21-VI-1970.: B, S & T
Between 17th and 19th I was shooting a film "Something like that in that sense" ("Tako nešto oko toga") with a bunch of guys, Gradivoj and a guy from the corner among them, the rest of them sidekicks from ruža. I remember only the title, and none of the content. The first day I actually went to Zmaj to do the pictures from the prom, and there Dimče says "here's the money, go buy some film and make a movie". Just like that. Must be there was some money left in the budget that won't be there next year if it isn't spent this year... I went home and, along the way, dropped by Ž. to try to get some idea. No, fishing tales are out, already did that. So his brother said why not about swimmers. Sure, there already were some on bager, on one end, and the other end was already being filled with soil, well mostly demolition debris, from the houses being torn down for 25. maj. That would make for a nice contrast. So in the evening we discussed it a lot, tossed ideas around, mostly with Gradivoj, and then did it and I took it to Zmaj to develop it. Something went wrong in the lab, it wasn't crystal clear, but it was still viewable, the end result wa satisfying.
The ticket says 20th, of course.
On 20th I traveled to Belgrade to attend to the BS&T concert. The story which I picked (decades) later was that David Clayton Thomas was crucial to their sound and image at the time, and him being a Canadian was a legal problem. So they were blackmailed into doing a tour behind the iron curtain, representing the establishment and western culture in a pure propagandistic move, and his green card will automagically appear. For which the whole rock community was spitting on them, but I was grateful that I could see something so current. The whole ether was abuzz with the promotional stuff, Nikola Nešković and 202 radio and anyone who had a slot was playing their best hits a few days in advance, so I knew what to expect. I went to uncle Staja and stayed there for the day; I guess he got me the ticket. Now there was some heavy rain and the concert was rescheduled for 21st, so he drove me there again, to Taš (the small sports court in Tašmajdan park), and I got in there, caught a good position near the right fence, with most of the view completely clear, for the width of the aisle (the seats in the middle were more expensive - I had no seat here). The opening act was some solo guy with a guitar; could have been Joe South but this guy was black; could have been Jimmy Cliff but didn't play any of his hits... I actually remember only "Games people play", which sounded great. Well anything would have sounded great, this was my first encounter with sound equipment for a big stage, done right and without cutting corners.
And then uncle Staja was waiting for me after the concert. I think he already had that trabant at the time. We didn't go straight home (an apartment in one of the soliters on Novi Beograd, first door to the entrance, which was the natural position for the house majstor); we first went to some apartment smack downtown in the old city, where you could actually have an unobstructed view of the federal parliament. He had to fix a kitchen cabinet... but the apartment was of an ambassador (to India, Sri Lanka or thereabouts). So he let me sit with his daughter while he worked - it was around 23:00 and he was in a hurry - and while we didn't talk much, and she was a tad older than me, a student of something, I had enjoyed the view of her room. It was full of books. Books stacked everywhere. And a few details on the walls - posters etc, don't remember. And no central light, rather some low lights in a few places. But this was another rocker's room, the likes of which I started seeing more and more. The apartments don't necessarily have to look all the same everywhere, just walls and furniture and rugs. They can have atmosphere.
I don't remember how I got home the next day - did he drive me all the way, or to the bus station, or did dad come and pick me up. Because that next day was a monday, they both worked.
Mentions: 12-IX-1971., 25. maj, bager, BS&T, Dimitrije Josin (Dimče), Gradivoj Čović, majstor, ruža, trabant, uncle Staja, Zmaj, in serbian
20-XI-2020 - 2-IV-2026