Going for laughs with comedian Tika Panggabean<\/p>\n
By Bruce Emond<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Tika Panggabean is accustomed to being the odd
\nwoman out.<\/p>\n
She is the lone female performer in comedy group Project P and
\none of the few women entertainers in the country who does not
\nconform to the entertainment industry dictates of being reed-thin
\nand conventionally beautiful.<\/p>\n
Tika clearly celebrates her differences -- and the
\nopportunities they have afforded her.<\/p>\n
Now 30, Tika is one of country's most popular emcees and
\nthe spokeswoman for a major laundry detergent. She began her
\ncareer by chance six years ago when she was a student of
\ninternational relations at Parahyangan University in Bandung.<\/p>\n
\"Project P was then a campus group, performing at small
\nevents, but the members were always looking for new people to
\njoin,\" Tika said.<\/p>\n
The youngest of four children and raised in Jakarta, Tika had
\nnot considered a career in comedy.<\/p>\n
\"My family was more directed to singing, choirs, which is
\nusual among Batak families in the arts. But my family is not too
\nserious -- both of my parents are very democratically minded
\npeople and that's why I could be the way I am. They're flexible.\"<\/p>\n
In an interview on Thursday, Tika shared her views on comedy
\nand her plans for the future.<\/p>\n
Question: You do a lot of additional jobs, such as emceeing
\nand hosting shows. Do you think you are becoming better known
\noutside of Project P?<\/p>\n
Answer: Perhaps that is because I stand out more and am more
\n\"eye-catching\" to the public and the media as the only woman in
\nProject P. So I get some private jobs, but even those are still
\nunder the management of Project P. It's really all part of the
\neffort of senior members of Project P so that everybody becomes
\nknown.<\/p>\n
At the outset of the group only Danny and Yasur had a name,
\nbut they eventually said, \"hey, how come we're the only ones who
\nare well-known when the younger members are talented, too? We
\ndon't want it like this\". So this has led to regeneration in the
\ngroup, and allowed the public to get to know me personally, not
\nonly as part of Project P.<\/p>\n
Q: How do you view yourself in the tradition of women comedians
\nin Indonesian theater, such as Srimulat stage performances?<\/p>\n
A: If I have a choice, and without belittling the term comedian,
\nI personally prefer to be called an entertainer. I don't only
\nwork as a comedian, but also as an emcee as well as other roles
\nand activities. My point is that I set out to entertain people,
\nwhether it is by making them laugh or by other means ...<\/p>\n
The other thing is that I cannot always have the audience
\nrolling in the aisles like (Srimulat performer) Nunung can. If I
\ncan make people relaxed, make them smile a little, then that is
\nquite enough for me.<\/p>\n
Q: And Project P offers a more sophisticated type of comedy than
\nthe usual physical humor...<\/p>\n
A: I guess you could say it is a smarter type of humor. Maybe it
\nis connected to our educational backgrounds; nearly all of
\nProject P's members studied at university and most are graduates.
\nSo we have a moral responsibility to make performances which are
\nnot only funny but smart, which have good connotations and are
\nnot too vulgar. There are lots of ways to make people laugh --
\nyou can use crude humor or you can use smoother methods which can
\nbe accepted by all segments of society and ages ...<\/p>\n
And we have really focused on parody from the beginning. We'll
\ntake a famous story like Cinderella, which everybody is familiar
\nwith from its beginning to the end, and do something different.
\nLike it's not Cinderella who ends up with the prince, but her
\nstepmother! That is what gets laughs, and that is the something
\nextra we have...<\/p>\n
Q: Comedy is also an excellent medium to convey criticism...<\/p>\n
A: It can be seen from two sides. Like Eko (Patrio) and Ulfa
\n(Dwiyanti) have been criticized by the Indonesian Ulemas Council
\n(MUI) for being disrespectful in some of their comments during
\nSahur Kita (a special TV program during the fasting month). But
\nthen you have other people, like a singer, for instance, who can
\ntake things in their stride because they know it's just comedy --
\n\"oh, it's only Tika saying that, that's a comedian for you\". It
\nall depends on who your audience is and how they take what you
\nare doing.<\/p>\n
Q: But when does comedy go too far and cross the boundaries of
\ngood taste?<\/p>\n
A: There are a lot of limits, like who the audience is. If we're
\nperforming for a younger crowd, at a cafe or pub, where the
\naudience is specific, then you can be a bit freer or vulgar. It's
\nno problem. But if we're doing a TV program which is meant for
\nfamily viewing, then we have to pay attention to several points,
\nlike whether the material is appropriate for children.<\/p>\n
We have to be creative, and not just dig up the vulgar to look
\nfor something that is funny. Like sex -- everybody loves humor
\nabout sex, it's bound to be funny. But you don't have to keep on
\ngoing back to sex to get laughs, that's really taking short cuts.
\nThere are lots of other subjects, and we need to explore them to
\nensure our creativity does not die.<\/p>\n
Q: So there is always the danger of going for the lowest common
\ndenominator, the sex and farting jokes?<\/p>\n
A: Yes, but at least with sex you can still be creative, it
\ndepends on how you approach the subject.<\/p>\n
Q: Is there also the danger that as a woman in comedy you will
\nbecome the butt of the joke?<\/p>\n
A: You mean as a fat person? Well, you cannot support comedy
\nwhich is always based on physical thinking. For instance, someone
\nsaying, \"Hey, fatty, you look like King Kong\". Maybe once it's
\nOK, to get a laugh, but not over and over again. Try to be a
\nlittle more creative, please. But I'm pretty flexible about
\njokes, just as long as I'm not made the clown slipping on the
\nbanana peel.<\/p>\n
Q: But physical appearance is always emphasized in the
\nentertainment industry, and in a communal society like here
\npeople feel they are free to comment on how you look.<\/p>\n
A: Exactly, it's pretty saddening, isn't it? But I think that I,
\nalong with Hughes (another overweight entertainer) are beginning
\nto show people that beauty is not everything, that what's more
\nimportant is your brain. We need to get this across to the
\npublic, and I think we will eventually. Five, 10 years ago, the
\nthinking of our people was very different from today, and now
\nthey can better accept those who are not beautiful, who do not
\nhave a great body but have something else.<\/p>\n
Hopefully, with reform, it will happen, but it all comes down
\nto education. If education is more of an equal standard, then
\npeople will start to realize that what is the point of being
\nbeautiful if you're stupid.<\/p>\n
Q: What about the future -- will you stay in comedy?<\/p>\n
A: God willing, I want to remain in this field. We are so
\nAmerican-minded here, and I see how remarkable it is that Oprah
\nWinfrey, Jay Leno and Conan O' Brien have remained on top even
\nthough they are getting older. It means their team is strong, and
\nthey also are strong. It's inspired me -- how can I remain on top
\nand be of value to people.<\/p>\n
Q: The three entertainers you named are talk show hosts -- does
\nthat interest you?<\/p>\n
A: Yes, it does. It is something I would really like to do, with
\nthe right team and the right concept.<\/p>",
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