Pekinška Patka

Pekinška Patka
Pekinška Patka's best-known initial lineup, from left to right: Laslo Pihler, Nebojša Čonkić, Sreten Kovačević, and Boris Oslovčan.
Pekinška Patka's best-known initial lineup, from left to right: Laslo Pihler, Nebojša Čonkić, Sreten Kovačević, and Boris Oslovčan.
Background information
OriginNovi Sad, Serbia
Genres
Years active
  • 1978–1981
  • 2008
  • 2010–2012
  • 2021–present
Labels
MembersSreten Kovačević
Laslo Pihler
Stefan Stanojević
Sava Obradović
Igor Mihaljević
Past membersNebojša Čonkić
Miloš Žurić
Srbislav Dobanovački
Boris Oslovčan
Boško Prosenica
Zoran Bulatović
Aleksandar Kravić
Marinko Vukmanović
Robert Radić
Websitepekinskapatka.com

Pekinška Patka (Serbian Cyrillic: Пекиншка Патка; trans. Peking Duck) is a Serbian and Yugoslav punk rock band formed in Novi Sad in 1978. The band was among the pioneers of punk rock in Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and is widely considered one of the most prominent and influential acts of the Yugoslav punk rock scene and the closely related Yugoslav new wave scene.[1][2][3][4]

Pekinška Patka was formed by vocalist Nebojša Čonkić, guitarist Sreten Kovačević, drummer Laslo Pihler and bass guitarist Miloš Žurić, the latter soon replaced by Srbislav Dobanovački, himslef later replaced by Boris Oslovčan. With their energetic and provocative live performances, the band attracted the attention of Yugoslav public and media, but also saw criticism from conservative cultural circle. The band's debut single "Bolje da nosim kratku kosu" brought them large popularity. Their debut album Plitka poezija, released in 1980, is considered the first punk rock album by a band coming from Serbia. Following personal changes, with Sretenović departing to form Kontraritam and being replaced by Zoran Bulatović, and Žurić replaced by Marinko Vukmanović, the band released their second and final album, Strah od monotonije in 1981, turning towards post-punk and darkwave sound to lukewarm reception of their fans, disbanding during the same year.

In 2008, the band reunited with Čonkić on vocals, Kovačević on guitar, Pihler on drums and Oslovčan on bass guitar for a one-off performance, playing on the main stage of Exit Festival alongside Sex Pistols. In 2010, the lineup which worked on the band's second album–Čonkić, Pihler, Bulatović and Vukmanović–reunited for new performance; Pihler was, however, forced to withdraw due to health issues and was replaced by drummer Robert Radić. The reunion was disapproved by Kovačević, which resulted in a court process between Čonkić and Kovačević over the rights to the band name. The process was eventually won by Kovačević, who in early 2020s reunited with Pihler to reform Pekinška Patka, the incarnation performing only songs from the band's debut album. Čonkić and Bulatović continued under the name Profesor Čonta i Patka (Professor Čonta and the Duck), performing songs from both of Pekinša Patka studio albums.

History

The origins (1976–1978)

Pekinška Patka's roots can be traced back to the Novi Sad band Trafo, formed in 1976 and featuring guitarist Sreten "Sreta" Kovačević and vocalist Nebojša Čonkić "Čonta", which performed covers of rock standards by the Rolling Stones, Santana and other acts at local dance parties.[5] A year later, Kovačević formed pop rock band Café Express.[5] It featured Kovačević on guitar, Boba Mama on guitar, Aleksandar Čerevicki on keyboards, Aleksandar "Caki" Kravić on bass guitar, Laslo "Cila" Pihler (formerly of Tanker) on drums, and Aleksandar Krstić on vocals, with Nebojša Čonkić appearing as guest vocalist on the band's performances, singing international rock hits.[6] The group disbanded in the spring of 1978.[5]

Band formation and the beginnings (1978)

Pekinška Patka was formed in mid-1978 by Nebojša Čonkić (vocals)–at the time an electrical engineering graduate and a teacher at Novi Sad's Electrical Engineering School Centre–Sreten Kovačević (guitar), Laslo Pihler (drums) and Miloš Žurić (bass guitar).[6][2] Prior to Pekinška Patka formation, Čonkić, Kovačević and Pihler had already collaborated in Café Express. Pihler, who was at the time known under the nickname Dupli Skalp (Two-Scalp, after a character from the French comic book Oumpah-pah) because he sometimes used to wear a wig,[5] had previously also played with Laboratorija Zvuka.[6]

