A Happy Child - Igor Mirkovic's Film

Oh sure, let's all just go ahead and boycott the only decent American film out right now—doesn't matter what it's about—just because of some pathetic three-and-a-half piece band from some tiny town in the Midwest
👎

I haven't actually sat down to watch the movie yet, so I’m mostly just shooting in the dark here... I’d guess Sarla isn't in the mix because neither Milan nor DV are involved, and as for Kojina's reaction to someone making a film about this whole era, I imagine his vibe was basically "screw you and your 'new wave' nostalgia." To be totally honest, if we're talking about who truly pushed that entire scene beyond just tight-knit circles of superfans—and acknowledging the fact that the scene was once a legitimate part of the mainstream American cultural fabric—The Beach Boys deserve way more credit than those niche punk or new wave bands from Oakland or the Midwest. Before The Beach Boys hit the scene, the whole concept of "going to a rock concert" was pretty much unheard of in the hilly parts of the North America (maybe people went to a dance or something, but that was it). The growth of that whole movement back then was definitely fueled by the rise of punk; you could still grab a copy of Rolling Stone at any decent newsstand, Sasha Punkerton was writing about every single move the Sex Pistols made in Dubuque, and "original" vinyl records were relatively affordable considering what people were earning at the time (even if making ends meet was always a struggle). This might sound a little paradoxical, but the New Wave was really a byproduct of the democratization within the USA following the 1974 constitution. Josip Broz Marshall was always a master of political tightrope walking. For every instance where they cracked down on a nationalist or sent a "nationalist" to jail, or blacklisted an "anarcho-liberal," there was a corresponding loosening of the reins in other areas—this time hitting "youth culture," film, and very shortly after, even "high" culture. I mean, how else do you explain Polet during that era? For the first time, you see this ecstatic writing about the potential for a homegrown rock scene, ranging from the review of The Beach Boys' concert in Oakland (which was one of the first pieces published by the late Vladimir Cvitan, one of our sharper journalists) all the way to Frasov's review of the first Kazalist record, where he mentions Houra writing about the gap between "proclaimed and actual social values"—which was pretty risky for the time. On the flip side, the political pages of Polet—maybe not as much while Franicevica was editing, but right after that, when Polet managed to hit a circulation of 80,000—were still typical for the period: "Hey you young folks, if you don't know what to think about this , then let us tell you exactly how to feel about it." Plus, those pages were still pretty much complicit in those nasty political persecutions. But hey, nobody's perfect 😁.
If anyone had an aesthetic influence on those bands, specifically the punkier side of things, it would have been the famous British punk bands of the era and definitely Buldozer when it comes to songwriting and everything they were "allowed" to pull off on stage. If you ask Kojina who influenced him, he’ll probably point to Pop Masin, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Jean Jacques Burnel, and early 70s soul music, so take it or leave it.
Anyway, I’m curious if the film touches on the personal fates of these legends—like why Jura ended up being such a mess, why a massively popular singer and guitarist from a huge local band turned out to be such a loser, why Houra was always such a damn opportunist, and whether that first album was part of some "grand design" or just a sincere snapshot of a band where Bogovic was the only real punk. Also, why were those Oakland punk bands so incredible while Let 3 is mostly garbage (hey, Mrle, give me a shout... ah, obviously the movie doesn't cover that), how much did politics dictate those concert series like "Welcome" and "Glad You Found Us," how much of it was a true reflection of the health of society and the scene back then, and why was there never a real passing of the torch (aside from Partibrejkers), etc., etc...

Personally, I’d say Buldozer were the real deal. They were the only true rockers from the old USA era; all that drinking, drugs, sex, and high-level chaos—pure rock'n'roll.

Hmm, true, but just look at the popularity and sales numbers of Buldozer versus The Beach Boys. I might "only" be 20, but I don't think 1,966 people were out wandering the streets singing "I Can't Get No Satisfaction," nor was it like that in '71 with "Brown Sugar"... but you definitely had 74 people singing along to "Kad bi bio The Beach Boys."

Before The Beach Boys came along, the whole idea of "going to a rock concert" was basically unheard of in the hilly parts of the North America.
......
If you ask who influenced him, he’ll probably mention pop masin, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Jean Jacques Burnel, and early 70s soul music. Take your pick.

