Nele Karajlic
Encyclopedia
dr. Nele Karajlić a.k.a. Nele Karajlić, born on December 11, 1962 in Sarajevo
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
, (formerly SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia), is a Bosnian Serb rock and roll
musician, composer
, actor
and television director
living and working in Belgrade
, Republic of Serbia.
One of the founders of New Primitivism
movement in Sarajevo
, he's a singer and co-author of the Zabranjeno pušenje
's songs. He also co-created and participated in TV shows
Top lista nadrealista
and Složna braća
. During the Bosnian War
Nele moved to Belgrade
, Serbia
where he formed one of two factions of Zabranjeno pušenje
, (later renamed to "No Smoking Orchestra").
in Serbia
- his father Srđan Janković was a linguist and professor of oriental sciences at University of Sarajevo
's Faculty of Philosophy - young Nenad was a mischievous kid with short attention span.
Following in his father's footsteps, Nenad also studied Orientalism
at the same school where his father taught. However, as his music and TV career took off, the studies were no longer a priority and he never finished them.
He earned his 'doctorate
' and nom de guerre "Nele Karajlić" from neighborhood buddies since they all semi-jokingly identified with Partisan
conspirators from the World War II
period. "It later proved to be useful," Nele says "since no one outside our group could really tell which nationality we were when the pre-war tensions started". http://www.balkanmedia.com/magazin/kolumne/75/75.html
that the band claimed to follow and propagate.
Never content to merely let the music do the talking, Nele often engaged in matters he knew would create a stir. Some of them, like the now famous 'Marshall episode', seem ridiculously benign and innocuous by today's standards but nevertheless raised a furor in the post-Tito communist Yugoslavia of the 1980s. Band's pre-show press conferences often assumed the form of a debate club with Nele charming journalists while pontificating on issues ranging from lower league soccer to Karl Marx
's Manifesto
. It was part publicity tool, part socio-political theatre, part ball busting.... and perhaps somewhere deep underneath there may have even been some wisdom.
As far as on-stage behavior goes, dr Nele Karajlić was probably the first Yugo rock frontman to take a truly active approach while in front of a crowd. Fully utilizing the stage equipment, he would climb stage walls, dive into the audience, rip his clothes off, simulate fellatio
on microphones, flip crowds off, etc. One particular occasion during 1985/86 tour at Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall
in Zagreb
(place that usually hosts opera singers and symphony orchestras and hence has a bolted down concert piano on stage) saw him get on top of the said piano, and proceeding to dry hump it for an extended period - all of which got him a big cheer from the crowd but also managed to offend many purists.
The band started to hit it big fairly quickly. Their debut album Das ist Walter appeared in June 1984 and it was soon apparent that their popularity would soon grow beyond the city of Sarajevo. A national tour followed, which brought Nele more attention. They played a sold-out show (6,000 capacity) at Hala sportova
in Belgrade on November 4, 1984. At this time Nele was also starring on the Top lista nadrealista
sketch comedy TV show, soon making him a celebrity. His face started popping up on fold-out posters in entertainment magazines and he was talked about by the media.
Over the next seven years Pušenje recorded three more studio albums and played countless sold-out arenas until in late 1991 Nele and Sejo Sexon
decided to go their separate ways.
Nele-Sejo relationship was always the band's nucleus. Having written lyrics and music for most of the songs, the duo was running the band while rest of the group employed a revolving door policy.
The circumstances under which Zabranjeno pušenje ceased to exist, at least in its first incarnation, are not entirely clear. In later interviews, Nele has explicitly stated that Pušenje disbanded when Sejo informed him about not wanting to play anymore in late 1991 and that it had nothing to do with war, while Sejo seems to suggest break-up occurred implicitly when Nele fled for Belgrade in the spring of 1992, soon after ethnic fighting flared up in Bosnia.
Whatever it was, the two would continue separately from that point on, and there is no indication they've ever met face to face since then, except one time when Sejo's father died, and they met for a night long drink at a bar, as Nele himself once stated in an interview.