According to Čonkić, Pekinška Patka was formed on his initiative in May 1978. Čonkić had already become enamoured with punk rock, a new musical genre he had been enjoying via Radio Luxembourg, and approached his friend Sreten Kovačević at Novi Sad's Bulevar cafe about trying out two of Čonkić's punk-inspired musical ideas "just for fun".[7] The two ideas were a riff that he came up with while unsuccessfully trying to reproduce a song off of Radio Luxembourg (the riff would eventually become basis for "Bela šljiva") and proposal to cover Procol Harum's 1967 ballad "Homburg" in a faster-paced punk arrangement.[7] Both university graduates in their mid-20s, Čonkić and Kovačević had had a long prior history: in addition to being part of the same social circle in Novi Sad and past involvement in multiple joint musical collaborations, the two had attended the same high school, Jovan Jovanović Zmaj gymnasium, and later studied at University of Novi Sad's Faculty of Technical Sciences. Missing a drummer for their latest punk-inspired collaboration, Kovačević brought in Laslo "Cila" Pihler. The trio of Čonkić, Kovačević, and Pihler began practicing at one of the backrooms within Mašinac club, itself run by the Faculty of Technical Sciences.[7] Kovačević then brought in bass guitarist Miloš "Žure" Žurić, and the now four-piece practiced throughout June 1978, scheduling the rehearsals around Yugoslav state television live broadcasts of football matches from the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina.[7] Sporting long hairs, despite trying to play punk, each one of the four young men's respective appearances and musical sensibilities were still a mixture of several Western 1960s and 70s cultural trends, mostly hippie counterculture and prog rock.[7]

According to Kovačević, on the other hand, Pekinška Patka was his idea all along, spawned during February-March 1978 while he played weekly Thursday-night dance parties at Mašinac with his band Café Express.[8] Frustrated at the crowds' indifferent reaction to his shoddy guitar solos, construction engineering graduate Kovačević reportedly sought a simpler and more direct way of playing music, finding the emerging punk genre perfectly suitable in this regard.[8] He claims to have first reached out to his Café Express drummer Pihler about putting the new punk project together followed by bassist Žurić and only then, once they realized a need for a vocalist, contacting Čonkić whom the three had "known from around town".[8]

The band's first live performance, a 9-minute set, took place at Mašinac club in late June 1978 with four people in attendance, all of them friends of the band members.[2] The material they performed consisted of four tracks: aforementioned "Bela šljiva" ("White Plum") and cover of "Homburg", in addition to two new songs, Čonkić-written "Kratkovidi magarac" ("Short-Sighted Donkey") and Čonkić/Kovačević co-written "Šta je zbližilo nas" ("What Brought Us Together"). After the perforance, Žurić left the band, and was replaced by Pihler's friend Srbislav "Srba" Dobanovački.[6][2] Čonkić and Kovačević continued to develop new material, some in English and some in Serbo-Croatian.[9] Initially, the band's lyrics, written by Čonkić, did not deal with political issues, due to the firm control of the authorities over the city's cultural scene, caused by Novi Sad's multinational character.[9]

Čonkić spent the July of 1978 in London, attending an English-abroad course at a UK college.[10] Taking in the city's music scene by going out to live shows on a nightly basis, he ended up seeing a variety of performers—including punk and punk-adjacent acts such as The Clash, The Specials, Midge Ure, Glen Matlock's Rich Kids, Skids, and Magazine.[9][10] Particularly impressed with The Clash show at the Music Machine venue where they played material off their upcoming album Give 'Em Enough Rope with The Specials as the opening act—a performance he would later state was the most influential one of his life—the look, posture, and pageantry of English punk as well The Clash's performance techniques Čonkić witnessed in London, would later be copied by his own band upon his return home to Yugoslavia.[6][10]

Local prominence (1978–1979)

The band's first prominent live appearance took place in December 1978 at Novi Sad's Sonja Marković Club venue. The club's staff were sufficiently shocked by the performance that they decided to put a stop to it after only five or six songs, under an excuse that there was a power outage, sending the crowd of about 200 young people home.[6][2][9] The immediate reason was the band's performance of an impromptu vulgar punk cover of a youth work action song featuring the modified lyrics "Brižit Bardo bere čičke; vidi joj se pola pičke" ("Brigitte Bardot is picking thistles; half of her pussy is hanging out").[9]

The group based their act on melodic punk rock and vivid public image with high-energy live shows.[6] Being one of the first groups in the country with this kind of sound and performing style, they attracted media interest before releasing any material. Čonkić often used those media appearances for self-promotion, delivering sweeping statements like: "We're the first important thing to happen to Yugoslav rock since the days of Ivo Robić and Marko Novosel".[6] He also purposely courted controversy with soundbites such as referring to his group as the "first Orthodox punk band",[11] which went against the doctrine of the ruling League of Communists of Yugoslavia, that promoted atheism in Yugoslav society. In December 1978, the band played the last edition of BOOM Festival, which was being held in their hometown that year.[6]

At the beginning of 1979, Dobanovački was replaced by former Gomila G bass guitarist Boris "Bora" Oslovčan, and former Direktori member Boško Prosenica "Brča" joined the band as the second guitarist.[11]

Wider popularity and first release (1979)

In May 1979, the band appeared at the Youth Festival in Subotica, alongside Zagreb punk rock band Prljavo Kazalište, which were the first appearances of punk rock acts at the prominent festival. The two bands did not apply for the competition, but got special invitation from the festival director Vitomir Simurdić.[12] Pekinška Patka appeared at the festival with the song "Bela šljiva".[13] The duo Vox Populi (featuring at the time little-known singer Vesna Vrandečić) won the festival's top audience award, but Pekinška Patka got the second audience award.[13] The band's appearance at the festival was described by the music magazine Džuboks as the "freshest event of the festival".[11]

