|
|
|
|
|
|
||
| |||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
January 22, 2000 Petar Lukovic, journalist I have no reason to be optimistic
FS: What is the reason behind your long absence from the Serbian media scene? I was writing for Nasa Borba from 1996 till 1998. When this newspaper, which was by far the best daily over the last decade in this country, disappeared from the media scene, there was no place for me where I could write my columns. There are two essential reasons for this. Firstly, there was no such a good newspaper anymore in which my texts would fit in, and secondly, the Public Information Act went into effect in the meantime which indeed instilled fear into many editors and many other people. Regardless of my sympathy for the daily newspaper Danas and the fact that all of my friends work for this daily, we couldn't reach an agreement simply because of my being accustomed to work without any agreements or conditions, quite freely, and to enjoy a kind of absolute freedom in choosing subject matter for my texts as well as the way in which I was composing them. I'm not used to any kind of restrictive agreements regarding the issues on which I'd focus in my texts and quantity of emotions and cynicism in those articles. Since 1998 I haven't been writing in Serbia, and I'm truly sorry because of this, but I'm also quite pleased on account of my working now for Feral Tribune [Croatian independent weekly] every week. I write some articles occasionally for the Slovenian Mladina and Sarajevo-based Dani. Also I work for an agency from London. I could say there is relatively enough work to keep me occupied, but it isn't much for a workaholic like me. FS: What did happen with the 25th issue of the magazine XZabava? The magazine XZ, which I was editing, ceased to exist immediately after the war for financial reasons. We just haven't got the money and the situation is indeed catastrophic. I don't know whether we'd ever have any funds for such a project in these parts. We don't have advertisers, we haven't got proper audience. Publication expenses have drastically increased and I find myself in a very stupid situation that many projects I was involved in and which, were great projects while they lasted, have turned out to be failures, but not because of me.
I'm so sorry that there's no way we could publish that magazine at present. I've no financial support from anyone and this was bound to happen in such a situation. Therefore, my creative life is now much worse than it was before. FS: How do you account for the fact that there was no competition to XZ? It's so difficult to make such a magazine. There are only a few people who are so much into all this. Regardless of the fact that some may consider it irrelevant, many connoisseurs of rock'n'roll music and urban issues have left this city. Now we have only the lingering remnants of the city's urban spirit. It's so sad. Everything which was worthwhile in Belgrade, all those people who were so into this urban spirit of the city were collaborating with the XZ magazine. There were no other people who would try to do something close in resemblance to our project. In my view, teenage magazines were no real competition to us. This magazine was popular in Slovenia, Bosnia and Macedonia. We still receive e-mails in which people ask about the 25th issue. This magazine was the only one which embodied the cultural spirit of the former Yugoslavia. We were reporting about events taking place in Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia and Bosnia on a regular basis. We were covering all cultural events and we had a completely different approach to alternative culture in comparison with all other media outlets in Serbia. Today, after the war and this madness which has plagued us, I could hardly say that this urban spirit does exist. Or at least, I haven't noticed it. FS: Feral Tribune is about to publish your book?
This book has been my refuge from boredom and this pervading madness which surround us and is already selling well. I'll be going on a promotional tour which will include Split, Zadar, Pula, Sarajevo in the next few months. As far as Serbia's concerned, I don't know. I don't know how could I bring copies to Serbia and what would happen here. What I know for sure is that no bookshops here will be selling this title. Those who would like to have a copy of their own could contact me at the following e-mail address: xz99@infosky.net. For the most part, when it comes to Serbia, you cannot possibly know how it would be like and what would happen with this. FS: You were editing both Vreme and Sex Club. Is this connection between politics and sex so conspicuous? Relations among politics, music and sex are something which has preoccupied me all my life. Everything I've been engaged in has been related to my obsession with this Holy Trinity. I think that politics and sex are almost identical. Music, sex and politics are some sort of a creative challenge for me. That combination exists in the unconscious part of my mind. I've never elaborated on this issue and I've never initiated some kind of style or school on this basis. FS: Do you fear possible charges for sexual harassment by your female employees? Ha. (laughter) Certainly not. No, no... I'm not afraid of such a possibility. Let's not elaborate on this... I don't fear such things since in these parts we're still far removed from some American, pro-western political correctness relationships. In my view, we still live in an extremely heterosexual Balkan society, which is so cruel and in which the use of sex may cause some kind of a shock. We left these times far behind us a long time ago. It's become an integral part of politics, and when sex becomes a part of politics, then everyone's allowed to do whatever pleases him with impunity. FS: What were the comments of your wife regarding your work in Sex Club, for example?
