As a music fanatic who grew up before the internet boom I devoured articles and listened intently to anecdotes about musicians, often before hearing them play. As fans, my friends and I embraced rock star mythologies that simultaneously provided identification, deification and wish fulfillment. But what happens when the story ends up going another direction?
In Indonesia, it is not difficult to see how public figures, including musicians, have been used as representations of different sociopolitical and religious groups. Some embrace the role, while others shy away from it.