The band's performance at the Youth Festival was broadcast on national television, which was the first TV appearance of any punk band in Yugoslavia. Owing to the performance, the band gained the attention of Yugoslav record companies.[13] Radio Novi Sad enabled them to record a demo in the radio's studios.[13] At the end of May, with former Teška Industrija leader Gabor Lenđel as the producer, the band recorded a demo with seven songs.[11] The demo would end up unofficially released in 2000 on a 7-inch EP titled Demo 79.[6] The group started negotiating with PGP-RTB label about a debut album, but ultimately could not reach a deal.[6] They continued playing and soon developed a wider following in bigger Yugoslav cities: Belgrade, Sarajevo and Zagreb. They eventually signed with Jugoton after its representatives saw them perform at Zagreb's Lapidarij club in July 1979.[11]

The first Pekinška Patka release became a vinyl 7-inch single with the songs "Bela šljiva" and "Biti ružan, pametan i mlad" ("To Be Ugly, Smart and Young"), produced by Slobodan Konjović, a well-known disc jockey from Studio B radio station.[6] Prior to the single recording, Konjović had no experience in music production, but Čonkić decided to offer him the spot of the producer due to his fascination with Konjović's radio shows Ponoćni rok (Midnight Rock) and Vibracije (Vibrations).[14] Relatively good reception of the single, with 35,000 copies sold,[11] paved the way for them to begin recording a full-length debut album.[6]

During the summer of 1979, Pekinška Patka appeared in Television Belgrade show Leto na Adi (Summer at Ada), which was recorded at a luxurious raft at Ada Ciganlija.[15] On the show they performed the song "Poderimo rock" ("Let's Tear Up Rock"),[11] originally titled "Zajebimo rok" ("Let's Screw Rock Over") but altered by Čonkić for the media appearance.[6] Since the crowd rushed to the stage and jumped around, the raft almost sank.[15] The band accepted the offer of appearing in Kost od mamuta (Mammoth Bone), an hour-long TV movie written by Gordan Mihić, directed by Slobodan Šijan and starring actor Slavko Štimac and Novi Sad singer-songwriter Đorđe Balašević.[16] The band members shot their part during fall of 1979. Essentially playing themselves, though not credited as Pekinška Patka, the band appeared in the film performing "Ja sam panker u sakou starom" ("I'm a Punk Rocker in an Old Jacket").[17] The movie premiered on TV Belgrade and the rest of the Yugoslav Radio Television on 16 February 1980.[16]

In October 1979, the band was invited to perform in the village of Stepanovićevo at the anniversary celebration of the end of World War II.[18] The band performed their standard setlist and the show also featured blowing of condoms and throwing them to the audience as well as swearing on stage.[6][11] Another punk rock band, Gomila G (a censored version of their original name Gomila Govana, Pile of Shit), which played as the opening act, performed the song "God save Martin Bormann", which at the time went virtually unnoticed due to poor sound.[18]

At the early stages of their career, the band had little problems with the communist authorities and conservative public; rock music was widely accepted and popular in Yugoslavia, and Pekinška Patka was initially perceived in their home city as just an another rock band, with several of the band's performances even organized in the school in which Čonkić worked.[13] However, the provocative performances alongside newly-gained popularity also got the band attention from the authorities and conservative cultural circles, especially after Stepanovićevo concert.[18] Part of the public believed that on-stage swearing and throwing condoms at the crowd is unacceptable behavior for a school teacher.[18] Influential public intellectuals criticized the group's performances, effectively sabotaging Čonkić's career prospects and the possibility of him becoming an assistant professor at Novi Sad University.[19] Despite generating a lot of interest across Vojvodina and Yugoslavia, the band started to experience problems with live performances in their home city, many of which would get canceled on the day of the show.[11] Some radio and television stations refused to play the band's songs.[11] Television Novi Sad made a special Pekinška Patka show with seven songs, with the band playing in a display window of a Novi Sad department store surrounded by young punk rockers, but eventually decided not to broadcast it.[20]

On the other hand, the decision of TV Novi Sad editors not to broadcatst Pekinška Patka show saw large coverage in other media,[19] and the band's fans responded to concert cancellations and media bans by spraying "Čonta je Bog!" ("Čonta is God!") graffiti throughout Novi Sad.[6] Several Novi Sad intellectuals publicly defended the band, including famous poet Miroslav Antić in his column in Dnevnik.[11] Finally, due to the ongoing conflicts between the communist leadership of the Socialist Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and of the Socialist Republic of Serbia, the criticism and censorship the band was facing in Vojvodina's capital Novi Sad did not influence the band's reception in Serbia's capital Belgrade, where the band continued to hold concerts and enjoy media's attention.[18][19] Several days before the New Year's Eve of 1979, Pekinška Patka performed in Techical Engineering Students' Club in Belgrade together with the band Zvuk Ulice.[18]