Their already complex working-business friendship/relationship is further burdened by their ethnic background - Nele is a Serb
while Sejo is identifying himself as loyal Bosnian
, although of Croatian
origins. Although never openly hostile in interviews when the topic of old times is broached, both men noticeably try to project an air of indifference about one another.
, Nele was a refugee
- albeit a famous one. Together with his wife Sanja and their infant daughter he spent his first Belgrade days in the apartment belonging to Rambo Amadeus
. For the most part, music was the furthest thing on his mind during this period. He could be seen across town waiting in lines in front of different charity organizations like ADRA
in order to send food packages to family members in Sarajevo which was under siege by Serbian forces.
His first post-original-Pušenje music gig was a low-publicity duet with Toni Montano
on a quickly forgotten track called "Srećna porodica".
Throughout the 1993-1996 period, Nele played with different musicians on recreational basis under the name Zabranjeno pušenje. He did not record any new material and would occasionally play an odd club date or two in Belgrade. In September 1995 he traveled to Toronto
where he met up with Mladen Pavičić 'Pava', formerly of Plavi orkestar
, and some local musicians for a Pušenje show.
During this time he also collected and honed material for a possible new album, although he was not quite sure when or even if he would like to release it. Or, for that matter, if Belgrade audiences still had any interest in a band-less rocker from Sarajevo.
The event that finally made him realize he could still be relevant was a concert at Belgrade's Tašmajdan
stadium which the band booked somewhat pretentiously for September 13, 1996. The place seats around 10,000 and the plan was to play old Pušenje songs with some unfinished new material sprinkled in throughout. Amazingly, the stadium was packed and the show turned into a comeback triumph for Nele that couldn't be spoiled even by the pouring rain.
On the strength of their Belgrade success the new band embarked on a mini-tour across FR Yugoslavia
, Macedonia
, Bosnia
and Slovenia
during which they played some memorable arena gigs in Novi Sad
, Skopje
, Banja Luka
and Ljubljana
.
This sudden unexpected surge of public interest made Nele feel added responsibility for the quality of the material about to be released, so he postponed the already set album release date because he felt songs were still not tight enough.
Finally in 1997 the Belgrade fraction of Zabranjeno pušenje (of which Nele was the only original member) released Ja nisam odavle (I'm not from around 'ere) which did very well commercially in Serbia even if reviews weren't as glowing.
In 1998 members of Pusenje joined forces with Riblja čorba
's Bora Đorđević to record two Yugoslavia fan songs for the upcoming soccer World Cup
in France
. Two tracks entitled "Pobednička pesma" (Winners' song) and "Gubitnička pesma" (Losers' song) featured Nele and Bora singing praises and insults respectively to the FR Yugoslavia national team. The idea was to have a song ready for each case - victory and defeat.
Around this time Nele collaborated with film director and former Zabranjeno pusenje bass player Emir Kusturica
on the soundtrack
for the Black Cat, White Cat
movie. Off that record, the track "Pit bull" became a moderate hit as well as "Bubamara" - a gypsy brass version of "Ženi nam se Vukota" (Vukota's Getting Married) from Ja nisam odavle.
finished its theatrical life, Nele and the band were approached by Emir Kusturica for an Italian
tour in the summer of 1999, right after the NATO bombing of FR Yugoslavia
. The idea was obviously to ride the wave of Kusturica's popularity so the band got renamed to Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra even if the famous director had a fairly minor musical role in it. The tour named Effeti Collaterali was a big success and they soon released a Europe
-wide album for Universal
named Unza Unza Time.
This was the third incarnation of Zabranjeno pusenje (second after Nele's split from the original band). They did away with traditional rock'n'roll sound but kept the attitude. Booming guitar took a back seat to accordion and violin, while Nele's scratchy howl assumed a more sedated tone. In the 2001 documentary Super 8 Stories legendary Joe Strummer
, clearly at a loss for words, describes their sound as "this crazy Greek-Jewish wedding music of the past,... and the future".
