My Life, My Music

This show was recorded in Tivoli Park in Ljubljana where I met up with Klemen Slakonja. Klemen has some big viewing figures on YouTube and it’s not surprising because he is really talented both as an actor and as a musician, in fact he’s a genuine all-round entertainer with a series of caricature videos featuring many Slovene and international characters that have become really popular. As a singer he’s made performances with the RTV big band and he has also formed his own “small” band which is gradually growing in number. Watch out for a show near you, not to be missed!

Žan Serčič may have many years of musical performances but in the last 12 months he has become one of the most popular names on the Slovenian music scene. Performing his own compositions as well as songs by many other artists, his audiences are large and totally committed to having a great time. This conversation reveals just how he has become comfortable on the stage and how much he respects the love he feels from the audience.

When members of Apokalipsa and Bouržuazija got together in 2016 Bojan, Kris, Jure, Jan and Martin became Joker Out and over the last few years have swept their way across Slovenia with some serious audience numbers. Two albums appeared in just one year with the second album showing amazing maturity and some big viewing numbers on the social networks. Bojan and Kris join me in the studio for a very interesting conversation.

Leopold 1st has appeared to a wide Slovene music scene over the past 2 years. Whilst he has been playing for some years, Covid was one of the drivers that gave him the time to turn his many musical writings into top quality recordings. He gives great credit to his producer and there is no doubt there will be more great music in the future. As to when he won’t be drawn to more detail, he does not like working to deadlines.

From an early age Krešimir Mišak has been writing, broadcasting on the Croatian Radio's educational programmes, and with a keen interest in science fiction he has fronted the program On the Edge of Science on Croatian Television for 20 years. He is also a guitarist and frontman of the rock band Hakuna Matata, so there’s plenty to talk about!

Lidija Petkovič has been part of the Radio Si team for a long time which is reason enough to discover more about her life and likes. Over the past years she has also been to the Glastonbury festival in the UK and there have been many reports from her on Facebook. I thought it would be a great opportunity to discover her music likes and her experiences of this amazing event.

Today’s journalism rarely offers a chance to get behind the face of many people in our society. My Life, My Music offers conversations that allow time to understand how the guest has reached their goals and what is important to them. Along with 8 tracks of music chosen by the guest the programme takes a journey though many different personal philosophies with inspirational guests from all walks of life.

Visiting Slovenia to meet and engage with new business partners Jean-Philippe Schepens fascinated me with his very different approach to company structure even the title he gives to his partners, “Tribe” gives a very good indication of their equal value. He is inspiring on so many other levels, if you have concerns about artificial intelligence, self-determination and even the idea that we should always look to nature for our solutions you need to listen to this conversation. He introduces a wide range of inspirational music too!

This month VAL 202 celebrates 50 years of broadcasting. This much loved and respected radio station has a very loyal following and that’s not surprising as it offers music and conversation based around music and the artists that they feature. Music Producer Andrej Karoli invited me to their Ljubljana studios at RTV Ljubljana to talk about VAL202 as well as his own personal thoughts on music and more.

This week the show is with a musician who has recently made 3 recordings. Her own music is great with a voice that is deep and captivating as is her personality. So many experiences to discover from professional English translation to teaching in vocational colleges, a great love of animals and also being a radio host herself. As a result, this was a great fun conversation to have and I know Vesna’s sense of fun and professionalism comes across. You can enjoy some very emotionally charged music including 3 tracks of her own and we end with Cognac!

Recently my guest this week returned to Slovene television screens to act in the role of lawyer Borut Žalar. I thought it would be interesting to discuss the life of an actor, particularly one who is so well known. Rok Vihar started his acting when he was still at secondary school as one of a small group who started a school acting group in co-operation with the National Theatre in Maribor. More than 20 years later he seems very comfortable to say acting is his life along with home and family, it’s all part of one big story!

What do you really know about fusion technology and how it really can solve the green issues by providing safe energy in quantities that means no dependency on fossil fuels? Whilst my guest is not a nuclear physicist she is directly involved in this technology as a material chemist developing the materials that we need to effectively collect the energy of a fusion reaction. Saša Novak has been involved in material research for a long time and most of her working life has been centred around the Josef Stefan Institute, an establishment that she is keen to explain and promote. Saša also has some interesting views on education and how young people should be helped to reach their goals.

Klemen Fajmut is an economist, is an experienced expert in real estate and in particular green spatial planning. But there is a very important part of his professional life as with Masters in anthropology he views Spatial planning and real estate from an anthropological perspective. He is also a traveller, and he likes to get close to the cultures of the places he visits and learn from their societies. There is also mountain-biking, windsurfing, basketball, running and diving, did I mention he plays guitar? So music too!

Statler Gilifen left America with the idea of spending 3 months exploring Europe. Somehow this became 3 years when he found himself in Slovenia and fell in love. Of course, this was just the start and many years later as their children grew older the family moved back to his home, America where he still lives. I met him several times whilst he was here and thought his stories would make a great programme, and so it did. The picture of Piran is his as that he where he eventually set up home.

It was in March 2013 that I first spoke on this show to Saša about her journey to become a much-respected pianist and music teacher. At that time she was about to leave Slovenia to join her husband in Edinburgh. This interview picks up the story and discovers she is now working at the 3rd most respected music school in the world, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021: Performing Arts)

The guest this week has many managerial roles, from tourism to events and music festivals. Jure Sodja is also a great champion of the Bohinj region of Slovenia and if you have visited, you will know why. He is the perfect person to discuss how Slovenia needs to market itself to the outside world. He also manages the band Sam’s Fever, so if you’re a fan of Elvis’ music then there’s another reason to listen to this show.

January is often the time when we sit down and consider holidays for the year ahead. Many Slovenes will wish to travel outside their land, and some will want entertainment too. Cruises can offer both of these things without much hassle and a knowledge of exactly what it will all cost. Matjaž Tomanič has experience in this and Požejdon is his company that has many suggestions on how to enjoy a break throughout the year. Still in the Christmas music mood this show features both Slovene and international artist’s seasonal offerings.

Dolores Hunsky is a poet and writer and although she had an idea for a book of cat poems she never really considered publishing until she met Venesa Erjavec on a course at Maribor University. Venesa is an artist and agreed to illustrate her poems. The resultant book is charming and whilst you might consider it to be aimed at children it has equal value for all as the reader discovers everything from cat characters to their anatomy. This show is fascinating at many levels and of course there is some interesting music to accompany the conversation. Sadly, on the day we recorded Venesa was unable to come to the studio, but she certainly appears in spirit

This week is quite a journey starting in Dubai. My guest Tjaša Ban has business activities in many countries and this year, most notably, in Dubai during Expo 2020 so I felt it was a great opportunity to also discover Slovenia’s involvement in this event. Green installations are high on the list of projects that Tjaša talk about and the music list brings a few tracks that were new to me and possibly new to RadioSi listeners too.

How do our much-loved doggy friends actually communicate with and understand humans? Could we detect emotions in dogs by tracking their facial features? Marie Claire Pagano is from the UK but is often here as her partner is Slovene. I invited her to the studio to explain her research into these questions which she is carrying out at the University of Newcastle.