bandung (hence his distinctive Sundanese accent), in a
\nmilitary family. He says his family was \"serious\", but he loved
\nmaking people laugh from the time he was a kid.<\/p>\n
\"For me, being humorous is actually from something I wish for,
\nnot from natural talent,\" Eko said. \"Talent, for me, is 10
\npercent of it, the desire to succeed 90 percent. So, the desire
\nmakes up for the rest, with socializing with friends, reading,
\nlooking for materials.\"<\/p>\n
Eko's comic idols were Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis, and from
\nIndonesia the late Benyamin S.<\/p>\n
\"For me, being a comedian is not just about getting laughs ...
\nit's about how the person can adjust himself to what's needed.
\nFor instance, if we are performing for the advertising community,
\nthen we have to know how they write an ad. If we are performing
\nfor doctors, then we have to know what they know. It's about
\nmanaging our humor, and also managing your time.\"<\/p>\n
He calls himself a \"professional\" who is selling a service. A
\ncomedian, he believes, must always be a little ahead of the
\naudience. There are lots of funny people in the world, he notes,
\nfrom the wisecracking guy on the street to the office cutup, but
\nthey don't know how to channel that humor.<\/p>\n
\"I have a motto. When people are still thinking, I've already
\ntaken a step. When they take a step, I'm already on my second
\nrun. So, we're always out in front. That's why I always have
\njokes, like catat, which the public can latch onto.\"<\/p>\n
Patrio Group has been going since 1988, when the group began
\non the radio and Eko was still in university. They landed the
\nseries on TPI in 1994. Each member has a particular flair: Parto
\nwith his physical humor and Akri his cheeky rib-pulling.<\/p>\n
Eko acknowledges his own bread and butter is his way with
\nwords, his quick ability to take a sentence or word, turn it
\naround and provide it with a whole new meaning through an
\ninflection here or change of tone there.<\/p>\n
\"For me, I always use words, it's all about verbal language,
\nplaying with words. If I use some physical stuff, it's only a
\nlittle, and then it's mimicry.\"<\/p>\n
There is room for all types of comedy, he says, but he draws
\nhis own personal line at \"SARAP\" when it comes to topics. The
\nacronym is taken from the old New Order regime dictate against
\nirreverent discussion of ethnic groups, religion, race and
\nsocietal groups. He also includes pornography on the list.<\/p>\n
\"We can draw on so many things without going into them. What's
\nmore, stuff that is pornographic, vulgar, that's the easiest
\nthing to resort to.\"<\/p>\n
In the future, Eko wants to produce a TV comedy quiz show.<\/p>\n
\"It won't be like Patrio Group, but at least I want to get
\nfive smiles and one laugh from the audience,\" Eko said in
\nparting, taking the \"smile\" line from the Indonesian government's
\nnutritional advice. Naturally, it's a play on words.<\/p>",
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