Yati capitalizes on natural strengths for fame<\/p>\n
By Jusuf Susilo Hartono<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Despite what many say, a flat nose doesn't
\nalways bring bad luck. Yati is among the lucky ones. This
\nYogyakarta born artist -- a long-time practitioner of Javanese
\nketoprak (history-based drama), wayang orang (Hindu epic-based
\ndance-drama), sinden (female singing backed by traditional
\norchestra) and witty comedy -- has emerged as a stage and screen
\ncelebrity primarily because of her flat nose. Out of ingenuity,
\nshe has even unhesitatingly popularized the word pesek (flat-
\nnosed) as her nickname to boost her fame: Yati Pesek, aged 49.<\/p>\n
In modern management language, perhaps Yati is applying a
\nshrewd strategy. She's capable of changing what could be
\nperceived as a physical flaw into a strength so as to enable her
\nto make get ahead. But don't ever ask her about modern
\nmanagement. She does it all naturally instead of consciously
\nplanning her moves. She's an entertainer whose face is already
\nconsidered by many to be amusing even if she doesn't speak a
\nword. She's no university graduate, or even secondary school
\ngraduate.<\/p>\n
\"I've been on the stage since I was eight, joining the wayang
\nand ketoprak troupes of Jati Mulyo, Panca Murti, Suryo Ndadari
\nand Siswo Budoyo. It meant that I had to change schools
\nfrequently. I was therefore unable to follow classes properly,
\nand in the end I quit,\" she said in Javanese while laughing
\nwithout a hint of regret.<\/p>\n
Yati's schooling therefore consisted of her struggle for
\nsurvival, with experience being her teacher, and on-stage and
\noff-stage realities her lessons. To her it's not modern
\nmanagement that matters. It's the flat nose that she's grateful
\nfor. Why not just have plastic surgery to make it \"better\"? She
\nanswers this humorously, saying \"an operation like that could
\ntake away my bread and butter.\"<\/p>\n
So, for instance, when Yati's face is ridiculed by her stage
\npartner, comedian Marwoto, she doesn't get offended. In turn, she
\nmakes fun of Marwoto's protruding teeth. This causes the audience
\nto go into virtual paroxysms of laughter. To maintain friendly
\nrelations, comedians usually apologize to each other for their
\nrudeness. Thereafter, they have no hard feelings.<\/p>\n
\"For me, it's simple. If any of my fellow artists jeer at me
\non stage, I'll mock their weak points as well. Yet, my flat nose
\nis very much an easy target for cheeky jokes, ha ha!\" she
\nremarked when interviewed during a break in shooting for a TVRI
\nwayang orang show some time ago. There now follows excerpts from
\nthe interview:<\/p>\n
Question: What do you think of ketoprak humor and wayang orang
\nhumor (comedy versions of both dramas)?<\/p>\n
Answer: The former is a bit loose in presenting the manners of
\nmonarchs and their subjects. The latter is strict in formal
\nconduct: different figures, like Pandawa and Kurawa, behave in
\ndifferent ways. How they should walk and sit, what costumes they
\nshould wear and so forth have their own standards.<\/p>\n
Which troupe did you stay with for the longest?<\/p>\n
Siswo Budoyo, a new style ketoprak group under the late Pak
\nSis. I was a troupe member for 12 years from 1970 to 1982,
\nperforming in one city after another. Only thereafter did I begin
\nto settle in Yogya. I learned a lot from Pak Sis. And I was
\nbetter off with Siswo Budoyo because it had big audiences. I was
\nno longer so poor then. But I've been no stranger to the hard
\nlife. I spent my earlier years with Jati Mulyo and Panca Murti in
\nthe 1960s, followed by eight years' work with Suryo Ndadari
\n(owned by the brother of renowned comedian Timbul). The whole
\nexperience helped form my personality and my current artistic
\nexpression.<\/p>\n
Your programs on TV are so varied, covering ketoprak humor,
\nwayang orang humor and wayang kulit (shadow puppet), while you
\nremain based in Yogya? How do you fit it all in<\/p>\n
No problem. Everything can be arranged with airplanes. And my
\nschedules is actually a lot busier than that. For instance, I
\nalso participate in wayang kulit for non-broadcasting purposes
\nbesides performing in my own drama shows, Suka Humor and Bancak
\nDoyok, with campur sari (traditional and modern orchestral)
\naccompaniment. The principle is: be smart in preparing your time
\nand your jobs. One evening I'm in Jakarta and the next morning
\nI'll be back home. Later in the day I'll be in still other places
\n-- so my hectic life goes.<\/p>\n
Under such conditions, how do you contrive to keep your jokes
\namusing, and how do you compete against the farcical behavior of
\npoliticians?<\/p>\n
Wherever I happen to be, such as at an airport, in a
\nsupermarket, hotel, or mall, or while watching TV or teenagers
\ngossiping, I always closely observe what is going on. They are
\nthe sources of my jokes. Lots of simple, funny things can be
\nentertaining without having any political nuances. I don't want
\nto mix my job with politics so as to avoid any rivalry with the
\npoliticians (laughing). Let me appeal to all politicians to unite
\nand be reconciled for the sake of peace and security in
\nIndonesia. It's now a hard time for most people.<\/p>\n
How did you feel when President Wahid went to see Ketoprak
\nhumor at Taman Ismail Marzuki?<\/p>\n
I was happy. But I wasn't there at the time because I had an
\ninvitation to perform in Surabaya.<\/p>\n
What's your strategy for survival, especially in facing tight
\ncompetition in the entertainment world?<\/p>\n
First, never get involved in a family dispute. Family harmony
\nis thus first and foremost. If I get angry at home, my husband,
\nchildren and grandchildren will only laugh at me. So I'll just
\nhurl a pan on the floor to startle them and then go to bed, ha
\nha! Second, we're accustomed to fasting on Mondays and Thursdays,
\nand on three successive days with the person's birthday in
\nbetween: if you're born on Sunday, you fast from Saturday through
\nMonday. In this way we can get closer to God, asking Him to
\nforgive all our sins and those of our ancestors.<\/p>\n
Do you use susuk (magic implants) so as to achieve even
\ngreater success?<\/p>\n
No, I don't use charms, except hair pins.<\/p>\n
What have you earned over your decades of toil as an artist
\nand comedian?<\/p>\n
A whole lot. I've bought a house, cars, married three children
\noff and so forth, for which I must praise the Lord. I feel
\ngrateful as it turned out that I could really rely on this
\nprofession.<\/p>\n
For all that, they say you're taking good care of your mouth?<\/p>\n
Yes, indeed. I've got to pay special attention to my mouth, as
\nits through my mouth that my jokes and melodies emerge. Otherwise
\nI wouldn't be able to joke or sing. So I avoid ice, as it makes
\nme dizzy and sick. And I avoid eating hot or salty food. ***<\/p>",
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