Zagreb Punk and Rock Scene: Philosophers and Patriots
Neda Koprčina
Zagreb was one of the most developed punk/rock scenes in former Yugoslavia. Many bands from Zagreb were started by working class youth, just as in other punk scenes in Yugoslavia. In the beginning, punk music in Zagreb was not promoted by the media. However, Zagreb, as well as Belgrade and Novi Sad, began publishing magazines that turned their attention to punk music. Pop Ekspres was one such music magazine published in Zagreb, and its main readership was the youth (Ramet, 401). Polet wasanother magazine published in Zagreb, which promoted the new wave scene and urban culture (Misina 163). Additionally, Youth Clubs became places that promoted new local punk bands (Misina 163). The largest record label in former Yugoslavia was Yugoton, which was also located in Zagreb. Many punk bands from other parts of former Yugoslavia like Zabranjeno Pušenje (No smoking), Divlje Jagode (Wild Strawberries), Borghesia, Šarlo Akrobata (Charlie Chaplin), etc. released their albums through Yugoton. Paket Aranžman (1981), a very influential compilation that introduced the new wave sound to former Yugoslavia, was released by Jugoton as well. However, the most well known punk band from Zagreb was Prljavo Kazalište (Dirty Theater), but there were also other bands like Parni Valjak (Steamroler), Film, Azra, and a later, Hladno Pivo (Cold Beer), which is one of the most listened to punk groups in Croatia today.
Prljavo Kazalište was created in 1977 in Dubrava, a working class suburb of Zagreb. Like many punk bands at that time, Prljavo Kazalište was influenced by The Sex Pistols and Guns ‘n’ Roses. Music critics, Sven Semenčić and Vladko Fras, have said of them: “Without a doubt, Prljavo Kazalište are up to this point our most authentic street rockers” (Misina 169). The name of the band comes from the famous comic Alan Ford (Croatian Records, “Prljavo Kazaliste”). Its founding members are Jasenko Houra, Zoran Cvetković, Nino Hrastek and Tihomir Fileš. Their first self-titled album Prljavo Kazalište came out in 1979, and with it they became more recognized by the listeners and the media. The song “Sretno Dijete” was a hit from the album describing what it was like to grow up as a Yugoslav. It is more of a generational rather than a political song; it still provokes nostalgia. Towards the end of 1980s, as nationalism took center stage in various Yugoslav republics, many bands imbued their songs with political elements.
Prljavo Kazalište, "Happy Kid," 1979.
Through their songs, musicians expressed their feelings about the current situation in their country. “Black and White World” is a song by Prljavo Kazalište expressing the conformity of life in late socialism as well as the desire to escape from this conformity. With this song, Prljavo Kazalište wanted to show how young people were alienated from society and did not like the way life was organized in simplistic political and social categories. Young people were becoming aware that with Josip Broz Tito’s death, communism would not last much longer and that all the republics of Yugoslavia would not stay united. Indeed, this ended up happening not too long after Tito’s death. At the beginning of the new wave, rock/punk bands were uniting Yugoslavia; however, in 1980s every republic aspired to sovereignty.
Prljavo Kazalište, "Balck and White World," 1980.
Punk songs are associated with aggression and usually with youth rebellion against the state government. Yet in the late 1980s and the 1990s, when the Yugoslav war started, all rock/punk bands stayed for the most part in their original country and started writing patriotic rock ballads rather than anti-establishment punk rock songs. Some bands like Parni Valjak did not compose patriotic songs and stayed out of politics. Prljavo Kazalište, however, wrote mostly patriotic rock ballads, expressing their feelings about the situation in Croatia during the war. “Ruza Hrvatska,” (Croatian Rose) was one of the first songs that many people interpreted as patriotic. The song was originally called “For My Mother” and was written by the band’s vocalist Jasenko Houra about his mother’s death. In 1989, Prljavo Kazalište had a concert in Zagreb, and more than 200,000 people came to listen to them. However, since Croatia was still part of the Yugoslavia and “Ruža Hrvatska” mentions Croatian in its lyrics, police came to the concert to shut it down (Glas Slavonije, “Prljavo kazalište: Ruža hrvatska puno je više i od Pjesme stoljeća”). Many people still interpret this song as an awakening of Croatian people and their assertion of independence. Later on, the song received an award for the “The Ultimate Collection Greatest Hits.” Another famous song from Prljavo Kazalište was “Lupi Petama” (Stomp Your Heels), which emphasizes the love that they have for their country and the people in it. This is also the title of their album, Lupi Petama, released in 1993 at the height of Croatian War of Independence. “Lupi Petama” is a patriotic song dedicated to the soldiers who were fighting in the war: “I sit alone sometimes and I sing for you, One day when this war is over, I can hardly wait for my friends, to hug you all.”
