Erby pulls no punches for the stars<\/p>\n
By K. Basrie<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Guarding celebrities is still an unusual
\nprofession here.<\/p>\n
Many local dignitaries feel safe enough walking around, even
\nin big cities like Jakarta, without \"Rambos\" to fend off
\nbothersome fans and make sure they don't get hurt.<\/p>\n
Why? Well, maybe city folk here are indifferent to fame. Or
\nperhaps celebrities just don't like hiring bodyguards.<\/p>\n
That's why Erby Dwitoro, 33, specializes in guarding only
\nforeign celebrities, and providing security for major gigs.<\/p>\n
He has \"done\" almost 100 stars since 1990: Diana Ross, Cindy
\nCrawford, David Copperfield, Color Me Badd, Michael Bolton,
\nMetallica, Natalie Cole, Steven Seagal, Phil Collins, Kenny
\nRogers, Air Supply, Tommy Page and Jacky Cheung.<\/p>\n
This is what he had to say when we interviewed him at his
\noffice in Jamz, Blok M.<\/p>\n
Question: What made you choose this profession?<\/p>\n
Erby: It's a tough and challenging job. To be a professional
\nbodyguard you need more than just a fit body, sharp eyes and a
\nwide range of self-defense skills. You also need management
\nskills, you know. I use the management skills I learnt at
\nuniversity.<\/p>\n
Erby graduated from Jayabaya University in Jakarta in 1988. He
\nstarted working at a showbiz firm when one day in 1990 he was
\nasked to handle a crowd of teenage fans mobbing a star at a five
\nstar hotel.<\/p>\n
Do you think that bodyguards are necessary for local
\ncelebrities or executives?<\/p>\n
I don't think so, not for celebrities anyway, because fans
\nhere are not as brutal as those abroad. They can be easily
\nhandled and asked to cooperate, unless they're treated badly.
\nAnyway, you can't use firearms without special permission. That's
\nwhy nobody here has been wounded or killed by fans obsessed with
\na star, convinced there's a mutual attraction. Not like abroad.
\nRemember John Lennon and Monica Seles? Look how many guards
\nMichael Jackson or Madonna have on tour... But that's no excuse
\nfor locals not to hire security. We have had many reports of
\nharassment experienced by local artists here while touring. They
\nshould have thought about it beforehand.<\/p>\n
If fans in Indonesia are so friendly, why do foreign artists
\nneed local bodyguards like you?<\/p>\n
I not sure why, exactly... I think their managers just want to
\nmake sure their charges are safe and know what's going on. Even
\nthough they have their own personal security people, the managers
\nwant us to be the main bodyguards because we know the situation
\nbetter here, like, what the fans are like, the city, the routes,
\nthe security systems at the hotels and venues.<\/p>\n
How many men do you have?<\/p>\n
I usually divide my team into two or three groups with me as
\nthe captain. The number of people in each group depends on the
\n\"class\" of the stars and the size of the venue. The groups, each
\nwith its own leader, are located at the airport, the hotel and
\nthe venue. Being the captain, I'm always close to the stars, from
\nwhen they get in until they take off again.<\/p>\n
Where do you get your men from? Do you recruit people
\nespecially for events?<\/p>\n
No recruits. But I can provide as many as 1,000 men for a
\nvenue as long as everything is right. Most of my people are
\nstudents and graduates with Army discipline, people who know how
\nto work as a team. If one of us makes a small mistake, the whole
\nteam suffers, we all look bad.<\/p>\n
He argued that ethics, brains and social skills are as
\nimportant as brawn. \"They need to get on with the security people
\nof the hotels and airport who know every detail of the buildings
\nand alternative roads to and from the venue.\" They also need to
\nknow about protocol and have dress sense. \"Otherwise they're not
\nprofessional.\"<\/p>\n
Would you say you're a professional bodyguard?<\/p>\n
I keep learning, from the security guys the stars bring with
\nthem, for instance. I got something useful from David
\nCopperfield. They taught me a lot, like how to carry someone with
\none hand free through a throng, how to drag clients off fast.
\nWatchfulness and quick responses are mandatory in this business.<\/p>\n
Erby, who practices the martial art of Merpati Putih, says he
\nknows nothing about guns and has not killed anybody yet. He
\nfreely admits to not meeting the high expectations of his clients
\nall the time. \"When I was guarding the magician David Copperfield
\nin a mall here and he asked me something, I felt like a dwarf,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
How much do you charge?<\/p>\n
It's not major money, especially because this is new here.
\nTell me how many local artists have their own bodyguards... None
\nof them. So our fees are still much, much lower than abroad.<\/p>\n
At first, Erby did not want to say how much he charges. Later,
\nin a whisper he said it was around Rp 5 million per package,
\ndepending on the client and venue.<\/p>\n
How do you get your orders?<\/p>\n
Through showbiz promoters, impresarios. Even though we get the
\norder from them, that doesn't mean we have to follow all their
\nregulations or requests. Before I sign the contract, I stipulate
\ncertain conditions to avoid misunderstandings. For instance, I
\nwant the agreement to describe that I can change the itinerary if
\nsomething unexpected happens.<\/p>\n
How would you describe your job?<\/p>\n
It's a multi-function job: bodyguard, guide, translator and
\nsometimes servant. It includes protecting clients from being hurt
\nby their fans, answering their questions about everything they
\nsee heading to their hotel, organizing the security system at the
\nhotel and venue, accompanying them around and guarding them until
\ntheir planes take off again. I always try to do my best because I
\nwant to give them a good image of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
On the way to the hotel, almost all of his clients have the
\nsame questions: about the traffic jams, the slums, the garbage
\nall over the place, the toll gates. \"It's not easy to answer such
\nquestions.\"<\/p>\n
Do you ever get presents from the stars?<\/p>\n
Sometimes. In the form of dollars or stuff. I once got a
\njacket from singer Anita Sarawak.<\/p>\n
What was your favorite present so far?<\/p>\n
An unexpected kiss from supermodel Cindy Crawford.<\/p>\n
Did it make your wife jealous?<\/p>\n
Oh, come on. How could a woman be jealous of a supermodel like
\nCindy? That's impossible.<\/p>\n
What else do you get from this job?<\/p>\n
The glamor of penthouses in five-star hotels which I wouldn't
\nbe able to afford.<\/p>\n
Any unforgettable experiences?<\/p>\n
My first son, Mohammad Alvaro Adhana Koze, who is now two
\nyears old, was named after saxophonist Dave Koz, who was on tour
\nhere in May 1994. I was on duty guarding him when my wife was
\nrushed to a hospital to give birth. Hearing the news, he told me
\nto leave him to be with my wife.<\/p>\n
Have you ever been asked for sex by female clients?<\/p>\n
No... And if that happens, I'd do my best to get away from
\nthem. I'm not that kind of guy.<\/p>\n
How do you handle the teenagers, who are more aggressive than
\nthe older ones?<\/p>\n
Tell them gently to line up properly because the artists are
\nwaiting for them, ready to give them their signatures. I always
\ncarry pens in my pockets. It's simple but it works.<\/p>\n
Bodyguards in Indonesia have no legal association. According
\nto the International Professional Security Association (IPSA),
\nthere are currently 232,000 people in the industry worldwide.
\nErby predicts that business will be sluggish next year with the
\n1997 general election. \"Things will be quiet, because no foreign
\nstars will be allowed to perform here.\"<\/p>",
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