That movie, directed by Kusturica
details goings-on throughout their first two tours. A second one that started in the spring of 2000 saw them pay visits to cities in France
, Spain
, Portugal
, Germany
and of course Italy, which had by this time become their business base.
The band's touring agenda was set around Kusturica's movie schedule (he was shooting Life is a Miracle
at the time), which is why they waited until 2004 for the next tour that in addition to their usual stomping grounds also took them to such far flung places as Argentina
, Brazil
, Chile
, Venezuela
and Israel
.
Even if he does not have the highest billing anymore, Nele is still the band's de facto
frontman. Kusturica's role is that of a Trojan horse
- his starpower draws people to shows, he then does his talking bit at the beginning and in-between some songs (often purposely delivered in broken English) and finally turns the audience over to Nele & Co. Being aware of his limited playing capabilities, Kusta takes a backseat role as the rhythm guitar
player.
It is a setup that suits Nele. He and the band would probably never have the opportunity to achieve an international music career on their own and that is why Nele often likens Kusturica's approach and the subsequent Zabranjeno pusenje's transformation to "someone opening a window in a stuffy room".
Ironically, this makeover robbed them of huge popularity at home in Serbia. This was most evident on July 3, 2004 when they played their first and so far only domestic show in Belgrade
. Conceptually it was to be a celebration of the band's 20th year anniversary (if continuity is assumed through all of the band's incarnations) for which they joined forces with another local favourites Riblja čorba
, who were celebrating their 25th.
The concert drew 40,000 but it quickly turned unpleasant after No Smoking Orchestra took the stage. The crowd coldly tolerated their new shtick (songs in Spanish
, German
, Romany and English
, Nele's new ethno getup, etc.) throughout the first few songs but soon began to show hostility when it became clear old classics would not be played. Instead of Zabranjeno pusenje, the crowd got The No Smoking Orchestra, and they did not like it. The stage was pelted with half-filled plastic water bottles forcing the band to abandon their set after barely 40 minutes. It was an unpleasant homecoming and a clear statement that their new style is not welcomed by hardcore fans.
The band did not dwell on it and they continued the tour, crossing Europe, South America and even parts of Asia. In May 2005 they played a show in Cannes
, France during the film festival
for a movie industry crowd including Salma Hayek
and Javier Bardem
.
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, (formerly SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia), is a Bosnian Serb rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
musician, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and television director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
living and working in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Republic of Serbia.
One of the founders of New Primitivism
New Primitives
New Primitivism was an urban subcultural movement that originated in Sarajevo during early-to-mid 1980s. The movement was identified with Zabranjeno pušenje and Elvis J. Kurtović & His Meteors bands, whose members were the driving forces behind it. Its creators and most notable personalities...
movement in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, he's a singer and co-author of the Zabranjeno pušenje
Zabranjeno pušenje
Zabranjeno Pušenje is a Yugoslavian garage rock band from Sarajevo, closely associated with the New primitivism cultural movement and the radio and television satire show Top Lista Nadrealista...
's songs. He also co-created and participated in TV shows
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Top lista nadrealista
Top lista nadrealista
Top lista nadrealista also known as Nadrealisti was a comedy radio broadcast on Radio Sarajevo during early 1980s and later a sketch comedy and variety show on TV Sarajevo in three separate installments from 1984 until 1991.'Top lista nadrealista' started as a segment on Boro Kontić's programme...
and Složna braća
Složna braca
Složna braća is a 1995 Serbian television comedy series. Created and written by Nele Karajlić and directed by Karajlić, Oleg Novković, and Nikola Pejaković the series achieved sizable popularity.-Overview:...
. During the Bosnian War
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
Nele moved to Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
where he formed one of two factions of Zabranjeno pušenje
Zabranjeno pušenje
Zabranjeno Pušenje is a Yugoslavian garage rock band from Sarajevo, closely associated with the New primitivism cultural movement and the radio and television satire show Top Lista Nadrealista...
