You
YOU THINK
YOUR SCENE SUCKS?
PESTAMU DUKAKU
A BARAT
COLT DIESEL
Words and photos
by Wez Lundry
MAGINE THAT IN THE SPACE OF TWO YEARS AN
0
Bandung, Indonesia
economic crisis paralyzed the US economy, and the
dollar, after falling to one-eighth of its original value,
settled at one-quarter of its value. Imagine riots gripping
the streets of New York City for days, with mobs support-
ed by the government seeking out members of one ethnic group
or religion and systematically looting their stores, burning their
cars, raping their women, and killing their men. Imagine that the lead-
ing political party ordered the removal of the leader of its rival. Imagine
that university students took to the streets to protest corruption that had
made the president a billionaire many times over, and were set upon by
the police, with several being shot and killed. Imagine the president step-
ping down after unceasing pressure from within the country and from the
IMF, World Bank, and international community because of the corrup-
tion. Imagine that Hawaii was allowed to hold a referendum, after the
government had killed off a third of the population in the past 24 years,
and overwhelmingly voted for independence, setting off destruction that
destroyed 80 percent of the buildings and cars there and led to mass
killings. Imagine that separatist movements in Alaska and Texas had been
raging, leading to martial law and daily violence. Imagine that
Protestants started attacking Catholics and vice versa
in Oregon, all plotted by the military and carried out
by provocateurs as a way for the military to maintain
its grip in the political realm. Imagine the international
community wanting to put the leading general and
others on trial for contributing to the mayhem.
Welcome to Indonesia.
7Boardrider co.
Clockwise from top left: Think about this next
time it's raining and you can't skate for a day or two.
Inong makes the best of a bunk situation and puts the
flat bar down three steps to add an element of danger
to his crooked grind. The kids went crazy at the rain-
board product toss. The Hobbies posse in full effect.
Tropical backside 50-50.
A
Y
OU THINK YOUR SCENE SUCKS? CONCRETE PARKS ARE SPROUTING
up across America like zits on your dad's ass. How about living where the
sidewalks aren't really skateable, and the city has just reclaimed the little space
it gave you for a park? I have been going to Bandung (pronounced "ban-
doong"), West Java, repeatedly for the past couple of years in order to carry out
political research in Indonesia, but also to hang out with my skater friends
there. Charlie is a definite ringleader; he's a skater from way back, owns a shop called
Hobbies, and has been providing somewhere to skate for years. He recently moved
out of his shop, where the park was, and into a section of his wife's family's furniture
store, so the park closed down. However, he moved the mini-ramp into a field and
hopes to build more stuff.
In the meantime, there hasn't been too much to skate. The Bandung Institute of
Technology has some steps and ledges to ride, and a flat bar that can be pulled out
and sessioned. Still, travel isn't always easy, and there is nothing to skate (not even
sidewalks) outside of the major cities (Jakarta, Surabaya, Solo, Denpasar). Road trips
from Bandung to Jakarta are possible, but taking the train is a killer way to get there.
In the face of all this adversity, it's amazing that there is still a crop of rippers in
Bandung, such as Dimas, Metal, Ronnie, and the whole Hobbies crew. Remember
that these guys skate in a society that rewards conformity, and skateboarding is still
considered non-conformist over there, even if the corporate media hype we have
been exposed to here makes it seem like it's the "cool" thing to do all over the world.
(Although, I have to admit that there are definitely some cute girls who are into
skaters over there; I guess that's universal too.) Despite all of the fucked up stuff that
has gone off around these guys in the past couple of years, they still ride daily and
are, to me, some of the most hardcore skaters I have ever met.
In all fairness, most of the action I described in the first paragraph, while all being
true (albeit taking place in Indonesia), is not the responsibility of anyone outside the
government and military. Aside from the currency crisis that touched everyone
(though not equally), most of the political events had varied effects on those who did
not participate. That said, it probably wouldn't be too cool to be ethnic Chinese in
Bandung and hear about repeated violence targeted at your religious group in the
capital city. In fact, many good things have come about since the reform movement:
a more open political system and press, growing awareness of the long-simmering
problems of the nation, and the ability to speak out against abuse and voice your
opinion. East Timor, where I worked as a UN observer in August and September (and
where I was threatened with death by a militiaman in front of the police, who did
nothing... ate dog because there was nothing else for protein... witnessed gun battles
and lawlessness that wasn't some utopian punk anarchy... and fled under threat of
my life all trivial compared to what the people there have been living with) is free
after 24 years of brutal occupation. Justice looks to be right around the corner for
the oppressed, and perhaps the benefits of economic growth won't be stolen by the
next generation of leaders.
Indonesia has become a major interest of mine, mostly not for the bad things but
the good: the overwhelming friendliness, the beauty of Bali and Java, the deep tradi-
tions and culture that have beckoned anthropologists and historians for decades, the
food, and the overall happiness expressed, often in the face of calamity. I am opti-
mistic for a better future for Indonesia, a future that is stable and just. I know as well
that Indonesia will keep sprouting with scenes of skaters and musical movements, just
like anywhere else in the world, and that if you want to go over there and check it out,
they'll make you feel more than welcome. So, the next time you think you really have
it bad, and your scene sucks, and this and that, think about skating and skaters on the
other side of the world when you want to envision some true hardcores.
80 THRASHER
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