Debut album release (1980)

In 1980, the band released their debut album Plitka poezija (Shallow Poetry), a punk rock material with occasional ska elements, composed by Čonkić and Kovačević,[21] The album was recorded in Boris Kovač's studio,[11] and was produced by Slobodan Konjović, who mixed the album in his apartment.[6] Čonkić did not directly deal with political topics in his lyrics; the songs dealt with problems and frustrations of Yugoslav city youth and the band's animosity towards progressive and hard rock.[22] The album was recorded during February and March 1980, but Yugoslav president Josip Broz Tito's illness and eventual death postponed the release until summer.[6][11] It was ushered in by another 7-inch single, "Bolje da nosim kratku kosu" ("Better to Wear My Hair Short"), which soon became an anthem of Yugoslav punk rockers, and "Ori, ori".[6] Eventually, their debut album was released during the summer, to good reception by the audience, with "Biti ružan, pametan i mlad" and "Bolje da nosim kratku kosu" becoming radio hits, but to mixed reactions of the critics.[22] Part of Yugoslav music critics wrote that the band's sound was not in trend with current tendencies in punk music, comparing the group with 1976 and 1977 British punk rock bands, some of them even describing the band's sound as an imitation or a parody of punk.[22]

One of the first live presentations of the new material was at the Split Festival,[6] where the group performed alongside the band Azra. Several thousand people attended the concert. The relations within the band were somewhat strained at this gig. Dissatisfied with the band's decision to go on tour of Bosnia and Herzegovina, bassist Oslovčan played with his back turned to the crowd, while actively sabotaging the proceedings by purposely making the band sound as bad as possible.[23][20]

Lineup changes, switch to post-punk and disbandment (1981)

Following the debut album release, the band underwent personnel changes with some members changing instruments and others leaving altogether. Guitarist Kovačević expressed a desire to play saxophone, so he moved to that instrument,[6] while new member Zoran "Bale" Bulatović, a 17-year-old former member of Pečat, took over the vacated guitar spot.[6] Second guitarist Prosenica and bassist Oslovčan also left the band. On several concerts bass guitar was played by Aleksandar "Caki" Kravić (formerly of Rani Mraz) and then the former bassist Srba Dobanovački, until another former Pečat member, Marinko Vukmanović joined the band.[23] Prosenica's spot stayed vacant as the band continued with only one guitar. That lineup did not last long, as Kovačević left during fall of 1980 to form his own band, two-tone/ska group Kontraritam.[6]

The new Pekinška Patka lineup went on a successful tour of SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, ending with a sold-out show at Sarajevo's Skenderija Hall.[23] The band recorded the cover of the popular Dragan Stojnić chanson "Bila je tako lijepa" ("She Was So Pretty"), with altered lyrics and in the manner of Sid Vicious cover of "My Way", and released it on single with "Buba-rumba" as the B-side.[6] The band further appeared on the Rokenroler III television show on TV Belgrade with the "Stop stop" song from Plitka poezija, a cover of The Hollies' 1966 hit "Stop! Stop! Stop!".[6] Later that year, the show represented Yugoslav Radio Television network at the Montreux Rose d'Or festival.[23] Čonkić also planned to cover List of Serbian anthems#Himna Svetom Savi (Hymn to Saint Sava), which was met with disapproval by the rest of the band and ultimately not done.

During December 1980, the band performed at the Grock festival held at the Novi Sad Fair, leaving a good impression but also causing an uproar by burning a copy of the Borba, an official newspaper of the League of Communists.[6] Following the show, the band members were summoned to a police station, where Čonkić defended their actions by telling the real course of events: the band did not intend to send a political message; Vukmanović–himself a son of a League of Communists official–wanted to pose on stage as the Statue of Liberty, and used a copy of Borba as a torch due to the newspaper's large format, not being aware that paper he found nearby were the pages of Borba.[6][24] During the intro for the song "Biti ružan, pametan i mlad", Čonkić ironically dedicated the song to Goran Bregović, the leader of Bijelo Dugme, which was the most popular Yugoslav band at the time. Džuboks music magazine praised the show, while Dnevnik journalist Bogdan Četnik wrote an article demanding that the band be completely banned.[23]

Simultaneously, from October 1980, the band had been preparing new studio material inspired by Joy Division, The Stranglers, The Cure, Magazine and Echo & The Bunnymen.[25] The album songs were authored by Čonkić, Vukmanović and Blatović.[25] The band originally wrote English language lyrics for the songs, but were eventually pressured by record label to write Serbo-Croatian lyrics.[6] The new studio album, Strah od monotonije (Fear of Monotony), was recorded during March 1981 in Belgrade studio Vem and produced by Konjović.[6] It was released in May 1981,[6] selling only about 8,000 copies.

