Is Jurica Pađen an artist?

That’s a pretty bold claim! But honestly, is he actually better? Personally, I’d much rather listen to anything featuring Pađen.

I mean, Belan isn't bad by any means, they just aren't really my style.

So, I guess I should probably call those my main arguments for why Pađen is "better."

Fair enough, I didn't account for the musical approach, the themes, or the lyrical content—not to mention the technical complexity and how layered the songs actually are... but still, does any of that really prove who's superior?

That kind of debate is basically playground level, just sayin'... ☕

In that case, both of them get totally schooled by Rambo Amadeus. He can shred while simultaneously making fun of Belan, the devil, Miš, and the whole crew all at once, plus he's way more fun to watch...

Steven Newman50 said:That's quite the bold claim. But is he objectively better? Personally, I’d rather listen to tracks where Pađen is involved.

Belan isn't bad either, they're just not really my style.

So, I guess I should probably argue that those are valid points for why Pađen is "better."

Fair enough, I didn't factor in the musical approach, the lyrical themes, or even the technical complexity and layering of the songs themselves... but still, does any of that actually serve as a metric for who's superior?

That kind of debate is basically kindergarten level, just sayin' ☕

In that case, both of them get totally smoked by Rambo Amadeus who can shred while simultaneously taking shots at Belan, the devil, Miš, and the rest of the crew all in one go—plus, he's way more fun to watch...

Belan has more staying power. There's a seven-year gap between them, but Belan is still somewhat relevant with recent hits, whereas Pađen hasn't been musically relevant for ages.
Rambo Amadeus is hilarious and a solid guitarist, but he lacks that extra bit of ambition.

Anthony Carter5 said:Rambo Amadeus is incredibly witty and a talented guitarist, yet he simply lacks the necessary ambition.

What on earth are you talking about, you moron.

Anthony, stop trying so hard to be relevant because frankly, nobody cares, and you're just being exhausting—you and your thirty-seven different burner accounts.
You aren't going to convince anyone of anything; you're just making a fool of yourself for no reason, and quite honestly, you're becoming a bore.

Jamie Davis9 said:What are you even doing, idiot?

Anthony Carter5, quit trying so hard; nobody cares, and honestly, you're just being exhausting. That goes for you and your 37 fake profiles.
You aren't going to convince anyone of anything—you're just making a fool of yourself for no reason. You're boring.

Then just hit the block button or whatever the hell the options are. I have no idea who you think you're representing here. Give me a break.

I suppose Željko Putrasović is an artist.

(That’s my response whenever Belan, Kočiš, Pattiera, or anyone else gets brought up in this thread about Jurica Pađen).

Anyway, back to the main point: Jurica Pađen.
The guy put together a solid collection of decent tracks, and he stayed true to himself until the end. He never sold out to pop fluff or country music.

Is this actually art?

Look, dragutinović isn't Seva, he doesn't even like Imagine. Also, fair point—I agree the devil's band is better than Rambo Amadeus, even if they have a few classics. Their solo careers? Total flops. Lennon is one of the greats, sure, but his solo work just can't touch The Beatles. As for judolino, he's just a witless, rude troll...

Bryan Rogers87 said:People need to work on their reading comprehension instead of assuming things were said when they weren't. 🙂 Where did I ever say every taste is equally high quality? No, I said everyone has their own taste, but none of those individual preferences serve as a universal standard for quality. Besides—let’s actually define what we mean by "quality" in this debate.

So cathedrals aren't art (regardless of how you personally feel about them)? And trashy pop is?

The fact that you don't consider cathedrals to be art is completely irrelevant to the rest of the universe.

That’s like saying: "The US lost the World Cup final, but in my mind, they're the champions." Your statement doesn't turn that event into a fact. You've just decided in your own head that something isn't true is a reality, but it remains a fantasy, not a fact.

Man, how cheap. Using extreme philosophical relativism. You know, like that line from that old movie, "I've been through hell and back."

Sure, everyone has their own taste, but there's also such a thing as common sense. Like, someone's "taste" might include hurting kids—is that normal to you? No. So, we've clearly defined what bad taste looks like.

Quality is defined by logic. And common sense. What now, do we have to define logic and common sense too? Hahaha...

And yes, quality can be defined. But without twisting common sense into something unrecognizable. Anyone can do that.

No one's individual taste is a universal standard for quality. Hmm... Well, good taste *should* be a benchmark for quality (read the two sentences above before attacking that). Is a universally accepted standard for taste something like hurting children? If nobody has an accepted standard for taste, then can anything just be declared "good taste"? Are you playing psychological games trying to convince yourself the Earth is flat?

Subjective experience of cathedrals, huh... as if subjective experience isn't a thing? Fine, but that's the whole point. If art is subjective, then cathedrals are too.
But you forgot to mention that the fact most people see cathedrals as significant means absolutely nothing to the universe either.

By your logic, QUALITY DOESN'T EXIST, because no one is qualified to say what is high quality. But if it does exist, then there is a distinction between quality and lack of it. If quality doesn't exist, then everything is the same. It isn't. And that's exactly where your logic falls apart.

And this next part is just hilarious....

Stop playing these cheap relativism games. This is child's play.

Betty Johnson61 said:By your logic, "quality" doesn't even exist—since nobody’s qualified to call anything high-quality, you're basically saying there's no difference between good and bad. But if quality isn't a thing, then everything is equal, which obviously isn't true. That's where your logic falls apart.