Even though the band formed in 1977, Prljavo Kazalište is still active today. They mostly perform in former Yugoslav countries. Despite all the patriotic rock ballads from the 1990s, they still perform in Serbia. The last time they performed in Belgrade was in 2016 in front of 7000 people (V.M.P. “Beograd opet iskulirao ‘ružu hrvatsku’”); Prljavo Kazalište did not skip any song that had a war-related theme.
Another rock/punk group from Zagreb is Parni Valjak. Parni Valjak was formed two years before Prljavo Kazaliste in 1975. The members of the group are Aki Rahimovski (singer), Husein Hasanefendić (guitarist), Marijan Brkić Brk (guitarist), Berislav Blažević (keyboards), Zvonimir Bučevi (bass guitar), Dražen Scholz (drummer), Tina Rupčić (singer), Anita Mlinarić (sax). They became well known in the 1980s. Their fifth studio album called Vruće Igre and the songs from the album, “Javi se”, “Neda” and “Ona je prokleto mlada” quickly became hits (Croatian Records, “Parni Valjak”). Almost all songs from the album are romantic in content. In 1995, Parni Valjak received a Porin Croatian awards for their album Buđenje and in 1996 they also received an award for their album Bez struje: Live in ZeKaeM. Unlike Prljavo Kazalište, Parni Valjak was not very politicized; their songs were not patriotic, and they were more focused on romantic themes in their songs (Remet 398). They stopped performing in 2005, but they made another comeback in 2009 and are still active and performing around Europe.
The punk band Azra was founded in 1977 in Zagreb. Azra was somewhat different than other punk bands because they displayed a more philosophical attitude in their songs. The song “Freedom” is a good example, as the opening verses of the song demonstrate: “Freedom is not God’s seed which someone can give you/ freedom is not a thank you note read in the alphabetical order/ freedom is not a phrase on an advertising poster/ a constructive critique of the existing state.” For the singer Johnny Štulić freedom is “consciousness of the harmony of disharmony of the imperfect people” (Misina 184), a statement that shows his penchant for philosophical and poetic themes. In their song “Kad Zagreb Izranja iz Sna” (When Zagreb is Rousing from its Dream), they emphasize the odd beauty of their hometown, Zagreb. Azra was popular in 1980s, and in 1987 they recorded their last studio album titled Između krajnosti (Between the Extremes). The band split up in 1988 and the founder of the group Branimir “Johnny” Štulić left the country shortly before the start of the Yugoslav war and began performing solo in the Netherlands.
Works Cited
Remet, Pedro . The Rock Scene in Yugoslavia . N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Misina, Dalibor. 'Who's That Singing over There?': Yugoslav Rock-music and the Poetics of Social Critique. Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada = BibliotheÌque Et Archives Canada, 2009. Print.
Records, Croatia. "PRLJAVO KAZALIŠTE." Croatia Records. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2017. http://www.crorec.hr/crorec.hr/izvodjac.php?OBJECT_ID=101098
Prljavokazalistefan. YouTube. YouTube, 02 Nov. 2007. Web. 06 May 2017.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07q6uvXcbCk
4rminBiH. YouTube. YouTube, 08 Apr. 2012. Web. 06 May 2017.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubT0vfXSOzM
"Prljavo kazalište: Ruža hrvatska puno je više i od Pjesme stoljeća." Glas Slavonije. N.p., 25 Oct. 2013. Web. 12 Apr. 2017. http://www.glas-slavonije.hr/214428/12/Prljavo-kazaliste-Ruza-hrvatska-puno-je-vise-i-od-Pjesme-stoljeca
V.M.P. "Beograd opet iskulirao „ružu hrvatsku." Naslovna strana. N.p., 12 June 2016. Web. 12 Apr. 2017. http://www.no vosti.rs/vesti/scena.147.html:609806-Beograd-opet-iskulirao-ruzu-hrvatsku
"CROATIA RECORDS." Shop. N.p., 15 Mar. 2007. Web. 12 Apr. 2017 http://shop.crorec.hr/crorec.hr/vijest.php?OBJECT_ID=209997
"Parni Valjak." Parni Valjak. N.p., 2015. Web. http://www.parnivaljak.com/album/budenje/
Records, Croatia. "PARNI VALJAK." Croatia Records. Croatia Records , n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2017. http://www.crorec.hr/crorec.hr/izvodjac.php?OBJECT_ID=101023&x=18&y=3