Yugoslav Punk: Legacy

Mayra Molina

The Legacy of Punk in Yugoslavia

To this day punk is being remembered, archived, and historicized. Music has the power to not only define a culture, but to shape it. A prime example of a genre directly reflecting, as well as influencing a cultural movement is the underground punk scene in Yugoslavia that formed in the late 70’s and early 80’s. It is no surprise that Yugoslavian punk left behind a lasting legacy, because of its in-your-face attitude, expressive lyrics, rebellion against a conformist society and the challenge it posed for the social order.

Punk was started by young people for young people; but even more so, punk was an honest reflection of how people felt. Punk allowed young people to openly make political statements and express their feelings in a conformist society. As Dalibor Mišina states: “Yugoslav rock was thus the moment of realization that, in order to be genuine, authentic and – in the end – real, rock music had to be about something, and about something that matters” (Mišina, 306). And in fact punk was about something that matters. For example, the band Pankrti, from Ljubljana, Slovenia, were known for their provocative, political songs. Pankrti’s well-known song, “Behind the Iron Curtain,” refers to the name of the boundary dividing Europe into two separate political spheres, implicitly calling for the dismantling of this artificial wall. In their song titled “Gospodar”, which means “Masters,” they ironically sing: “Everyone needs a master, everyone finds a mentor, even if one is useless”, criticizing the need for blind authority and proposing instead the radical freedom from political power and social pressure. As Mišina states: “The revolutionizing of Yugoslav rock, was very much influenced by the belief that rock music ought to be thought of as a popular cultural outlet for active transformative engagement with the world (Mišina, 215).

The legacy the punk genre left behind will continue to live on. Just last year, Rijeka, the birthplace of Croatian punk, decided to protect punk graffiti as a monument of cultural importance. One such graffiti features the words “Paraf Punk,” written by Paraf’s band members who lived in Rijeka and wrote the graffiti in the park near their residence. “The graffiti” the news release states, “is a direct witness to the early onset of punk as a subculture movement in the U.S and over a much wider area, and it is one of Europe’s valuable characters” (Rogulj). Yugoslav Punk has not lost its appeal and continues to entertain and speak truths to those who listen, all the while providing a platform for young people to express themselves.

Bibliography

Mišina, Dalibor. Shake Rattle and Roll: Yugoslav Rock Music and the Poetics of Social Critique. Farnham: Ashgate, 2013. Print.

Rijeka Is Protecting Punk Graffiti as a Monument of Importance." Http://www.total-croatia-news.com. N.p., 16 Sept. 2016. Web. 07 May 2017.

2013., John Feffer April 17. "Foreign Policy In Focus." Bands Like Laibach a Powerful Amplifier of Former Yugoslav Social Discontent. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2017.