, (later renamed to "No Smoking Orchestra").
Early life
Born Nenad Janković into a middle class family hailing from KladovoKladovo
Kladovo is a town and municipality in the Bor District of eastern Serbia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube river...
in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
- his father Srđan Janković was a linguist and professor of oriental sciences at University of Sarajevo
University of Sarajevo
The University of Sarajevo is the first university in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was originally established in 1531 as a Madrasah or Islamic Law college, with a modern university being established and expanded on top of that in 1949. Today, with 23 faculties and around 55,000 enrolled students, it...
's Faculty of Philosophy - young Nenad was a mischievous kid with short attention span.
Following in his father's footsteps, Nenad also studied Orientalism
Orientalism
Orientalism is a term used for the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers, designers and artists, as well as having other meanings...
at the same school where his father taught. However, as his music and TV career took off, the studies were no longer a priority and he never finished them.
He earned his 'doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
' and nom de guerre "Nele Karajlić" from neighborhood buddies since they all semi-jokingly identified with Partisan
Partisans (Yugoslavia)
The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...
conspirators from the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
period. "It later proved to be useful," Nele says "since no one outside our group could really tell which nationality we were when the pre-war tensions started". http://www.balkanmedia.com/magazin/kolumne/75/75.html
Nele & Sejo - the original Zabranjeno pušenje
As Zabranjeno pušenje's music and shtick started to catch on all over ex-Yugoslavia during mid-'80s, Nele became one of the better-known public figures in the entire country. His skinny figure, unkempt style and protruding jaw made a perfect visual companion to dishevelled philosophy of New PrimitivismNew Primitives
New Primitivism was an urban subcultural movement that originated in Sarajevo during early-to-mid 1980s. The movement was identified with Zabranjeno pušenje and Elvis J. Kurtović & His Meteors bands, whose members were the driving forces behind it. Its creators and most notable personalities...
that the band claimed to follow and propagate.
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
's Manifesto
The Communist Manifesto
The Communist Manifesto, originally titled Manifesto of the Communist Party is a short 1848 publication written by the German Marxist political theorists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. It has since been recognized as one of the world's most influential political manuscripts. Commissioned by the...
. It was part publicity tool, part socio-political theatre, part ball busting.... and perhaps somewhere deep underneath there may have even been some wisdom.
As far as on-stage behavior goes, dr Nele Karajlić was probably the first Yugo rock frontman to take a truly active approach while in front of a crowd. Fully utilizing the stage equipment, he would climb stage walls, dive into the audience, rip his clothes off, simulate fellatio
Fellatio
Fellatio is an act of oral stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner. It involves the stimulation of the penis by the use of the mouth, tongue, or throat. The person who performs fellatio can be referred to as the giving partner, and the other person is the receiving partner...
on microphones, flip crowds off, etc. One particular occasion during 1985/86 tour at Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall
Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall
Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall is a large concert hall and convention center in Zagreb, Croatia. It is named after Vatroslav Lisinski, a 19th-century Croatian composer. The building has a big hall with 1841 seats and a small hall with 305 seats. A large lobby doubles as an exhibition...
in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
(place that usually hosts opera singers and symphony orchestras and hence has a bolted down concert piano on stage) saw him get on top of the said piano, and proceeding to dry hump it for an extended period - all of which got him a big cheer from the crowd but also managed to offend many purists.
The band started to hit it big fairly quickly. Their debut album Das ist Walter appeared in June 1984 and it was soon apparent that their popularity would soon grow beyond the city of Sarajevo. A national tour followed, which brought Nele more attention. They played a sold-out show (6,000 capacity) at Hala sportova
Hala sportova
Hala sportova is a multi-purpose sports arena located in Belgrade municipality of New Belgrade.The venue's actual name is "Palata sportova" , but it is widely known by its informal title - Hala. It was built and opened during 1968...
in Belgrade on November 4, 1984. At this time Nele was also starring on the Top lista nadrealista
Top lista nadrealista
Top lista nadrealista also known as Nadrealisti was a comedy radio broadcast on Radio Sarajevo during early 1980s and later a sketch comedy and variety show on TV Sarajevo in three separate installments from 1984 until 1991.'Top lista nadrealista' started as a segment on Boro Kontić's programme...
sketch comedy TV show, soon making him a celebrity. His face started popping up on fold-out posters in entertainment magazines and he was talked about by the media.