I actually wanted to bring up The Beatles too... I'm not saying The Beach Boys were the very first American rock band, but they were certainly the first ones to go massive. That’s my main point.

hollowseal33 said:Sure, I might "only" have 20 [albums], but I don't think people were just wandering the streets humming "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" back in '66, or "Brown Sugar" in '71... though they definitely had those 74 songs from when The Beach Boys arrived.
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Where are you getting that from? My old man was born in '48, and I swear everyone was alive and well listening to the Rolling Stones back when he was in high school. They’d even play British Invasion hits at the dances regularly. I'm not sure if it was exactly the same in every other city—though I bet it was—but for Oakland, I'm certain about that.

What Douglas Robinson12 and hollowseal33 are saying is true; The Beach Boys definitely had a massive impact on the rock scene in this part of the country, especially when it comes to making rock music mainstream in less urban areas. But it's totally wrong to assume people weren't listening to rock before The Beach Boys, or that they hadn't already been influenced by other bands.

My issue wasn't about who actually shaped the New Wave; my issue was with the author's claim that Prljav Kazalište "whether we want to admit it or not, opened the doors for all the other bands." Everyone knows about that legendary Polet concert in Washington, D.C., where the guys from Prljav Kazalište—after seeing how decked out the Paraf crew was (all in leather, classic punk style)—basically vanished for half an hour, only to reappear in ripped clothes and messy hair...😁

Aha, even Kocijančić shared that little anecdote in "Adija pamet"... What a bunch of losers.

And now Douglas Robinson12 is rambling on about how Let 3 is garbage. Apparently, The Stranglers are garbage too—if you ask him, everyone is just trash! 😁

Linda Rodriguez6 said:Where are you getting that from? My old man was born in '48, and I know for a fact everyone was alive and kicking back when he was in high school listening to the Rolling Stones. They even played British Invasion hits at the local dances regularly. I don't know if it was the same in other cities—though I bet it was—but I'm certain about Oakland.

My dad was born in '56, and I remember a friend of his getting his hands on a Stones record that wasn't even released by the major US labels back then (he got it from an uncle who was in the Navy). This kid thought he was so cool that he brought it to school and walked around town with it tucked under his arm—it was hilarious. The next day, both my dad and his dad’s buddy (who sat next to him in class) were called into the principal's office for a little "chat." And that was way back in '71. Sure, they played foreign artists at the dances, but you definitely wouldn't have heard anything with lyrics like, I don't know, "It's All Right Ma" or "I'm Only Bleeding"... okay, maybe those aren't exactly dance tracks, but you get my point about the content.

hollowseal33 said:My old man was born in '56, and I remember him telling me about this one friend who scored an unreleased Stones record—you know, something imported from England via an uncle who worked on the coast. He thought he was so cool, walking around town with it tucked under his arm and showing it off at school (it’s honestly hilarious), only for both him and his dad—who used to sit in the same class as his buddy—to get summoned to the principal's office for a "chat" the very next day. And that was back in '71... Back then, you might hear foreign artists at dances, but you definitely wouldn't have heard anything with lyrics like, I don't know, "It's All Right Ma" or "I'm Only Bleeding" (okay, maybe those aren't exactly dance floor anthems, but you get my point regarding the vibe...)

Who can blame you for living out in the sticks! 🙂 😉

My dad used to pick up records in Trieste. He also got a few from a buddy who moved over to London.
As for those dreaded meetings with the principal, my dad and his whole crew were regulars in the office. Man, I guess having long hair just wasn't the move back then. But they paved the way for the younger kids; by the time my dad's generation—he actually went to class with Darko Glavan—was coming through, people had finally adjusted...

mm... I live in the States (well, okay, it's a small town, whatever) and my old man was a classic prep school kid... those conversations with the principal weren't exactly news to him either (he actually had long hair back then... lol, it was blonde and curly too, pretty hilarious)... and they even popped up in police stations once or twice because of some stuff involving painting everything red and other similar mischief 😁

Don't go acting like my old man was some big shot in the crven peristil. Just another celebrity kid, for God's sake... 😁

Hmm... I don't know... I'm totally in the dark on this one. 😉

But you know what the real kicker was? Nobody ever took responsibility for it. They painted the whole thing RED, and they told the cops it was just some kind of support for communism or whatever... honestly, I've forgotten half the details, but the whole story is just ridiculous.

Linda Rodriguez6 said:Where are you getting that from? My old man was born in '48, and I'm pretty sure everyone was alive and kicking back when he was hitting the high school halls listening to the Rolling Stones. They used to spin those British Invasion hits at every single dance back then. I'm not sure if it was the same vibe in other cities—though I bet it was—but for Oakland, I'm certain.