And the rest of this... lol...

Don't try that cheap relativity stuff. It's playground logic.

Glad we have you and your "sound mind" to enlighten us. So, what does that sound mind of yours think about Jurica Pađen as an artist?

Betty Johnson61 said:God, what cheapness. Using extreme philosophical relativism here. You know, like that line from that old cult movie—"I've been all over the damn prison system."

Sure, everyone has their own taste, but there’s such a thing as common sense. I mean, someone might have a "taste" for something horrific like harming children—is that normal to you? No. So, we've effectively defined "bad taste" through basic decency.

Quality is defined by logic—and by common sense, for that matter. What's next? Do we need to define logic and common sense too? Hah...

And yes, quality can be defined. But without resorting to that twisted kind of relativism that ignores reality. Anyone can do that.

So, no one's personal taste is an universally accepted metric for quality? Hmm... If good taste is supposed to be a benchmark for quality (read the two sentences above before attacking this), then is a lack of consensus on taste also a benchmark? If nobody agrees on what constitutes taste, does that make everything "good"? Are you playing psychological games now, trying to convince yourself the Earth is flat?

Subjective experience of cathedrals, huh? As if subjective experience isn't something we acknowledge? Fine, but that's the point—if art is subjective, then so is the impact of cathedrals.
But you forgot to mention that just because most people see cathedrals as something significant doesn't mean they hold any weight in the vastness of the universe.

According to your brand of relativism, QUALITY DOESN'T EXIST—because no one is qualified to say what is high quality. But if that were true, then quality and lack thereof wouldn't exist at all. And since everything clearly isn't equal, that's where your logic falls apart.

As for the rest of this... hahahahahahaha...

Stop playing with these cheap relativistic tropes. It's child's play.

Come on, Seva—before you get banned and we're stuck looking for a new clone, just tell us plain and simple: who's the greater artist, Koja or Rowland S. Howard, and why?

If their liver hasn't completely given up on them yet, they’re probably doing alright. That’s one of my few objective metrics.

analogbear5 said:It’s really just a matter of who hasn't completely destroyed their liver yet—that's one of my few remaining objective metrics.

I couldn't agree more. Sometimes, having less talent actually makes a person much more durable.

Chris Myers said:He put together a solid collection of tracks and managed to stay true to his roots without selling out to pop fluff or country music...

Except for that time he sang for the Republican Party at their campaign rallies, where he basically took one of his biggest hits and turned it into a slogan about how to cast a true vote🙏

lonebadger6 said:Just the Republican Party—the same ones he was singing for at their pre-election rallies. And he didn't just sing for them, either... he actually took one of his biggest hits and turned it into some "cast a true vote" anthem. 🙏

Now, compared to the Republican Party, even those cheesy pop stars don't sound all that bad... I mean, how low can you really sink just to perform at one of their campaign rallies? 🤦

Bryan Rogers87 said:Look, if you go by that definition—that art isn't just whatever happens to be something you personally dislike—then it logically follows that musical art (or any other kind, really) actually exists. I mean, if we follow that line of reasoning, there’s going to be someone, somewhere on this planet, who hates pretty much any genre you throw at them. It’s a mathematical certainty, I guess. There are people out there who can't stand rock, or jazz, or opera, or light opera, or pop, or country, or metal, or hip-hop, or rap, or dance... you get the idea. It just goes on forever.

So, there was that recent showdown between Hlo and Karleuša.
Look, I don't exactly have Karleuša on my daily playlist—not really my vibe—but you have to admit the girl has backbone. She actually held her own and gave a pretty solid response to that post from Hloverkin:
link Quote

I guess you could call me a late bloomer—not that anyone's really keeping track. It’s funny how things work out, isn't it? You spend all this time waiting for the right moment, or maybe just waiting for life to actually start making sense—which, let's be honest, it rarely does—and then suddenly, everything shifts. I mean, maybe I was just moving at my own pace all along, or maybe I was just stuck in some sort of cosmic intermission. Who knows? It’s all pretty arbitrary, I suppose. says:
Look, dragutinović isn't Seva—he’s just not into that kind of thing. Imagine...On another note—I’m with you there—the devil is definitely a better band than Aerodrom, even if those guys managed to squeeze out a few classics here and there. Honestly, their solo careers? Pretty much a wash. And while Lennon is easily one of the greatest songwriters ever, his solo work just doesn't quite measure up to what he did with The Beatles—it feels a bit inferior, I guess. As for Judolino... well, he's just a witless, rude troll.

I’m a fan of both the devil and aerodrom izrsni—if you can call them that. I guess I like the first group because they really nail that sixties sound—it’s got that vintage vibe—and as for Jurica and his band, they just write solid songs. The melodies are catchy enough that they stick with you, and honestly, Pađen has a pretty great voice.

Let's crank up the contrast—CinemaScope style.
Wind in my hair, ZZ Top playing on the record player—just living the dream, I guess.

And five for San Francisco, I guess.

It’s actually pretty tough to track down much ZZ Top live footage from back in the 70s.

Christian Hughes92 said:Jurica Pađen is an absolute legend🙏 🙏 🙏

Well said, I suppose🙏 🙏 🙏 and honestly, if anyone disagrees with him, they can just go screw themselves🙏 🙂