Fighting signal with noise: Turbo Folk Idol
Turbo folk music is all about creating noise, not so much the incredibly trashy sound, but in it’s very core and essence. It is designed to destroy brain cells more effectively than most advanced weapons today, without harming the natural environment, pretty much like the new Russian vacuum bomb.
We had the Idol competiton in Serbia too, you know, but somehow it didn’t catch on. Our “Idol” even had to join forces with Macedonian and Bosnian “Idols” to attract more viewers, but no luck. First winner of the show had got her album contract mere three years later due to the show’s cancelation.
So what did we do? We made a Turbo Folk version of it – for two years now, kids are trying to outdo eachother by singing Turbo Folk songs, most girls impersonating Ceca most guys impersonating… well, I don’t know, something. And it is the most popular show – hm, I don’t have the exact statistics, but I’ll go with my hunch here – EVER in the history of Serbian broadcasting.
If you had the chance, like I did, a couple of nights ago, to listen (through your window) to a concert of new and upcoming turbofolk stars in front of a 15K audience watching live in the very center of Belgrade, and millions watching on TV Pink you would have to wonder what kind of effect it has on what seems to be the bigger part of the nation? The effect so strong that not even Vlade Divac couldn’t fight it.
The simple solution to this noise problem was to simply close the windows. The bigger part of the nation will have to suffer some damage though.
One good thing though – I heard that the guy who won the competition actually didn’t actually sing any folk, let alone Turbo Folk songs, ha!
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Well Viktor this is the story (Grand) as the press are seeing it. Of course some of those same newspapers just want to justify the fact that they have journalists present on the Grand jury. But the message we seem to be getting now is that this guys victory is positive proof that Grand is changing its image.
Thats what that guy who runs it (along with Brena) has been going on about for the last couple of years but there has been no evidence to prove it until now.
Not that I miss that ridiculous idol. In fact I hate these mass consumer programmes – including Millionare, generally. Tedious, mind numbing copied format. Nothing original and Serbian television of the kind that used be interesting, continues to go downhill.
Speaking of Serbian tv did anybody catch that new serial Premier on Pink a couple of nights ago? This is the latest serial to be hailed as a home grown chance of success. The toilet (obvious) humour we expect and if its well done ok, but the missing ingredient is usually anything connecting the serial with real life.
Apparantly our producers think that anything that resembles true life at all wont be watched. Quite the opposite is true in my own case. Saccharine fantasy turns my stomach. That including the gut wrenching ‘comedy’ series Friends.
I am so going to steal that Russian vacuum bomb joke — it’s just too good to resist.
And I’ll admit that I caught some of it on Pink TV. While I can admit that it’s not the best channel, it easily defeats everything else..
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You have “Friends” on TV in Serbia? Oh, gag!
What a pity Serbian TV is relying so often on American shows. Most of them are complete crap. just like “Friends”.