In late eighties I was the editor of the magazine Tajne which was focusing on frontiers of science and knowledge, if I may say so. I didn't have the slightest idea what it was about at first. However, if the editor-in-chief knows the associates, the people, then it's no obstacle. This was another proof that a man doesn't have to be an expert in some particular field in order to be the editor of a publication. Quite the opposite. That magazine proved that my slight knowledge about those things actually helped me increase the circulation of that publication at the time. FS: You were a candidate of the Social Democratic Union for the post of city's councillor in 1996... No. There was some mention that I could be their candidate. However, my engagement on the political scene ended in 1990. I was the spokesman of the Ante Markovic's political party for three months which was later to become the Civil Alliance of Serbia. I was actively engaged in politics for three months and that was enough. After that I wasn't engaged professionally in politics for a simple reason that I couldn't possibly, in my view, fit into that picture. Of course, I've a lot of friends in various parties and sympathies for some politicians. However, I wouldn't even consider a possibility of being politically engaged in a professional way since my work already borders on politics. Naturally, I like both the Civic Alliance of Serbia and Social Democratic Union. My best friends during all these years have been members of those parties. FS: Why is this urban and civil option in Serbia so inert and lethargic?
The overall atmosphere in Serbia isn't promising at all and it simply offers no reason for any sort of optimism and engagement for the citizens, civil society, or anything else which has been so unpopular and hateful in Serbia over the course of all these years. Poverty we live in imposes horrible limitations on all people. This is also very important. A huge number of young people who are unemployed experience all sorts of horrible problems - ranging from personal depression to some odd weariness and exhaustion as well as a pathological need to leave this country as soon as possible. The people are thinking of how they could leave at the earliest possible date, how to obtain visas - they're considering some very practical things so that they could go away as soon as possible and out of harm's way. FS: This doesn't sound too optimistic for the end of the interview...
I think that we'll be slowly dying out and withering away. We live in isolation in some sort of a European reservation. Already many people pay no attention to us at all. They'll let us die without help from anyone and no one would care. I've spent a fortnight in London and Paris recently and I could testify to the fact, from my own experience, that most of the people are simply not interested anymore in this country. We don't even exist for them. That's horrible and that's why so many of our people, who've noticed this phenomenon, want to leave this country as soon as possible. This feeling is overwhelming and it's not only dangerous, but it also determines all future activities and efforts intended to effect changes in this country. In brief, I'm not an optimist, I've no reason to be optimistic and I don't think that things would change here for a long time to come. Boris Milicevic
|
|||||||||
|
XZ was a very important magazine, though some may see it differently. This was the only urban magazine which was being published in Belgrade, it was some sort of connection to the outer world. It was something which could represent a sample of Belgrade urban spirit when someone goes abroad and shows that magazine to the people. Even today when I show the magazine to the people abroad, I receive many compliments and this is my only satisfaction in that respect after these 24 issues.
Yes. The book entitled 'Years of Disintegration' will be published in mid-January. This is a large book - some 600 pages. It consists of 9 chapters. Actually, this is a collection of my texts previously published in Vreme, Nasa Borba, Feral Tribune, Mladina. However, there are several new chapters. At the beginning there's some sort of a who's who chapter containing statements given by public figures mentioned later on in the book. It's a combination of what Lucic and Drzulovic were formerly doing - it's actually 'greatest shits' as well as my correspondence during the war. It's some kind of my greatest hits, so to speak, plus several bonus tracks.
Well, I think... My wife? I've always been engaged in journalism and no matter how crazy it may seem to some people, basically there's almost no difference in editorial approach when editing either Sex Club or Vreme and XZ magazine. This raw material is different, but basically it's all the same.
There are several reasons for this. First of all, there are too few of them. I remind you that so many people have left this country. This is an issue about which the people don't talk or simply tend to forget. When it comes to those who've stayed here - I'd say their lethargy is some sort of apathy actually, a kind of personal depression or weariness. It's a fact that a large number of people who were active in early '90s in all anti-war, anti-regime and anti-Milosevic movements, have lost their vigour and strength. It's quite logical. We live in horrible times when all that matters is the art of survival. The regime's brought us to a standstill and now most people are fighting only for their survival.
Well, it doesn't. There's no optimism in sight. I'm one of those who've been writing about these things for years and I truly can't remember when I wrote anything even remotely optimistic. There was no reason to write anything optimistic. I'm not some kind of a nihilist who takes pleasure in misfortunes and tragedies. At this very moment I see no reason whatsoever for optimism. On the contrary, in my view, everything that's happened to us so far is a kind of introduction to even worse predicament and hardships. There could be possibly some light at the end of the tunnel if everything collapses and vanishes one day and then we could build a new society from scratch. Nevertheless, I'm not sure that I'd live to see this. I'm not sure that the people of this country are willing to build a new society.