Over the next seven years Pušenje recorded three more studio albums and played countless sold-out arenas until in late 1991 Nele and Sejo Sexon
Sejo Sexon
Sejo Sexon is the stage name of Davor Sučić, Bosnian Croat rock and roll musician, composer, actor and television director....
decided to go their separate ways.
Nele-Sejo relationship was always the band's nucleus. Having written lyrics and music for most of the songs, the duo was running the band while rest of the group employed a revolving door policy.
The circumstances under which Zabranjeno pušenje ceased to exist, at least in its first incarnation, are not entirely clear. In later interviews, Nele has explicitly stated that Pušenje disbanded when Sejo informed him about not wanting to play anymore in late 1991 and that it had nothing to do with war, while Sejo seems to suggest break-up occurred implicitly when Nele fled for Belgrade in the spring of 1992, soon after ethnic fighting flared up in Bosnia.
Whatever it was, the two would continue separately from that point on, and there is no indication they've ever met face to face since then, except one time when Sejo's father died, and they met for a night long drink at a bar, as Nele himself once stated in an interview.
Their already complex working-business friendship/relationship is further burdened by their ethnic background - Nele is a Serb
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
while Sejo is identifying himself as loyal Bosnian
Bosnians
Bosnians are people who reside in, or come from, Bosnia and Herzegovina. By the modern state definition a Bosnian can be anyone who holds citizenship of the state. This includes, but is not limited to, members of the constituent ethnic groups of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs and...
, although of Croatian
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
origins. Although never openly hostile in interviews when the topic of old times is broached, both men noticeably try to project an air of indifference about one another.
Dr. Karajlić goes to Belgrade
In BelgradeBelgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Nele was a refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
- albeit a famous one. Together with his wife Sanja and their infant daughter he spent his first Belgrade days in the apartment belonging to Rambo Amadeus
Rambo Amadeus
Rambo Amadeus is the stage name of the Belgrade-based Montenegrin singer-songwriter Antonije Pušić, popular all over the former Yugoslavia...
. For the most part, music was the furthest thing on his mind during this period. He could be seen across town waiting in lines in front of different charity organizations like ADRA
Adra
Adra may refer to:places:*Adra, Spain – municipality in Almería , Andalusia*Adra, Purulia – town in the state of West Bengal, India*Adra, Syria – town approximately 40 km north of Damascus...
in order to send food packages to family members in Sarajevo which was under siege by Serbian forces.
His first post-original-Pušenje music gig was a low-publicity duet with Toni Montano
Toni Montano
Toni Montano , real name Velibor Miljković is a Serbian rock musician. One of pioneers of psychobilly on the former Yugoslav rock scene, Toni Montano is better known for his controversial statements.-Radost Evrope:Miljković started his career as a vocalist of the band Radost Evrope Toni Montano...
on a quickly forgotten track called "Srećna porodica".
Throughout the 1993-1996 period, Nele played with different musicians on recreational basis under the name Zabranjeno pušenje. He did not record any new material and would occasionally play an odd club date or two in Belgrade. In September 1995 he traveled to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
where he met up with Mladen Pavičić 'Pava', formerly of Plavi orkestar
Plavi orkestar
Plavi orkestar is one of the most popular bands from former Yugoslavia. The band was founded in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1983.The band has remained popular to the present day with 8 albums and more than 3500 concerts worldwide...
, and some local musicians for a Pušenje show.