The band's shift to post-punk and dark wave sound, followed by the change of their image, mostly failed to connect with the audiences the way their debut album and initial style did.[23] On the concert's that followed album release, the audience demonstrated lack of interest for the band's new sound, demanding to hear songs from the first album.[23] The band's last notable shows were at a festival at Zagreb Fair (where they performed alongside Riblja Čorba, Haustor, Film, Prljavo Kazalište, Leb i Sol, Parni Valjak, and other bands),[23] and in June 1981 at Rokoteka club in Belgrade's Kalemegdan park, which was their last concert.[6] During the concert Čonkić held a long tirade insulting Džuboks music critic.[26] During the summer of 1981, Čonkić went to serve his Yugoslav People's Army mandatory stint.[6] Prior to his departure, he expressed to the rest of the band members his desire to continue working with them after his return, but also said that they had no obligations to wait for him if they wanted to continue their career in other groups.[27] By the time he returned home a year later, Bulatović, Vukmanović and Pihler had already formed post-punk band Luna with vocalist Slobodan Tišma.[27]

Post-breakup

After Pekinška Patka ended their activity, Čonkić retired from music.[6] In 1994, he emigrated to Toronto, Ontario, Canada with his family. After working as a pizza deliverer and computer programmer at Canada's state broadcaster CBC, and eventually got a job as a professor at Seneca College in Toronto.[6][27] Bulatović moved to New York City during the 1990s.[6]

In 1997, Pekinška Patka's complete discography, including singles and albums, was re-released on CD format by Jugoton's successor Croatia Records. Nine years later, in 2006, the band's back catalogue was re-released again, this time by the Serbian label Multimedia Records.[6]

EXIT festival reunion (2008)

The 2006 re-release of the band's two albums sparked new interest of the media for the band's work.[28] Discussing the possibility of reuniting the band, at the time, Čonkić talked of his lack of enthusiasm for such an undertaking: "The band has become a legend of sorts and I wouldn't like [to spoil that by] poking around there too much. We've had several reunion offers, to make some quick cash, but that would have been a betrayal of what we had done [with the band] back in the day".[29] However, in May 2008, it was announced that Pekinška Patka would be reuniting for a performance at the 2008 EXIT festival in their home city Novi Sad. The reunion took place with the band's best known initial lineup of Čonkić on vocals, Kovačević on guitar, Oslovčan on bass, and Pihler on drums. The reunited band's 30-minute greatest hits set took place on EXIT's main stage on 13 July 2008—the festival's closing night—as part of a lineup featuring Sex Pistols, The Hives, and Ministry.[29] In the interviews immediately after the reunion performance, Čonkić left the door open for a full comeback.[30]

In late April 2010, the band announced its intention to reconvene again for a one-off show on 21 May 2010 at Belgrade's SKC—this time in the lineup that had 29 years earlier recorded the band's second studio album—Čonkić on vocals, Zoran Bulatović on guitar, Marinko Vukmanović on bass, and Laslo Pihler on drums—in order to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the "Bila je tako lijepa" single release.[31][32] By early May 2010, one more reunion show was added: at Zagreb's Boogaloo club, one day after the Belgrade concert.[33] On 5 May 2010, while promoting the upcoming SKC show at a press conference held in the Makao Chinese restaurant in Belgrade, the reunited band—with Čonkić, Bulatović, Vukmanović, and Pihler on hand—also announced a new single set to be released in early July 2010.[34] They further revealed following year's plans for doing a cover album that was to feature covers of songs that had been performed at Yugoslav 1960s pop schlager festivals such as the Opatija Festival, Beogradsko proleće, and Vaš šlager sezone.[35] A week to ten days prior to the Belgrade reunion show, drummer Pihler pulled out of the performance, citing inability to play due to abdominal pain.[36] Scrambling to find a replacement on short notice, the remaining members managed to bring in Veliki Prezir's drummer Robert Radić who, having already been familiar with Pekinška Patka songs, learned the drum parts in only five days.[36]

A few days before the Belgrade concert, Pekinška Patka's co-founding member and first lineup guitarist Sreten Kovačević put out a press release relaying his "consternation" at the band's reunion, which he referred to as "misuse of the [Pekinška Patka] name and legacy by a group of individuals [i.e. Čonkić, Bulatović, Vukmanović, and Radić] that have little to nothing to do with the band".[37] Adding that "Pekinška Patka finished its concert activity for good at Exit 2008", he further stated his own credentials to stem from being the "author and co-author of songs from Plitka poezija, the only authentic Pekinška Patka album" before listing each track's submission code at SOKOJ (Yugoslav Composers' Copyright Agency).[37] Kovačević's press release ends by once again dismissing Čonkić, Bulatović, Vukmanović, and Radić as a "random collection of individuals that decided to book a gathering under the Pekinška Patka name" before threatening legal action should they continue to do so.[37] In response, the band posted a press release of their own on their record label Long Play's official site, disputing Kovačević's claims and attributing them to "either [his] faulty memory or [his] deliberate intent to spread mistruths regarding Pekinška Patka's origins and subsequent work".[38][37] The release goes on to state that Čonkić is the one who came up with the band's name while further claiming that out of the 16 songs on the first album, Čonkić wrote 5 of them, with Kovačević adding 3 songs, 5 songs being co-authored between the two, and 3 more being covers.[38] It concludes with a claim that back in July 1980, without informing Čonkić and the rest of the bend, Kovačević went to SOKOJ and unilaterally submitted faulty information as each of the original 13 songs (including Čonkić's 5) being co-authored by Čonkić and Kovačević despite even the album sleeve stating otherwise based on the information submitted by the band to their record label, Jugoton.[38]

