TRIBUTE: My tribute to John Yoedi / Freedy Krueger, by Jack Frost & Andrew Sick- "Until Our Paths Cross Again"

In Balikpapan with John Yoedi and friends. From left:  Jalio Corpsegrinder Vocalist Overload & Vocalist Keramat;
Iwan Deyx Drummer Horrible; John Yoedi & Jack Frost

John & friends, Balikpapan

By Jack Frost:
John Yoedi was born in 1977, the year when punk rock first broke in England and the Sex Pistols released Never Mind the Bollocks. But John wasn't a punk. Another legend of Indonesian metal was also born in 1977: Agung, the former vocalist for Death Vomit (1977-2000). I can remember sitting around an outside table of a hamburger shop with Death Vomit bassist Oki Haribowo in October 2011. Corna Irawan was busy checking his text messages and Fandi Mala was just relaxing with his food. I thought it was a good time to ask Oki what he remembered about Agung. One thing he said was Agung used to tease him for changing bands too often. So Oki learned something from that and he has stayed with Death Vomit for a number of years and been a part of the Australian tour and had a lot of deserved success. So what can we learn from John Yoedi to change our lives?

I first met John through Facebook around late October / early November 2011. He was introduced to me through Ferly of Jasad. At that time John had just started Busuk Webzine. He had uploaded videos of Abaz playing in East Borneo. I told him I had done five band interviews in Yogyakarta. So we joined together because Ferly recommended John to me. At first I thought Busuk Webzine would just die out because I don't live in Indonesia and I can't go there to do band interviews very often. John and I were like Lennon and McCartney (yuck!) or Joe Strummer and Mick Jones of The Clash: we were much stronger working together than separately and we were a good team. John was a real hard-worker in his job and after hours on Busuk Webzine. Often he would post five posts a night on Busuk Webzine after his job. Busuk Webzine grew because we kept the interviews and news coming. People I never knew would tag and message me on Facebook saying: "hey mister, like my band mister". John and Popo would always tease me about this.

John was an amazing guy because he was very honest and very generous. Sometimes you find honest people who are not generous and generous people who are not honest. It is rare to find honest and generous people. He played a major role in building up the metal scene in Balikpapan and Samarinda and via Busuk Webzine he reached the whole country and he reached the world. I first met John in person in April 2012 when we visited Jakarta and Bandung together. John loved and respected the Bandung death-metal scene. He always hoped and wanted Balikpapan to become like Bandung. But that could not be achieved by just one man. Perhaps John tried too hard (and smoked too much). He tried to learn from the Bandung scene how to build up a scene and hold shows and run a merch shop. He learned about how to promote bands. The people we met on our 2012 trip still remember John and they contacted me after he died including Dicky Permana of Rever and Dwi Satrio of Angkara as well as our friends Ayyub in Malang and Bobby Rock and Popo in Bandung. People remembered John years later even if they just met once. I'm not at all gay (!) but I must say John's smile was a beautiful thing because it came from the heart. If you want to read about our April 2012 trip it is covered in my book Struggle Anger Hate in the Indonesian Underground (available through Popo in Bandung and Sofyan Hadi and Roy Agus in Yogyakarta). Another kind thing John did was arrange with Bobby a secret birthday-party for Popo in The Common Room in Bandung which was attended by Butche of The Cruel, Man Jasad, Zemo, and others.

Me at Persiba stadium, Balikpapan

John despised posers and trends. He did not like bootleg products and he and I sometimes disagreed about that. I have more of the punk attitude which says if a poor person gets free music from a rich band like Metallica who can say this is wrong? Surely Lars is rich enough and sombong enough. Maybe John's ethics were just at a higher standard than mine. I remember he refused to buy 100,000IDR bootleg Made In Thailand shirts at the Black Label shops in Mangga Dua and Jakarta but I bought many. He bought a original licensed Kreator Pleasure to Kill tee-shirt in Bandung and he wore it in the hospital. John thought bands in his city just wanted to play shows but did not bother recording demos or albums. He wanted to bring that culture from Bandung to his city.