During this time he also collected and honed material for a possible new album, although he was not quite sure when or even if he would like to release it. Or, for that matter, if Belgrade audiences still had any interest in a band-less rocker from Sarajevo.
The event that finally made him realize he could still be relevant was a concert at Belgrade's Tašmajdan
Tašmajdan park
Tašmajdan Park , colloquially Tašmajdan or simply just Taš, is a public park and the surrounding urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Palilula...
stadium which the band booked somewhat pretentiously for September 13, 1996. The place seats around 10,000 and the plan was to play old Pušenje songs with some unfinished new material sprinkled in throughout. Amazingly, the stadium was packed and the show turned into a comeback triumph for Nele that couldn't be spoiled even by the pouring rain.
On the strength of their Belgrade success the new band embarked on a mini-tour across FR Yugoslavia
Fry
-Food and cooking:* Frying, the act of cooking food in oil or fat** Pan frying, frying food in a flat pan** Stir frying, frying food in a wok and stirring it while it cooks* Full breakfast, a traditional cooked meal, also called a fry-up or Ulster fry...
, Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
, Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
during which they played some memorable arena gigs in Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
, Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, Banja Luka
Banja Luka
-History:The name "Banja Luka" was first mentioned in a document dated February 6, 1494, but Banja Luka's history dates back to ancient times. There is a substantial evidence of the Roman presence in the region during the first few centuries A.D., including an old fort "Kastel" in the centre of...
and Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
.
This sudden unexpected surge of public interest made Nele feel added responsibility for the quality of the material about to be released, so he postponed the already set album release date because he felt songs were still not tight enough.
Finally in 1997 the Belgrade fraction of Zabranjeno pušenje (of which Nele was the only original member) released Ja nisam odavle (I'm not from around 'ere) which did very well commercially in Serbia even if reviews weren't as glowing.
In 1998 members of Pusenje joined forces with Riblja čorba
Riblja Corba
Riblja Čorba is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. Their presence on the scene has lasted from 1978 to today. They reached their peak of popularity in the 1980s, but it has declined in the 1990s, partly due to controversial political attitudes of the band's leader Bora Đorđević...
's Bora Đorđević to record two Yugoslavia fan songs for the upcoming soccer World Cup
1998 World Cup
1998 World Cup may refer to:*1998 IAAF World Cup*1998 Men's Hockey World Cup*1998 Women's Hockey World Cup*1998 FIFA World Cup*1998 Alpine Skiing World Cup...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Two tracks entitled "Pobednička pesma" (Winners' song) and "Gubitnička pesma" (Losers' song) featured Nele and Bora singing praises and insults respectively to the FR Yugoslavia national team. The idea was to have a song ready for each case - victory and defeat.
Around this time Nele collaborated with film director and former Zabranjeno pusenje bass player Emir Kusturica
Emir Kusturica
Emir Nemanja Kusturica , is a Serbian filmmaker, actor and musician, recognized for several internationally acclaimed feature films...
on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
for the Black Cat, White Cat
Black Cat, White Cat
Black Cat, White Cat is a 1998 Yugoslav romantic comedy film directed by Emir Kusturica. It won the Silver Lion for Best Direction at the Venice Film Festival....
movie. Off that record, the track "Pit bull" became a moderate hit as well as "Bubamara" - a gypsy brass version of "Ženi nam se Vukota" (Vukota's Getting Married) from Ja nisam odavle.
The No Smoking Orchestra
After Black Cat, White CatBlack Cat, White Cat
Black Cat, White Cat is a 1998 Yugoslav romantic comedy film directed by Emir Kusturica. It won the Silver Lion for Best Direction at the Venice Film Festival....
finished its theatrical life, Nele and the band were approached by Emir Kusturica for an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
tour in the summer of 1999, right after the NATO bombing of FR Yugoslavia
Fry
-Food and cooking:* Frying, the act of cooking food in oil or fat** Pan frying, frying food in a flat pan** Stir frying, frying food in a wok and stirring it while it cooks* Full breakfast, a traditional cooked meal, also called a fry-up or Ulster fry...