The setlist at both the Belgrade and Zagreb shows mostly featured tracks from Plitka poezija, though one of their most popular songs "Bolje da nosim kratku kosu" was excluded, likely due to its SOKOJ-listed author Kovačević's complaints. The band also performed the upcoming single, the cover version of "Un año de amor", and the song "Neko" ("Someone") from the second album Strah od monotonije.[36][39] For the Belgrade show the opening act was the psychobilly act Čikine Bombone,[36] while in Zagreb, Poruka u Prazno opened.[39] In December 2010, the band released a free digital download MP3 version of the single "Un año de amor" on the Long Play record label official site.[40] In December 2011, Pekinška Patka—in the same lineup of Čonkić, Bulatović, Vukmanović, and Radić—held a series of club performances that included Banja Luka's DFK club,[41] return to Zagreb's Boogaloo,[42] Sarajevo's Sloga,[43] and Belgrade's Youth Center.[44][45]

Following 2010-2012 Pekinška Patka concerts, Kovačević, Pihler and Oslovčan successfully registered Pekinška Patka trademark.[46] Čonkić filed a lawsuit against Kovačević, which resulted in a several-year long court process, won by Kovačević.[47]

Borislav Oslovčan died on 5 October 2017.[6]

Third reunion, two incarnations of the band (2021–present)

In 2021, Kovačević and Pihler reformed Pekinška Patka with vocalist Stefan Stanojević, guitarist Sava Obradović and bass guitarist Igor Mihaljević, performing only songs from Plitka poezija on their concerts in former Yugoslav region and neighboring countries.[46] In 2024, the band performed in Sofia, Bulgaria, with the first Bulgarian punk rock band Novi Tsvetya as the opening act.[46]

In 2022, a book about the band, entitled Čovek-patka (Duckman) was published. Edited by Mirjana Kovačević, it featured interviews and texts by Sreten Kovačević, Vitomir Simurdić, Peca Popović, Siniša Škarica, Slobodan Konjović, Karolj Kovač, and others.[6]

In 2024, Čonkić, Bulatović and Radić reunited under the name Profesor Čonta i Patka (Professor Čonta and the Duck), with bass guitarist Marko "Ramone" Banović (formerly of Generacija Bez Budućnosti) replacing Marinko Vukmanović, who was prevented to perform with the group due to health issues.[47] The band performs songs from both Plitka poezija and Strah od monotonije.[47]

In a 2024 interview, Čonkić stated about the existence of two incarnations of the group: "It's a little bit complex, but it all comes down to the fact that my former friend and the band's original guitarist Sreta [Kovačević] in a way hijacked the name. We were in court for three to four years. I didn't sue him because I wanted to have all the rights to the name, I just didn't wanted him to have all the rights, which makes sense. [...] I think what contributed a little bit to my return [to the scene] was partially spite, and partially desire to show that we're far better band than this other band [other incarnation of Pekinška Patka]." When asked in a 2025 interview about relationship with Čonkić and about the existence of two incarnations of the band, Kovačević stated: "There's only one Pekinška Patka [...] Every band has the right to play our songs. I'd like to remind you that the band creation is my idea, and that the singer joined in during a later phase. What happened to the singer is a 'disease' called frontman fever, widespread in the world of rock music, but in the other fields as well. For a common man the attention of the media is too large of a pressure, but also a drug. When you get hooked, you don't choose the means to stay afloat. There are numerous examples, but I believe the closest to us are the Sex Pistols, who got rid of their singer out of same reasons."[46]

Influence and legacy

At the time of Pekinška Patka original run, the band stirred controversy with their live appearances, at the same time achieving considerable mainstream popularity, with Čonkić being described by Serbian journalist and author Bogomir Mijatović as one of two musicians who enjoyed the status of a rock star in their home city Novi Sad (the other being Miroslav Nedić, vocalist of the 1960s beat band Zlatni Akordi).[5] Beside criticism coming from conservative political and cultural circles, during the 1978–1981 period the band also saw criticism from the music journalist who considered they were not edgy enough compared to the most notable international punk rock acts, but also to other acts of the Yugoslav punk scene like Pankrti and Paraf; after attending the band's concert in Belgrade Youth Center in 1979, journalist Saša Stojanović "Pankerton", a Džuboks correspondent from Londond, described the band as "worthless", and reviewing their cover of Dragan Stojnić's "Bila je tako lijepa", Džuboks journalist Petar Luković wrote that "compared to Pekinška Patka, Stojnić was a real punk rocker!"[1] Journalist and author Dušan Vesić wrote in 2020: "The only reason [for unfavorable reviews] might have been the fact that it was expected from punk bands to be rough, fierce and angry, and Pekinška Patka were likable and jolly."[22] Film director Janko Baljak wrote that the band's first album "resembled more to a parody of this musical genre [punk rock]", but also acknowledged the influence the group has had on a generation of young punk rockers stating: "For a number of people from this part of the world, including myself, the first character to introduce us to punk rock wasn't Sid Vicious, but high school electric engineering teacher (which is a bizarre but an important detail) Nebojša Čonkić 'Čonta'".[4] In 2013, journalist Ivan Ivačković wrote about the band: "Just like the [Sex] Pistols on the international scene, Pekinška Patka has on home ground proven that the career doesn't have to be long or important in order for the songs to stand the test of time: from today's point of view, it's clear that the critics were too harsh, and that Pekinška Patka–although it existed for only three years–had left a deep mark in Yugoslav rock music."[1] The group's songs "Biti ružan, pametan i mlad" and "Bolje da nosim kratku kosu" have often been described as anthems of Yugoslav punk rockers.[6][1]