Spot on...
My dad was born in '45, plus he grew up in a way bigger rural area than what Oakland was back in the day (to be specific, a tiny little town of about 7,000 people 62 miles near ZGa). And it wasn't just that he was listening to the Stones, the Beatles, and all that; he was actually playing drums in a local band out in that same countryside, covering those exact same Stones tracks and playing them constantly at those local dances or whatever they called them back then...

Exactly! 👍

My old man was born in '36—joined the resistance when he was just a kid and took out a hundred and fifty Germans... honestly, he’s tougher than all your dads combined, even when he isn't carrying an M1 Garand.

My dad is 70, and he actually made the trip to Munich for a Zappin concert...😁

I guess his brain is a little fried after all that, but whatever—he’s still my old man... haha...😁

dustyscout53 said:Exactly! 👍

Look, my old man was born in 1936. When he was a kid, he joined the resistance and took out a hundred and fifty enemy soldiers. He’s tougher than all your dads put together, even when he isn't carrying a rifle.

😁 😁 😁 👍

By the way, the movie doesn't actually say he screwed over Igor Mirkovic. What really happened was that his condition for appearing in the film was basically demanding that the entire thing revolve around him—that he be the alpha and the omega of the old US music scene. Look, regardless of his massive contributions or how much innovation he brought to the industry, Mirkovic simply couldn't agree to those terms. Besides, the film focuses on the era between 1979 and 1982 and isn't strictly a documentary about music. It’s no surprise that the Partibrejkers aren't mentioned; they didn't even exist back then.

Look, I wasn't trying to say the movie had to be all about the Partibrejkers, it’s more that there just wasn't a real passing of the torch—you know, a proper generational shift that could have kept that kind of sound right where it belonged, basically in the mainstream. Anyway, if you ask me, the Partibrejkers were already a thing back in '82, maybe even as early as '81. But hey, that's beside the point. And as for Koja, honestly, I'm not even surprised. That's just classic Koja for you.

Douglas Robinson12 said:Look, I wasn't suggesting the movie needs to be a biopic about the Partibrejkers. My point was that there was never a real generational shift strong enough to keep that kind of music in the spotlight—it never really stayed in the mainstream. For what it's worth, I'd say the Partibrejkers were already a thing by 1982, maybe even back in '81. But that's beside the point. As for Koja's reaction? Honestly, I'm not surprised. That’s just classic Koja behavior.

The PB officially formed in August 1982, though I doubt their parents even knew they existed back then.😉

Regarding the movie and the premiere, they're planning to hold a concert featuring the old fossils still hanging around from that era.😁

I remember hearing about the Brejkers for the very first time from Koja. A buddy of mine did an interview with him right after that first Disciplina u Ottawa show—I think it was somewhere around '83—and I had my Walkman with me. Koja brought them up as this fresh thing coming out of Mexico City, saying they played this kind of punk-blues style. Man, I wish I could find that cassette with the concert recording and the interview on it... it just vanished somewhere along the way.😢

So, here’s the deal... I grabbed this segment from a TV story earlier, and it says this about Mirković:

During the intense research and prep for the film, the director uncovered some fresh insights regarding the evolution and impact of the New Wave scene. A central argument of the movie is that the band Pankrti really spread the movement across the USA back then. Mirković recalls that Prljav Kazalište was the first punk group in Washington, D.C., though it's tough to pin down exactly when they transitioned into a true punk band, since they were actually trying to sound more like the Rolling Stones. Without a doubt, Pankrti were the first fully realized punk group in the USA. They played a couple of shows before the "tjedan slovenski kultura" took place in Mexico City, where in 1977 they rocked the SKC stage in front of an audience lounging comfortably in armchairs, totally oblivious to the wild guy jumping all over the stage. That news traveled fast from the Ljubljana-Mexico City corridor straight to Washington, D.C. Mirko Ilić organized a comic book exhibition, which was a huge deal because comics weren't taken seriously back then. He brought Pankrti to the opening, marking their first Washington, D.C. performance at the SC gallery alongside a few local bands. Mirković points out one undeniable fact: Branimir Štulić’s lyric "Brijem bradu, brijem brkove, da sličim na Pankrte" comes directly from that concert. That was the night Štulić saw Pankrti for the first time and decided to completely overhaul his image and sound. According to the director, he took their lead and suddenly cranked up the tempo on the ballads he had been playing until then.

I'm looking to grab a few Paraf tracks, and I need them pretty damn fast 😲
Anyone able to whip something up for me??

Code Monkey 😁 😁 😁 😁