. The idea was obviously to ride the wave of Kusturica's popularity so the band got renamed to Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra even if the famous director had a fairly minor musical role in it. The tour named Effeti Collaterali was a big success and they soon released a Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
-wide album for Universal
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
named Unza Unza Time.
This was the third incarnation of Zabranjeno pusenje (second after Nele's split from the original band). They did away with traditional rock'n'roll sound but kept the attitude. Booming guitar took a back seat to accordion and violin, while Nele's scratchy howl assumed a more sedated tone. In the 2001 documentary Super 8 Stories legendary Joe Strummer
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
, clearly at a loss for words, describes their sound as "this crazy Greek-Jewish wedding music of the past,... and the future".
That movie, directed by Kusturica
Emir Kusturica
Emir Nemanja Kusturica , is a Serbian filmmaker, actor and musician, recognized for several internationally acclaimed feature films...
details goings-on throughout their first two tours. A second one that started in the spring of 2000 saw them pay visits to cities in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and of course Italy, which had by this time become their business base.
The band's touring agenda was set around Kusturica's movie schedule (he was shooting Life is a Miracle
Life Is a Miracle
Life is a Miracle is a Serbian drama film directed by Emir Kusturica in 2004. It was entered into the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:...
at the time), which is why they waited until 2004 for the next tour that in addition to their usual stomping grounds also took them to such far flung places as Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Even if he does not have the highest billing anymore, Nele is still the band's de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
frontman. Kusturica's role is that of a Trojan horse
Trojan Horse
The Trojan Horse is a tale from the Trojan War about the stratagem that allowed the Greeks finally to enter the city of Troy and end the conflict. In the canonical version, after a fruitless 10-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden horse, and hid a select force of men inside...
- his starpower draws people to shows, he then does his talking bit at the beginning and in-between some songs (often purposely delivered in broken English) and finally turns the audience over to Nele & Co. Being aware of his limited playing capabilities, Kusta takes a backseat role as the rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
player.
It is a setup that suits Nele. He and the band would probably never have the opportunity to achieve an international music career on their own and that is why Nele often likens Kusturica's approach and the subsequent Zabranjeno pusenje's transformation to "someone opening a window in a stuffy room".
Ironically, this makeover robbed them of huge popularity at home in Serbia. This was most evident on July 3, 2004 when they played their first and so far only domestic show in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. Conceptually it was to be a celebration of the band's 20th year anniversary (if continuity is assumed through all of the band's incarnations) for which they joined forces with another local favourites Riblja čorba
Riblja Corba
Riblja Čorba is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. Their presence on the scene has lasted from 1978 to today. They reached their peak of popularity in the 1980s, but it has declined in the 1990s, partly due to controversial political attitudes of the band's leader Bora Đorđević...
, who were celebrating their 25th.
The concert drew 40,000 but it quickly turned unpleasant after No Smoking Orchestra took the stage. The crowd coldly tolerated their new shtick (songs in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Romany and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Nele's new ethno getup, etc.) throughout the first few songs but soon began to show hostility when it became clear old classics would not be played. Instead of Zabranjeno pusenje, the crowd got The No Smoking Orchestra, and they did not like it. The stage was pelted with half-filled plastic water bottles forcing the band to abandon their set after barely 40 minutes. It was an unpleasant homecoming and a clear statement that their new style is not welcomed by hardcore fans.
The band did not dwell on it and they continued the tour, crossing Europe, South America and even parts of Asia. In May 2005 they played a show in Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, France during the film festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
for a movie industry crowd including Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek
Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez de Pinault is a Mexican film actress, director and producer. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role as Frida Kahlo in the film Frida.-Early life:...
and Javier Bardem
Javier Bardem
Javier Ángel Encinas Bardem is a Spanish actor. In 2007 he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as sociopathic assassin Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, and has also garnered critical acclaim for roles in films such as Jamón, jamón, Carne trémula, Boca a boca, Los...
.