Yati capitalizes on natural strengths for fame

Yati capitalizes on natural strengths for fame

By Jusuf Susilo Hartono

JAKARTA (JP): Despite what many say, a flat nose doesn't
always bring bad luck. Yati is among the lucky ones. This
Yogyakarta born artist -- a long-time practitioner of Javanese
ketoprak (history-based drama), wayang orang (Hindu epic-based
dance-drama), sinden (female singing backed by traditional
orchestra) and witty comedy -- has emerged as a stage and screen
celebrity primarily because of her flat nose. Out of ingenuity,
she has even unhesitatingly popularized the word pesek (flat-
nosed) as her nickname to boost her fame: Yati Pesek, aged 49.

In modern management language, perhaps Yati is applying a
shrewd strategy. She's capable of changing what could be
perceived as a physical flaw into a strength so as to enable her
to make get ahead. But don't ever ask her about modern
management. She does it all naturally instead of consciously
planning her moves. She's an entertainer whose face is already
considered by many to be amusing even if she doesn't speak a
word. She's no university graduate, or even secondary school
graduate.

"I've been on the stage since I was eight, joining the wayang
and ketoprak troupes of Jati Mulyo, Panca Murti, Suryo Ndadari
and Siswo Budoyo. It meant that I had to change schools
frequently. I was therefore unable to follow classes properly,
and in the end I quit," she said in Javanese while laughing
without a hint of regret.

Yati's schooling therefore consisted of her struggle for
survival, with experience being her teacher, and on-stage and
off-stage realities her lessons. To her it's not modern
management that matters. It's the flat nose that she's grateful
for. Why not just have plastic surgery to make it "better"? She
answers this humorously, saying "an operation like that could
take away my bread and butter."

So, for instance, when Yati's face is ridiculed by her stage
partner, comedian Marwoto, she doesn't get offended. In turn, she
makes fun of Marwoto's protruding teeth. This causes the audience
to go into virtual paroxysms of laughter. To maintain friendly
relations, comedians usually apologize to each other for their
rudeness. Thereafter, they have no hard feelings.

"For me, it's simple. If any of my fellow artists jeer at me
on stage, I'll mock their weak points as well. Yet, my flat nose
is very much an easy target for cheeky jokes, ha ha!" she
remarked when interviewed during a break in shooting for a TVRI
wayang orang show some time ago. There now follows excerpts from
the interview:

Question: What do you think of ketoprak humor and wayang orang
humor (comedy versions of both dramas)?

Answer: The former is a bit loose in presenting the manners of
monarchs and their subjects. The latter is strict in formal
conduct: different figures, like Pandawa and Kurawa, behave in
different ways. How they should walk and sit, what costumes they
should wear and so forth have their own standards.

Which troupe did you stay with for the longest?

Siswo Budoyo, a new style ketoprak group under the late Pak
Sis. I was a troupe member for 12 years from 1970 to 1982,
performing in one city after another. Only thereafter did I begin
to settle in Yogya. I learned a lot from Pak Sis. And I was
better off with Siswo Budoyo because it had big audiences. I was
no longer so poor then. But I've been no stranger to the hard
life. I spent my earlier years with Jati Mulyo and Panca Murti in
the 1960s, followed by eight years' work with Suryo Ndadari
(owned by the brother of renowned comedian Timbul). The whole
experience helped form my personality and my current artistic
expression.

Your programs on TV are so varied, covering ketoprak humor,
wayang orang humor and wayang kulit (shadow puppet), while you
remain based in Yogya? How do you fit it all in

No problem. Everything can be arranged with airplanes. And my
schedules is actually a lot busier than that. For instance, I
also participate in wayang kulit for non-broadcasting purposes
besides performing in my own drama shows, Suka Humor and Bancak
Doyok, with campur sari (traditional and modern orchestral)
accompaniment. The principle is: be smart in preparing your time
and your jobs. One evening I'm in Jakarta and the next morning
I'll be back home. Later in the day I'll be in still other places
-- so my hectic life goes.

Under such conditions, how do you contrive to keep your jokes
amusing, and how do you compete against the farcical behavior of
politicians?

Wherever I happen to be, such as at an airport, in a
supermarket, hotel, or mall, or while watching TV or teenagers
gossiping, I always closely observe what is going on. They are
the sources of my jokes. Lots of simple, funny things can be
entertaining without having any political nuances. I don't want
to mix my job with politics so as to avoid any rivalry with the
politicians (laughing). Let me appeal to all politicians to unite
and be reconciled for the sake of peace and security in
Indonesia. It's now a hard time for most people.

How did you feel when President Wahid went to see Ketoprak
humor at Taman Ismail Marzuki?

I was happy. But I wasn't there at the time because I had an
invitation to perform in Surabaya.

What's your strategy for survival, especially in facing tight
competition in the entertainment world?

First, never get involved in a family dispute. Family harmony
is thus first and foremost. If I get angry at home, my husband,
children and grandchildren will only laugh at me. So I'll just
hurl a pan on the floor to startle them and then go to bed, ha
ha! Second, we're accustomed to fasting on Mondays and Thursdays,
and on three successive days with the person's birthday in
between: if you're born on Sunday, you fast from Saturday through
Monday. In this way we can get closer to God, asking Him to
forgive all our sins and those of our ancestors.

Do you use susuk (magic implants) so as to achieve even
greater success?

No, I don't use charms, except hair pins.

What have you earned over your decades of toil as an artist
and comedian?

A whole lot. I've bought a house, cars, married three children
off and so forth, for which I must praise the Lord. I feel
grateful as it turned out that I could really rely on this
profession.

For all that, they say you're taking good care of your mouth?

Yes, indeed. I've got to pay special attention to my mouth, as
its through my mouth that my jokes and melodies emerge. Otherwise
I wouldn't be able to joke or sing. So I avoid ice, as it makes
me dizzy and sick. And I avoid eating hot or salty food. ***