NEMANJA: SMIRENOUMLJE

Post No 1000

I am writing this in English because I am dual British and Croatian citizen, living in the Primrose Hill area of London with not much chance to practice Croatian language.

London's St Marc's square is 1 minute walk from my new flat. It is the same distance that Zagreb's St Marc's square was from my residence in 80ies, but everyone speaks English here, nevertheless.

The only Croat that I have met in the last 20 years is The Duke of Oktogon, Igor Jovic, but he speaks English better than I do, so I've used this opportunity to raise my command of the English language to the level where the grocers can not fool me any more.

30 years ago I was drawn to Polet because I needed a reality check, after ten years in the ebony and ivory tower of the conservative music school.
I have acquired formidable theoretic knowledge and performing technique in this school, but the atmosphere was not ideal for the real artistic development.

Stifled music education is regretfully a global trend.

Only through the Polet I have got a chance to meet omnipotent and multitalented artists like Jura Padjen and Piko Stancic.

This experience was essential for what is nowadays my trademark:

Seamless synthesis of the elitist and popular culture.

Not coincidentally I will use the same words to describe Polet.

Kvesic, Pavic, Kuljis and Fras have modified the sensibility of the nation.
Jurleka's SL considerably contributed to the process, as the fraction of the same project.

Every page of Polet was artful collage of not yet inflated dinars, keeping our Varadinec in thanksgiving mood.

Dipl. ing. Zlatko Klanac has at some point invested the heroic number of hours in Polet, but he probably does not care if anyone is aware of that, as long as there is some free time for the basketball left.

Our readership was wide and diverse, including the folk legend Lepa Brena reading it on the rattling seat of her tour bus, socialite Radovan Fijember browsing it in the calmer environment of the "Theatre Cafe", and prof Zenic enjoying it in the breaks between philosophy lectures.

Those were the days of the "new wave" breaking with tradition, but we did benefit from the mentorship of already experienced Mario Bosnjak, Inoslav Besker, Slaven Letica, and in my case also Nenad Figenwald.

Numerous articles of mine were published in Polet, but only one I regret. I have wrongly compared the school of transcendental meditation with the religious sect, because of ubiquitous photos of Maharishi.
The fact is that "Vatroslav Lisinski" school has pictures of Lisinki, "Pavao Markovac" pictures of Markovac, but this is not a reason to compare them with religious sects.
If I have done my research thoroughly prior to writing this article I would have realised that TM is simple and effective relaxation technique, not a religion.

I shall finish in the true spirit of Polet, inviting all pretty girls to visit me in London.

Croatian cuisine is popular here. Croissant on every corner.


Figi

sexiest1@googlemail.com
www.myspace.com/sexypoetry