Musician Ian deals with rock's ups and downs
Hera Diani , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Ian Antono is the epitome of the cool guitarist.
The 54 year old keeps his words to a minimum, smokes a lot, is well-mannered and laid back, off and on stage.
Unlike his outfit on stage, however, he dressed down for this interview, wearing a loose-fitting white shirt and jeans.
Despite his perenially long hair, Ian said he did not like the typical rocker outfit: Tights, leather and high heeled boots.
He plays down praise for his prowess or his 35 years in music, saying that the recent release from Sony Music, A Tribute to Ian Antono, was too much, and that he did not deserve it.
"I initially wanted to record a solo album, with new songs, and I'd like to collaborate with young musicians and singers. Better still, I wanted to make an all-instrumental album, but the market is too limited," he said.
Sony decided otherwise. The record company gathered virtually all of its artists, from Padi to Gigi to Sheila on 7 and Boomerang, to cover 12 songs Ian wrote from 1977 to 1998.
There are seminal hits, such as Uang (Money) and Menanti Kejujuran (Waiting for the Honesty), as well as Suka (Like), Neraka Jahanam (Depths of Hell) and Panggung Sandiwara (Stage).
Ian also appears on one song, Yang Hilang (The Lost One) playing guitar with his sons, Evan, 25, and Rocky, 21, and the boys' band Galagassi.
"I'm grateful, and quite proud that they made this album. Although I still think that I won't have that much burden with a solo album," said Ian, who is married to manager Titik Saelan, herself a onetime musician.
The burden of proof is actually on the shoulders of the young musicians, whose covers are pretty lame compared to the original.
They fail to reprise the pain Ian described as a struggling musician in Rumah Kita (Our House), the heartache he felt in Tertipu Lagi (Cheated Again), nor his disgust about greed in Uang.
The new bands can play guitar as fast and as gritty as their predecessor, but Ian imbues his instrument with soul, the reason he has endured.
Born Jusuf Antono Djojo in Malang, East Java, Ian moved to the capital when he was 19 years old to pursue a career in music.
He was initially a drummer in the rock band Bentoel, playing music by the likes of Deep Purple, Jethro Tull and Alice Cooper.
He started writing songs in 1976, a couple of years after he joined legendary rock group GodBless as a guitarist.
He said it was tough to write songs, despite playing other people's songs all the time.
"I can't rip the songs off, of course. I can't afford to. The key is in the soul, for we can't be those Western musicians. There has to be our personal taste in the songs," said the father of three.
That is shown in the Middle Eastern flavor of Zakia, or any of his songs, which he said still have some Javanese nuances in them.
Whatever the flavor, it is rock that always makes him tick, and hard rock songs with frightening titles such as Neraka Jahanam (Damn Hell), Jarum Neraka (Hell's Needle) and Tangan Setan (Devil's Hand) are what he is best known for.
"Rock cannot be as good as it used to be. There will always be a new form of rock. But I prefer the raw one, with flat drum sound.. no synthesizer and stuff."
He toned down a bit from his ardent early years, including when he wrote the ballad Rumah Kita in 1987. The song was inspired by his modest rented house in Tebet, South Jakarta.
"The rock scene was tough at that time, pop was dominant. I didn't have many jobs then, just playing guitar at home. I felt like going back to Malang, but was too embarrassed. I'd come a long way to Jakarta," he said with a laugh.
To make ends meet, Ian also arranges, writes and produces songs for other singers, such as Emilia Contessa, Grace Simon, Iwan Fals and Ebiet G. Ade.
He was the producer who successfully launched the careers of Nicky Astria and Anggun.
As a songwriter, he is quite prolific, penning around 400 songs. His defining piece, perhaps, is Panggung Sandiwara, with lyrics by poet Taufiq Ismail, about how the world's a stage and each of us is a player.
"I prefer writing the music than the lyrics. I don't know much vocabulary," he said smiling.
Unfortunately, he did not have all of the songs filed, and some have been lost. Worse still, like so many other older musicians in the country, Ian said he never received royalties for his songs.
"Back then, the system is not as open as now. We were paid in advance. And we couldn't sue because everyone received the same treatment."
He admitted that, along with his wife, he has always struggled to make a living, but he enjoyed his work.
"Unless you would like to switch genre (to make money). Rock has its ups and downs, but I can't switch to others. So, all I can do is be patient and wait until it goes up again."