John with Angkara boys in Mangga Dua, Jakarta

John organized "Busukfest #1" in Balikpapan in November 2012 which was a great success. Although Samarinda and Balikpapan are rivals in football and other things John brought the two scenes together. He introduced me to the young boys in Bedaarah and to Agung, vocalist of Engorging (Samarinda). The four of us drove through the forests to visit Samarinda and John visited the big mosque when we arrived. He was always a very God-fearing and religious guy. John paid 200,000IDR each to the Samarinda bands (Devastation, Total Busuk, and Bedaarah) for their living expenses to play at Busukfest #1 which was very generous as they were only there in his city one or two nights. These gifts may have turned a profit into a loss but John was not investing in metal to make money.

With Ega & Kinoy of Undergod, Bandung

I will also remember John's love for the metal music which was almost childlike and innocent. His favouite bands were Slayer and Kreator and then third Exodus and he did not care about trends. He was not a follower of black-metal or metalcore but he respected those scenes and he invited bands from those scenes to play at his shows. When I wanted to include and promote Surabaya power-metal in Busuk Webzine, John was supportive and generous-hearted although he is not a power-metal fan. Although John had childlike passion he was a realist too. He always cared whether my job was going well. He knew I was unemployed for over six months from November 2012 to May 2013. He told me to put my job first because Busuk Webzine earns me no dollars.

With Daniel and Lukluk (Bleeding Corpse)

The last time I saw John was when we stayed at Ibis Hotel in Mangga Dua with Roy Agus of Death Vomit and Popo and Bobby Rock. This was to go to Hammersonic Fest in April 2013. Sadly I was sick and did not enjoy it as much as I could have. John was remarkable in being able to build sincere friendships with people even just through internet alone. Collin Brophy from Sydney is very sad about John's death but they never met face to face. If John had been chatting up ladies online maybe he could have had five or ten girlfriends! But of course he would not have been dishonest by having more than one! Sadly he had an Australian girlfriend before but it did not work out and in the end his hope to get married never happened and the dream died. This is one of the sadder things about his young death. Often rockers mourn peoples' deaths when in life actually they were dickheads. However, John was not like that. He had high ethical standards. He wanted to build a lasting and strong metal scene in his city like the scene in Bandung and his smile was magnificent. You could trust him. John gave me a battle jacket with ten band patches and many other gifts. Generous friends like that are hard to find. If you meet five true friends in your whole life then you are lucky. John is in my Top 5!!

Happy Times in Bandung with Popo & Bobby

I conclude by quoting Cock Sparrer. John was never into punk but who cares? "Sid Vicious did it his way and I did it mine". God bless you, Mister Freedy! Are you in heaven now chatting to "Dimebag Darrell"? If you are I'm sure you will be very polite! Hey, mister, like my band mister!! My rating: 10/10!!! [written 3 January 2014].

By Andrew Sick of Sick Reviews:

John interviews Ferly of Jasad band

If you don't know who is John Yoedi, go to read it! A metal legend in Indonesia! Ive also known him in 2011 via Facebook and I must say that this guy after all the years into the metal was humble as f*** and obviously, we shared the same vision about the metal and hating these core faggot shits and all these fake ass in the metal, but this guy was not a hater, only a great f***ing guy who have built the international vision of Indonesia! Many days after brother, I miss you, its really shit that I'm a sickos and 5 FB account have been deleted coz I have no f***ing convo between us! F*** FB and rest in peace brother, you have opened the doors of the Indonesia to the rest of the world! Real and true person! \m/ [written 3 January 2014].

BUSUKFEST #1, SNA Studio, Balikpapan, November 2012

As Darkness Descends: Bobby Rock (Bleeding Corpse / Hydro) with John near EXTEND Studio, Ujungbronx, East Bandung

John with his friend Persib Bandung FC striker Robbie Gasper, ex-Persiba Balikpapan FC

John with Nenx (Guitarist) & Wong Die (Vocalist) of Girlzeroth band

Building Bridges: John with Bandung Black Mass Community: Abah (Guitarist Warkvlt), Jack, Adi (BMC), Koko (BMC), Bobby (Bleeding Corpse)

Busuk Metalshop in Balikpapan: Andre Christian, Ijul, Murdianto Handoko, Dyan Roven, John & Roy Agus (Drummer Death Vomit)

Back row: Murdianto Handoko & John, front row:  Latif (Infitar band); Andri (Murtad band from Tangerang); Ayah Devas

at,METAL MILITAN EMPERAN "BALIKPAPAN UNDERGROUND COMMUNITY"