In his 1980 song "Brat mi fura pank" ("My Brother's Into Punk") Milić Vukašinović, leader of the popular hard rock band Vatreni Poljubac, expressed sympathetic view of young punk rockers, referencing to Pekinška Patka in the song lyrics.[48] The band Final Solutions from Memphis, Tennessee covered Pekinška Patka songs "Kontracepcija" ("Contraception") and "Poderimo rok" on their 2006 7-inch single Return to Motherland.[6] The band Downtown Boys from Providence, Rhode Island recorded a cover of "Poderimo rok" on their 2013 self-titled record.[6]

The album Plitka poezija was polled in 1998 as 77th on the list of 100 greatest Yugoslav popular music albums in the book YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike (YU 100: The Best albums of Yugoslav pop and rock music).[49] In 2015, the same album was polled as 74th on the list of 100 Greatest Yugoslav Albums published by the Croatian edition of Rolling Stone.[50]

In 2000, the song "Bolje da nosim kratku kosu" was polled No.39 on the Rock Express Top 100 Yugoslav Rock Songs of All Times list.[51] In 2006, the same song was polled No.22 on the B92 Top 100 Domestic Songs list.[52]

Discography

Main article: Pekinška Patka discography

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Ivačković, Ivan (2014). Kako smo propevali: Jugoslavija i njena muzika. Belgrade: Laguna. p. 242.
  2. ^ a b c d e Mijatović, Bogomir (2005). NS Rockopedija 1960–2003. Sremska Kamenica: Switch. p. 205.
  3. ^ Đurić, Vladimir (2016). Vodič kroz novi talas u SFRJ. Belgrade: Službeni glasnik. p. 98.
  4. ^ a b Baljak, Janko (2015). Leksikon YU mitologije. Belgrade / Zagreb: Rende / Postscriptum. p. 303-304.
  5. ^ a b c d e Vesić, Dušan (2020). Bunt dece socijalizma: priča o novom talasu. Belgrade: Laguna. p. 56.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao Janjatović, Petar (2024). Ex YU rock enciklopedija 1960-2023. Belgrade: self-released / Makart. p. 228.
  7. ^ a b c d e Novković, Predrag (23 July 2023). "Episode 9: Nebojša Čonkić Čonta (timestamp 03:42)". U 4 zida. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Kovačević, Sreten (2021). "Kako je nastala Patka". Pekinskapatka.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d e Vesić, Dušan (2020). Bunt dece socijalizma: priča o novom talasu. Belgrade: Laguna. p. 57.
  10. ^ a b c Novković, Predrag (23 July 2023). "Episode 9: Nebojša Čonkić Čonta (timestamp 09:34)". U 4 zida. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Mijatović, Bogomir (2005). NS Rockopedija 1960–2003. Sremska Kamenica: Switch. p. 206.
  12. ^ "Vitomir Simurdić – sećanje na festival Omladina", YouTube
  13. ^ a b c d e Vesić, Dušan (2020). Bunt dece socijalizma: priča o novom talasu. Belgrade: Laguna. p. 97.
  14. ^ Vesić, Dušan (2020). Bunt dece socijalizma: priča o novom talasu. Belgrade: Laguna. p. 98.
  15. ^ a b Vesić, Dušan (2020). Bunt dece socijalizma: priča o novom talasu. Belgrade: Laguna. p. 108.
  16. ^ a b Kost od mamuta at IMDb
  17. ^ "Pekinska Patka - Ja sam panker u sakou starom (Scena iz filma: Kost od Mamuta (1979))", YouTube
  18. ^ a b c d e f Vesić, Dušan (2020). Bunt dece socijalizma: priča o novom talasu. Belgrade: Laguna. p. 109.
  19. ^ a b c "Rockovnik, XX strana "Ružan, pametan i mlad" Rock scena 1979 - 1980)"", YouTube
  20. ^ a b Vesić, Dušan (2020). Bunt dece socijalizma: priča o novom talasu. Belgrade: Laguna. p. 147.
  21. ^ Vesić, Dušan (2020). Bunt dece socijalizma: priča o novom talasu. Belgrade: Laguna. p. 145.
  22. ^ a b c d Vesić, Dušan (2020). Bunt dece socijalizma: priča o novom talasu. Belgrade: Laguna. p. 146.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h Mijatović, Bogomir (2005). NS Rockopedija 1960–2003. Sremska Kamenica: Switch. p. 208.
  24. ^ Vesić, Dušan (2020). Bunt dece socijalizma: priča o novom talasu. Belgrade: Laguna. p. 148.
  25. ^ a b Vesić, Dušan (2020). Bunt dece socijalizma: priča o novom talasu. Belgrade: Laguna. p. 234.
  26. ^ Vesić, Dušan (2020). Bunt dece socijalizma: priča o novom talasu. Belgrade: Laguna. p. 235.
