Guess What? Muktiwibowo

Elvis sang Are you lonesome tonight -- again. This time he was spotted at Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center during a commemoration for the late Indonesian theater and movie director Arifin C. Noer last weekend.

Well, actually it was Indonesian Elvis' impersonator Muktiwibowo in basic Elvis garb -- a black shirt with three buttons on each cuff, a standing collar and black pants known here as cut bray.

He came to the discussion to share his experience as Arifin's high school mate in Cirebon, West Java, in the late of the 50s. Muktiwibowo said that in 1958 he helped Arifin stage several plays, including Anton Chekhov's The Wedding.

"I assisted him with the music. At that time, we played LPs to illustrate the scene. And it was my job to play the LPs," recalled Muktiwibowo, who joked that Elvis looked like him.

They previously played in a music group together.

"But, we always put Arifin at the back because he couldn't dance," Muktiwibowo recalled.

"Later we separated because Arifin moved to Yogyakarta to study theater, and I moved to Jakarta to specialize on Elvis," the Elvis's impersonator who lives in a house he has dubbed "Elvis Mansion" said.

Today, living the legend is still his business. From one event to another, Muktiwibowo keeps singing Elvis' tunes and dressing like the King. (als)