Rock group Slank still doing its own thing<\/p>\n
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Never underestimate the power of pop culture. Rock group Slank is
\nnot only a strong supporter of that notion, but also living proof
\nof it.<\/p>\n
"The Indonesian government shouldn't have sent the military to
\nAceh. They should've sent us there first. If we point our weapons
\nat Acehnese faces so that they remain with Indonesia, it'll just
\nscare them away," Slank's drummer and cofounder Bimbim said in a
\nrecent interview.<\/p>\n
"But through the arts, they may change their mind."<\/p>\n
If you want to dismiss this as the garbage talk of a onetime
\njunkie (his longtime addiction cost him his front teeth), think
\nagain, because Bimbim and fellow bandmates are clean now, and
\nthere may be some truth to his words.<\/p>\n
With a career spanning 19 years, 11 albums and a solid base of
\none million fans called "Slankers", the members of Slank have
\nestablished themselves as the most popular and influential rock
\nband in the country.<\/p>\n
"If we're being emotional when things don't go accordingly, we
\ncan just tell Slankers to stir up some chaos, and they will do
\nit," Bimbim, 36, said.<\/p>\n
That has not happened yet. Instead, the band recently received
\nthe World Peace Music Award in Bali, for its consistent message
\nof peace, not only in Aceh but Iraq.<\/p>\n
Through its Rolling Stones-inflected music, Slank also
\nrepresents the voice of the country's underclass, singing about
\nunemployment, corruption, as well as abortion, teen pregnancy and
\ndrug abuse.<\/p>\n
"They don't talk bulls***, they sing regular stuff that we can
\nclosely relate to," said Uum Sumpena, 24, a high school graduate
\nwho works as an office boy and is a confirmed Slanker.<\/p>\n
"And the music is varied too, from rock, blues, reggae or even
\nPapuan ethnic music."<\/p>\n
Today, Slank is scheduled to be in Korea, joining other
\nartists from Japan, Korea, China, the Philippines and India, in a
\ndocumentary project, Shout of Asia.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post met the whole gang -- Bimbim, guitarists
\nAbdee and Ridlo, vocalist Kaka and bassist Ivanka -- at their
\nbase in Jl. Potlot, South Jakarta, last week. It's the place
\nwhere Slank runs its record company Pulau Biru Productions,
\nwebsite www.slank.com and newspaper Koran2an Slank.<\/p>\n
In a scene played out every day, about 50 fans were at the
\ncomplex, waving and taking pictures as soon as Slank came out of
\nthe house.<\/p>\n
Below is an excerpt of the interview.<\/p>\n
What is Shout of Asia?
\nAbdee (A): There is this Korean company called Medix that has a
\ndocumentary program. They want to document Asian artists who are
\nconsidered outspoken for peace. They said only Western artists
\nare well-known for calling for peace. Now it's our turn.<\/p>\n
After doing some research in Indonesia, they finally chose us.
\nThey contacted us three months ago, then followed us around,
\nincluding on tour. The company will make a 120-minute documentary
\nfilm from all artists. This trip to Korea is like the climax of
\nthe program, where we will write songs together and perform at a
\ncharity concert.
\nDoes it have something to do with the World Peace Award?
\nA: No, that's another thing. The award is founded by people like
\n(producer) Miles Copeland and Matt Taylor. They found that there
\nwas no award given to bands\/musicians that call for peace. It
\nthen became a regular award.
\nBimbim (B): We had quite an experience in Bali, meeting Korean
\nartists and many other people. We positioned ourselves as
\ncitizens of the world, not Indonesians. Hopefully it could open
\nthe way for us to go international.<\/p>\n
But anyway, if I were Megawati (Soekarnoputri), I wouldn't
\nhave wasted such a huge amount of money promoting Indonesia
\nthrough the (recent) concert in Bali. She should've just given
\nthe money to us to make a record and tour the world. The event
\nwas not really effective, so it was a waste of money.<\/p>\n
If the world is supposed to see this country, there should be
\nIndonesians who are known at the international level. Pop culture
\nis the fastest and easiest way to do that -- just take a look at
\nMTV.
\nA: But the government just doesn't see that arts can become a
\ntool of propaganda and have huge bargaining power.
\nSo, you found the government is not helpful to musicians?
\nA: No. Take piracy, for instance. Without the government's help,
\nit won't work. We found some piracy suspects, but the police
\nreleased them instead of carrying out an investigation.
\nB: I doubt the support of the government today. How can we,
\nmusicians, fight against piracy if there's no law enforcement, no
\nhelp from government, no help from the police? Then what is the
\nfunction of the government? What is the function of the police?
