B orn in Bjelovar (Croatia), he grew up in Zemun. He be- came one of the most beloved gures of the former Yugoslavia, and remained a Belgrade heartthrob, pal and rocker who opened all doors with his songs. He will celebrate his 35-year-long career on 5th, 6th and 8th Decem- ber, with his “Concerts for a Rock Group, Orchestra and Choir”, with conductor Vojkan Borisavljević, at Belgrade’s Sava Centre. “On stage, alongside the six members of my band, there will be over 80 musicians from the Belgrade Philharmonic Or- chestra and Choir. We’ll perform a lot of our hits and songs that, like “Buđenja ranog proleća” [The Awakening of Early Spring], require an orchestral sound. The Sava Centre was chosen be- cause we have a large audience who prefer to sit for concerts at which the philharmonic also performs. I’m really looking for- ward to this gathering and can’t wait for the concerts.” Which song of yours best describes your 35 years of work in music? - This career of four-and-a-half-decades is most illustrative- ly described by the lyrics “In the hall a ruckus, from up on the ceiling drips vision right onto the microphone”. Still today, with lots of professional experience, I feel the same adrenaline on stage. Even on days when someone in the band has a cold or is having a bad day, the exchange of emotions with the audience impacts on only positive emotions dominating on stage. It’s re- ally enjoyment when we cause a ruckus in the hall. What posters were stuck to the walls of your room as a teen? - I rst stuck up a poster of Jimi Hendrix – his photos from a concert on the Isle of White. I also had posters of Deep Purple, and even T. Rex. I would now add to that collection posters of Prince, Frank Zappa and, of course, Hendrix again. How did you manage to preserve your public image as a good boy from the neighbourhood for decades? - I haven’t specially preserved anything, it’s not possible to fake a role for almost 40 years. I’m far from still being a boy, but I’m still a likeable character from the neighbourhood. Which concerts have remained forever in your memory? - My rst appearance with Riblja Čorba in 1980 at Tašma- jden. The rst concert with my group in 1984 at Union House. Rainy concerts at Tašmajden in 1985 and Kalemegdan in 2012. And when you were in the audience? - I was about 15 years old and was shocked positively when I rst attended the performance of the band Deep Purple at Pi- onir Hall. That was the rst concert of a foreign band that I ex- perienced live. I had a cheap ticket for the back row, but they pumped the sound up so much that the elites from the front rows – all with some ladies in furs – ed to the back rows after the very rst song, so those of us from the back rows rushed to be in front of the stage. I remember standing enthusiasti- cally as if nailed to the spot in front of Ritchie Blackmore, then my idol, who was playing a guitar connected to four Marshall ampli ers. My ears were buzzing for ve days afterwards, be- cause I was only standing about 15 metres from those amps. I adore the concerts of the Rolling Stones. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to attend Prince’s concert in Vi- enna live, although I was among the rst to get tickets for the front row, because that concert was immediately preceded by the 2015 terrorist attack in a concert hall in Paris. What comprises your discography to date, plus songs you’ve written for other musicians? - I started recording music during the time of vinyl records and cassette tapes. CDs came later, about seven years after the formation of the group Bajaga & Instruktori. We recorded 12 studio albums and three CDs from concerts, two of which are doubles. I also composed music for the lms ‘Neither Heav-
Najveći mi je uspeh da sam, od kada sam 1978. godine postao član rok grupe „Riblja čorba“, muzičar ber rezervne profesije. Moj bend od 1984. ima kontinuitet i među bendovima iz bivše Jugoslavije odsvirao je dosad najviše koncerata
My greatest success is that, since becoming a member of the rock band Riblja Čorba in 1978 to this day, I’ve been a musician without a back- up profession. My band has had continuity since 1984 and has performed the most concerts among all ex-Yu bands
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