Naif: A band obsessed with being taken seriously

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The five members of the Naif band insist that they are a very serious band.

They say none of their lyrics have ever been funny, from those in the 1998 self-titled debut album to the 2000 Jangan Terlalu Naif (Don't Be Too Naive) and the recent Titik Cerah (Clear Point).

The retro sound derived from 1960s or 1970s pop and rock, the tacky style of fashion (flared pants and all), and the hilarious stage act of vocalist David Bagus Danang Jaya that includes jumping and irregular dance moves -- none of it is laughing material.

In a recent media conference marking the launch of their third album Titik Cerah, the band reiterated the issue of being a serious band.

"It's just weird that people consider David's act of jumping around the stage as funny. I mean, performers do that all the time, like Jim Morrison, for instance. No one laughed at him," said drummer Franki Indrasmoro Sumbodo, or Pepeng, in a rather irritated tone.

Well, Morrison did not sing about getting busted by police for speeding, nor about riding an Italian-made Vespa motorcycle to go to a picnic at the National Monument.

And neither did Lenny Kravitz, who consistently sticks with the 1970s raw rock sound.

It is not necessary, however, for Naif to whine about how they are not being taken seriously, since more than 500,000 people bought their second album and obviously do take them seriously.

The audience, including fellow musicians, who packed the Hard Rock Cafe to see their recent performance took them seriously.

If people laughed, they laughed with them, not at them.

"Well, perhaps it's just a matter of different perceptions. We never think of ourselves as funny. Sometimes when I get serious, people still laugh at me. Yeah well," shrugged David when I met the band recently after their rehearsal studio session a day prior to their show at the Hard Rock.

Again, the band showed their not-so-funny side at the interview. Pepeng chose not to join us as he preferred to hang outside the studio.

The rest of the band -- David plus guitarist Fajar Endra Taruna or Jarwo, keyboardist/pianist Chandra Sukardi and bassist Mohammad Amil Hussein or Emil -- then elaborated on the reasons why they are not a comical band.

"Everything we create, we make it as neat as possible so that it is compatible to people's ears. If it's got to be tacky or cheesy, it's the cool kind of cheesy," David said.

"The words may be naughty or mischievous, but never vulgar. It's honest and ethical."

Mostly in their late 20s, the members of Naif hail from the Fine Arts school at the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ), a community which the band said is very conducive in nurturing creativity.

"It's also the place where your mentality as a band is tested, because the audience is merciless," David said.

Hoping to create something different, they then opted for an oldies sound. A friend suggested that they send a demo tape to Indosemar Sakti record company, which at the time was going to release a compilation album of new bands.

The producer did not insert them in the album, but instead recruited the band to make a full album.

"Without hesitation, we said 'yes'. The producer apparently is the kind of person who is not too market-oriented. So, even though our music is different, he dared to hire us," David said.

Unfortunately the debut album, despite major airplay and good response, only sold some 20,000 copies as it was released just before the May 1998 riots, plus the country was mired in a recession.

But their second album was a hit -- especially helped by the ingenious video of Posesif (Possessive) that showed the other side of a transvestite's life. Music-wise, the album is also fine.

Now with their third effort, the band shows even more progress, although the music is a bit too polished that the "funny" lyrics do not quite match the sound.

"Here in this album, we're no longer in a frenzy to put just any sound and effect possible. In the second album we used tabla and much more, wanting to do some exploration with sound. We wanted something neat and simple this time. Because it is very difficult to make a simple song.

"As for retro sound, no matter what we do, we always come up with the same sound. The problem is, the equipment is so much more advance now that it's difficult to create a vintage, raw sound," Emil said.

The album also marked their intention to become more professional in their career, with a change in management as well in how their record company pays them -- from getting paid in advance in a lump sum regardless of how many albums sell, to the royalty system.

"We used to be reluctant about being in this business. So, we thought, if we break up then we break up. Now, we want to be more professional. We realize that we have an opportunity so why not make the most of it. Unless someday people don't want to hear us anymore, in which case we'll stop doing what we do," David said.

The professionalism is also apparent in how they prepare the costumes for their show.

"We just hate to see a band that wears everyday clothes when they perform on stage. Performing is a visual thing, we've got to be different," David said.

Isn't britpop band also like that?

"Well, yeah. But they got great taste. Besides, they're Westerners, so they look cool whatever they wear ," David laughed.

On the night at Hard Rock, the costumes were psychedelic for David, with flared pants, floral fitted shirt, scarf and large sunglasses. The rest of the band also wore the same style.

The audience then cheered as David jumped, screamed and sang a list of songs from the band's three albums.

Guys, no need to bitch about being a serious band. Because we all need entertainment, and so far you have provided it.