  27. ^ a b c Vesić, Dušan (2020). Bunt dece socijalizma: priča o novom talasu. Belgrade: Laguna. p. 319.
  28. ^ "Pekinška Patka: Prva pravoslavna pank grupa". Popboks. July 2006. Archived from the original on 14 November 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  29. ^ a b Pejović, N. (14 July 2008). "Pekinška Patka: Stari pankeri bez sakoa". Popboks. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
  30. ^ „Sex Pistols“ iz temelja drmali Tvrđavu, Blic, July 14, 2008
  31. ^ „Pekinška patka“ 21. maja u SKC; Blic, 28 April 2010
  32. ^ ""Pekinška Patka u Beogradu", balkanrock.com". Archived from the original on 2010-04-29. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
  33. ^ ""Pekinška patka: Posle Beograda, Zagreb", balkanrock.com". Archived from the original on 2010-05-01. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
  34. ^ "Pekinška patka snima novi singl i album". Espreso.co.rs. 6 May 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  35. ^ "Povratak iz istorije Pekinške patke". Popboks. 4 May 2010. Archived from the original on 10 July 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  36. ^ a b c d Mladenović, Dušan (22 May 2010). "Pekinška patka u SKC-u: Novi sako za pankera". Popboks. Archived from the original on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  37. ^ a b c d "Čija je Patka?". Popboks. 19 May 2010. Archived from the original on 26 May 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  38. ^ a b c "Saopštenje grupe Pekinška patka". Long Play. 18 May 2010. Archived from the original on 25 June 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  39. ^ a b Tučkar, Zoran (23 May 2010). "Patke i dalje lete kontra glavne struje". Muzika.hr. Archived from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  40. ^ "Pekinška patka snima novi singl i album!", Trablmejker
  41. ^ "Pekinška patka u Banjaluci". BanjaLuka.com. 13 December 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  42. ^ Stajčić, Zoran (17 December 2011). "Pekinška patka u Boogaloou – biti ružan, pametan, star i još uvijek mlad". RavnoDoDna.com. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  43. ^ "Pekinška patka "spržila" B. Luku, slijedi gostovanje u Sarajevu". Sarajevo-x.com. 16 December 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  44. ^ "Do leta novi singl Patke!". Izlazak.com. December 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  45. ^ Nerić, Vesna (29 December 2011). "Pekinška patka Dom omladine Beograda". DobreVibracije.org. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  46. ^ a b c d Stajić, Saša M. (26 May 2025). "Intervju Pekinška patka: Ono što se našem pevaču Čonti desilo je „bolest" zvana frontmenska groznica". Nova.rs. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  47. ^ a b c Stajić, Saša M. (9 October 2025). ""Moj bivši drug je preoteo naziv benda": Evo zašto Čonta ne može da nastupa pod imenom "Pekinška patka"". Telegraf.rs. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  48. ^ Vesić, Dušan (2020). Bunt dece socijalizma: priča o novom talasu. Belgrade: Laguna. p. 184.
  49. ^ Antonić, Duško; Štrbac, Danilo (1998). YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike. Belgrade: YU Rock Press. p. 48.
  50. ^ "Rolling Stone – Specijalno izdanje: 100 najboljih albuma 1955 – 2015". Rolling Stone (in Croatian). No. Special edition. Zagreb: S3 Mediji. p. 80.
  51. ^ "100 najboljih pesama svih vremena YU rocka". Rock Express (in Serbian) (25). Belgrade.
  52. ^ The B92 Top 100 Domestic Songs list at B92 official site Archived 2007-03-28 at the Wayback Machine

Sources

  • Branislav Smuk: Plitkom poezijom protiv monotonije, Akuzativ.com (in Serbian)
  • Dragan Pavlov and Dejan Šunjka: Punk u Jugoslaviji (Punk in Yugoslavia), publisher: IGP Dedalus, Yugoslavia, 1990 (in Serbian, Croatian, and Slovene)
  • Janjatović, Petar. Drugom stranom - Almanah novog talasa u SFRJ. (in Serbian)
  • Branko Kostelnik - Moj život je novi val, knjiga intervjua, publisher: Fraktura, Zagreb, Croatia, 2004 (in Croatian)
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