\nRidlo (R): To back up the pirates!
\nYou guys seem to be very Islamic now, performing with (Islamic
\nperformer) Hadad Alwi and (preacher) Abdullah Gymnastiar.
\nKaka (K): We're Muslims, for sure. Actually, we've always been
\nIslamic, but the media only paid attention to our drug addiction.
\nB: We had some suggestive lyrics, but we've always been calling
\nfor virtue, because Islam is about goodness. Radical groups?
\nThey're not our friends, because they look at Islam narrow-
\nmindedly. Actually, I don't think you have to study a particular
\nreligion to become good people. As long as we have a conscience,
\nwe'll know right from wrong, we won't hurt people, let alone
\ncarry out bombings.
\nHow do you see the new bands right now?
\nB: They're good, although they still very much follow the
\nmainstream. Some don't follow the mainstream, like Superman is
\nDead, Naif, Koil ... they're good. Maybe they still sound like
\nsomebody, but that's OK as a start. Character-building needs
\ntime. Slank didn't initially have its own character, either.
\nSlank has been around for 19 years. What is next for the band?
\nB: My obsession is to see that the center of the music industry
\nis not just the United States or the United Kingdom, but also in
\nAsia: whether it's Korea, Japan or Jakarta. If people wear Levi's
\nall the time, if everyone sings the Rolling Stones', what would
\nlife be like?
\nBut to be the center of the industry, musicians have to have
\ntheir own identity, while most of them are just copycats of those
\nin the West. What do you think?
\nK: That's because right now everything starts from the West. If
\nAsia can promote itself, I think we would come up with our own
\nidentity. Because there's a lot of talent in the region.
\nB: It needs a rising star, a pioneer. We need just one Indonesian
\nwho can penetrate the world music industry, and the rest will
\nfollow.
\nWhat about Anggun?
\nB: She's yet to be a star.
\nA: There's a mainstream that goes from West to East. Anggun went
\nto Europe and started it all from there. If we want to be the
\ncenter, we have to be above that Western stream. Or else, we must
\nmake a second mainstream.<\/p>\n
Anggun is not really an Asian icon, because she goes along
\nwith the Western mainstream. If she started it here, she would
\nthen move to the West, but the mainstream would be here.
\nIs it really possible to produce a second mainstream?
\nB: Nothing is impossible. But in this capitalistic world, money
\nrules. There are so many Western musicians who can't make it to
\nMTV because they're different. Those capitalists want the bands
\nthat can be steered according to their taste.
\nTime magazine recently wrote that the rock scene is really
\nhappening here in this country. What do you think?
\nB: It's because the trend in the world is to rock. The rock scene
\nin Indonesia never really died. Take a look at recent years.
\nWhile boybands are mushrooming in America, it is rock bands like
\nPadi who reign supreme (here).<\/p>\n
This represents our opportunity. There's nothing new anymore
\nin the world rock music scene after Nirvana. Bands with "The"
\nnames (like The Hives, The Vines, The White Stripes -- ed), are
\njust a repetition of what came before them.
\nA: The Western music scene has lost its creativity. They dig up
\nold stuff and mix it with technology. This is really our chance
\nto shine. Our potential has yet to be explored. We have to be on
\nthe upstream so the current will be reversed. The question is, is
\nour industry willing to do that? Is it able to do that?
\nSo, what does it take to make it possible?
\nA: First, musicians must build their own character. But it has to
\nbe done together with other things, like film. Take Japan, for
\ninstance. They first penetrated Europe through manga (Japanese
\ncomics) and anime (animation). And soon enough, they brought
\nalong pop music. Now, Europeans have become more familiar with
\nit.
\nB: Indonesian films are starting to see the light now, with the
\nsuccess of Petualangan Sherina (Sherina's Adventure), Ada Apa
\nDengan Cinta? (What's Up With Cinta?) and Jelangkung. But the
\ngovernment doesn't support it. While the local movie scene has
\nstarted to grow again, the government should help filmmakers
\nbecause budgets are limited.<\/p>\n
It's the right momentum, with Hollywood now remaking Asian
\nfilms. I think this country will improve if the leaders are from
\nthe young generation. We should just shut down the old valves
\nthat block progress, because young people still have idealism.
\nBut not those young people who were taught by the New Order. We
\nneed people who were never involved in the past. They may not be
\nthat good, but at least there's hope.<\/p>\n
Or should Slank just form a political party? (laughs)<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rock-group-slank-still-doing-its-own-thing-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }