Igor Brakus, a popular radio and TV presenter, was our guest, that is we were his guests in the center of Belgrade, in Metropolis Music House, where Igor is currently professionally engaged.
For more than 20 years, Igor Brakus has entertained the citizens of Belgrade and Serbia with his unusual, sharp and specific humor, full of satire. He also tried his hand at politics, where with his civil movement SveJeDno, and the result achieved in the elections, he left behind many professional politicians and organizations.
Igor Brakus lives the life of an authentic urban Montipajtonov from Belgrade in the fight to defend the culture and dignity of an ordinary, small man, a citizen. Although he is sure, as he says, that no one will listen to him.
Recipes and Kuvar online: How did you start on the radio?
Igor Brakus: When I was young, I was a member of an artistic circle, which by its name is also connected to your website, where this interview will appear. "Clips in the pudding" was the name of that artistic circle. The members of that artistic circle were the guys from the band "Jarboli", Daniel, Žolt and Boris, my godfather, Miloš Tomić and me. They were younger youths and I was older, we were involved in creating various cultural events in the city. By chance, we came into contact with Darka Radosavljević, who was then the head of the Urban Zone project. By the way, she worked in the beautiful rhythm of the heart of Radio B92.
And so we got about half an hour, one show, to say what we thought, and it was almost like our version of Monty Python's Flying Circus. She loved it and we also got five minutes in Beautiful Heartbeat.
By the way, as part of the Urban Zone project, "Clippers in the Pudding" exhibited their exhibit at one of the exhibitions, which was called "ništatron" - you put nothing in and nothing comes out. And it was a very interesting apparatus and very interesting at first glance - but, let me repeat: you put nothing in and nothing comes out!
Recipes and Kuvar online: What could be bought for 20.000,00 dinars as a reward for 20 years of work?
Igor Brakus: When they asked me to take a picture with a check for 20.000,00 dinars for 20 years of work, I asked the people from the bank who gave it to me: "Is it okay for you to take a picture with 20.000,00 dinars?" Aren't you ashamed?"
Since they replied that everything was fine, I took a picture with those 20.000,00 dinars! Nothing could be bought, of course - what can be bought for 20.000,00 dinars? It couldn't be done then, it can't be done now, and it won't be possible yet...
Recipes and Cookbook online: Maybe you could buy a "ništatron"?
Igor Brakus: Yes, I could eventually buy a "nishatron", from the beginning of the conversation. You know how, in this country, from the people I was surrounded by, I didn't even expect much. I've never been someone who socialized, "pulled in" with certain people and then, you can't expect anything, except those modest 20.000,00 dinars for 20 years of work. I could have gotten nothing, so I passed – great!
Recipes and Cookbook Online: I read in one of your earlier interviews that you are a big fan of video games? Canter Strike game on PlayStation?
Igor Brakus: As a child, youth, and even until I was about 30 years old, until I acquired the economic conditions to have a good Sony triple, I did not play games, nor was I interested in them. It's just that I wasn't enjoying myself while there was weather, so I started enjoying myself while it was stormy and I used one moment of my life to play games. Now my Sony trio is practically sitting in the dust. Would you like to buy it? I am somewhat weak financially - I would give it for 120 euros. It's really good, it has 250 gigs.
Recipes and Kuvar online: It remains to be agreed.
Igor Brakus: Well, don't let me down. Well, here it is for you - I'll give it to you for 130 euros...
I'm not much of a gamer. In Canter Strike, I always get killed as soon as I try to do something a little more... I think that playing games is a bit of an escape from reality, which I recommend to everyone who lives in this country. There are other forms of escape from reality, so maybe they can be used as well. Let's say: following the results at a sportsbook, when you watch them on teletext, then you wait for something to "flash" when the result changes or someone scores a goal. That, too, is interesting! I do that, maybe more often than playing games on the Sony trio.
Recipes and Kuvar online: You are currently engaged in Music House Metropolis - how did you start the collaboration?
Igor Brakus: People from the Metropolis Music House called me and said that they would like me to be the presenter of their concept, which is completely unusual for cultural institutions here. It is an action plan of the Metropolis Music House to become a mini cultural center in the future, which will combine listening to quality music, concerts, concert events and activities, sales of records, CDs, promotions, both music releases and books, poetry evenings...
The beginning of that is the Vinyl Night we have, an event where the most famous musicians, disc jockeys, music connoisseurs, music critics play records - such as Vlada Dzet, Vojislav Pantić, David Vartabedian. This kind of program for a coffee shop in the city center - and this place where we are sitting is not just a coffee shop - you can drink the best coffee here, but this is a symbiosis of something that every city should have in the heart of its center. Something that is completely different from what we are surrounded by - a small oasis of culture - something that when you enter - you hear normal music. You can listen to a wide range of music - from the jazz giants of the 60s to the latest Red Hot Chili Peppers album.
Quality is very important to us here - even decisive. What we do, it seems to me that not too many bars of this type do, because the main idea is to make this place a mini cultural center.
We are opening an internet radio soon - that's interesting! Internet radio Metropolis, where we will try to use a normal music concept and shows, first of all original ones, which, by the way, you can no longer find on any radio station, except, perhaps, on Radio Belgrade and Radio Laguna - let's try too to offer something. Of course, at the beginning the radio will be connected exclusively to the Internet.
Recipes and Cookbook online: The roots of the future mini cultural center of the Metropolis Music House are deep. This place used to be a PGP RTB (Gramophone Record Production of Radio Television Belgrade) record store, which was the center of record sales and music events.
Igor Brakus: The basic idea was to continue with that activity. Metropolis Music, who is also the owner of Metropolis Music House, deals with music publishing - we have our own releases, which we promote here, but we are also the main representative of Universal Music for Serbia.
Everything that Universal Music releases can be found here, which is really a huge selection of music. For example, you can buy a Kings of Convenience record here, and it's really hard to find a similar place in Belgrade where you could buy this record.
Or, say Charles Aznavour's Encores record, or Frank Sinatra's All the Way album, or several different Frank Sinatra records. People buy a lot of similar boards, even though they are quite expensive!
The habit of buying records is slowly coming back, it just can't last forever if you just listen to MP3s! People like to buy records, CDs, in order to listen to quality music, and that is what we emphasize - that music should be listened to with quality and that quality music should be listened to.
Recipes and Cookbook online: What do you like to eat in a family atmosphere? Is there a favorite food that you like to prepare or order?
Igor Brakus: I minimally prepare food. I'm not good at cooking, but I think if I could push myself, I might learn something. There are things that I have no interest in and that is a big problem for me. If I'm not interested in something, I don't do it... I don't know how smart that is. Many times in my life I didn't have a good time because of that, because when something doesn't interest me, I don't remember it, I don't care...
I like to eat! How it was prepared for me is irrelevant to me! I like to eat... I like to eat mostly everything.
I don't like to eat noodles with cheese - for some reason, unknown to me. I eat cheese, I eat noodles in other combinations, for example Bolognese, I can darken that. But, the combination: noodles with cheese, no. What is the cause of this, did I get poisoned by something similar when I was little, so I don't remember... But it is, perhaps, the only dish I don't like to eat. Everything else I like to eat in various varieties.
I like to eat moussaka of blue aubergine, which my mother makes and which is absolutely fantastic, and I love eating Catherine's cannelloni! She does it superbly!
Recipes and Cookbook online: What do you like to eat in a restaurant? Do you choose a restaurant based on your favorite dish or...?
Igor Brakus: For example, when I go to Paris with my sister, there are many small, local bakeries in the part of Paris where she lives. That's something amazing! I could eat there for breakfast, lunch and dinner! I could eat everything - everything they make, everything is handmade - something that does not exist here, in any form, not even close to the quality: from salty things to cakes and pancakes...
Recipes and Cookbook online: I was in Paris and tried something a little…
Igor Brakus: So you know what I'm talking about? I could literally eat there all day without a problem. It's the best thing I've ever eaten.
Recipes and Kuvar online: What would it look like if Igor Brakus were to open his own restaurant?
Igor Brakus: I'm afraid I'd go broke quickly... Because my friends, to whom I wouldn't give anything for free, of course, don't have the money to pay for something like that. So they wouldn't come. Who would come to my restaurant, I don't know?! This is a problem, right from the start, with the economic profitability of my future restaurant. I wouldn't do anything fancy. It would be some place to relax with good music, some of the simplest possible tables...
In fact, I would bring back the pub as a concept first and foremost – Brakus Tavern.
All that they exterminated here, in order to open some kind of nonsense, and the taverns were the trademark of Belgrade. Because if Belgrade is the most famous tourist destination because of the rafts and when you go there you see starlets in obscene poses and you pay I don't know how much money for an hour there, I think the bar business could also pay off.
There would certainly be people who come from abroad and would like to see how it used to be in old Belgrade. Even Skadarlija doesn't look like it used to. Now it is colorful, and that street should have a completely old-fashioned look. Right now it's a mish mash of everything. Actually, you can't find out or see anything, it has no historical importance anymore, except that they show you the dilapidated house of Đura Jakšić... It used to be different, when I used to come there some 20-25 years ago, let alone earlier.
I often say in similar interviews that I suffer for the times in which I did not live: I think that I would have managed much better in those 60s, 70s in Belgrade, as it was, and in general, in Yugoslavia, the country of that time.
I think that would be a much better place for me than this is now. I don't like anything. I don't like these changes, I don't like how everything is going down, ie. on up. I didn't see anything positive, in anything. Not even in the destruction of the pub, as a place where you could drink a cheap drink and eat a good, cheap meal. And that was some kind of status symbol - "I'm going to the pub"!
Recipes and Kuvar online: Something like "Domovina" used to be across from ETF in the 70s: checkered tablecloths, sauerkraut, brandy?
Igor Brakus: That's right! I think that's why, first of all, I would make up my mind! Although that would probably lead me to bankruptcy... And to the road to alcoholism, from where I would certainly not get out.
Recipes and Kuvar online: And finally, one suggestion/idea to make a "nothing" device in cooperation with the Metropolis Music House and with you, which we would present in the premises of the Metropolis Music House, and which would not take any of the ingredients, and not wouldn't even cook anything! So let's invite our portal visitors to try it out...
Igor Brakus: Music house Metropolis intends to introduce a kitchen soon. I'm afraid I don't know how long this product could last. Because our visitors are looking for something to eat. We currently offer some sandwiches and cakes, but we are looking for something else. It won't be anything fancy, it will be something simple, to be pleasant.
Recipes and Kuvar online: Then we can suggest that instead of "nothing" it should be "everything"?
Igor Brakus: It is not impossible for it to be "everything"... From autumn, everything will be new here, at the Metropolis Music House.
Here's an opportunity to see you again in the fall and to invite the visitors of our portal to hang out with you at the Metropolis Music House.
While we were talking with Igor Brakus, some fine music could be heard from the premises of the Metropolis Music House, e.g. Archies – Sugar, sugar; Percy Sledge - When a man loves a women... Well, "who loves, let him..."
Belgrade, June 2016.
Interview led by: Miodrag Ilić
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